Homeward Bound
Arkansas
We started the trip by taking the scenic route from Dallas, through Mena, and into Hot Springs for the night. Kelly found out about the Talimena National Scenic Byway, which sounded way better than miles on the interstate. The drive was absolutely beautiful and the sky gave us these huge, dramatic clouds that ended up lasting for the entire trip. While driving through the mountains, all I could think about was taking my bike out there for another trip. I just need to find the wineries for Kelly to hang out in while I’m out peddling for the day. Without knowing we were going to, we ended up driving right through my uncle’s stomping grounds in Mena. I will make it back there, and I will make a pit stop. The area is just so peaceful and relaxing.
Our stop for the night was “the highest point in southern Hot Springs” on a piece of land. At the top of the hill was a platform that you could set your tent up or just hang out. The plan was to set the tent up and watch the stars for the night. While setting up, the wind started whipping through the campsite and we looked up to see a storm cell off in the distance. We were stuck with the decision to see if the storm cell would hop around the valley or if we were in for a ride…since this was Darcy’s first night of camping, we thought setting up camp closer to the tree line and on the ground was best.
While setting up the tent, a little bambi deer stumbled on me and stood there, shocked, wondering why I was in his neck of the woods. It was a neat experience and one that I will think back on. Now back to the storm cell. The valley pretty much welcomed the storm and we had a pretty intense hour following sunset. At one point I was holding the tent up from potentially breaking a tent pole while Kelly held Darcy to keep her as calm as we could. The storm eventually passed, the tent was still standing, and Darcy made it through another new experience.
Tennessee
After a night mixed with off and on storms, we packed up camp and headed to Nashville. No matter how long I am gone, I always feel right at home when I find myself around my Tennessee peeps…especially my mom. One new thing this go around was getting to see my brother’s new pad downtown. It’s good to see him growing and walking through life. We caught up over bourbon one night, people watching from his balcony, and spending way too much time watching some of the crazy YouTube videos we have stumbled upon lately.
The next night I got to spend with two of the three rocks in my life. Those friends that ask you to bring a shovel in the middle of the night and you don’t ask questions. They’re always there and real, regardless of how we have all grown since high school. It was much needed time with the guys for me.
Our last night in Tennessee was spent over at Kelly’s house. We installed a new fridge, oven, and dishwasher, took a few headshots/portraits, and the obligatory family photo. The time we got to spend with Kely’s family was super chill and always fun having conversations with Butch and Holly (you too, Kathryn, but we stay fairly caught up). Kelly warned me that the Clouds were going to be the toughest to photograph to date. She wasn’t wrong. It was a great experience for me and hopefully for them too :) I think we ended up with a few good shots, and definitely some good laughs.
Land Between the Lakes
Last on the itinerary was a quick jaunt up to Land Between the Lakes to check out where mom and Jeff spend so much of their time. Jeff had our back from the beginning. He got to the only campsite open in the park (first come, first serve) at like 5am to reserve a spot for us. He nailed it. Great spot, close to them, and right off the lake. We ended up getting there around 4pm, finding “those campers” hanging out in our spot. You know the ones…big truck, huge camper, generator, off leash dogs, and rampant (off leash) kids. When we approached them about being in our spot, they told us we didn’t get there early enough and the spot “opened up” so they took it. They “weren’t trying to steal if from nobody” though…sigh. We posted up at the spot right next to them, albeit no lakefront. I think the silver lining ended up being a slightly quieter spot for the two nights.
The next morning we headed down to the core of the park to see what was open. Not much, but we did get a quick hike in on one of the few areas that was open. After the hike, we headed back up to meet up with mom, Jeff, and Marshall to head out for a day on the lake. I was super excited because it’s something I grew up with and something that I just don’t get to do much…plus, it would be Darcy’s first boat ride. Should be fun, right?
It started off with about 10min of barking, echoing throughout the marina, excited to be alive! She finally accepted the fact that this was going to be the thing for the day and spent much of the remaining time dodging the sun like a vampire. We are still working on her being a southern dog. We have a lot of work left to do there. Some of mom and Jeff’s friends were out on the water and we got to stop and meet them. Everyone seemed super nice and I can see why they are up there so much. We capped off the night with drinks at the marina with some great live music, meeting other friends, and learning about some of the unique characters that live in the area.
The next morning was quick and easy and had us back on the road headed back to Dallas. Like most of our trips, the pace was fast and the experiences were great. We need to make it back home more often.
