Carthage, MO, to Russellville AR, to Robinsonville, MS

Monday, 10/24/2011

Harrah’s Casino Mid-South RV Park

Robinsonville, MS

We ended up staying seven nights at Prairie Band Casino RV Park near Holton just north of Topeka, KS.  We liked the RV park and the rate of just $13.13 per night with our Camp Club USA discount.  We may have stayed a bit longer, but the discount was only good for seven nights.  We didn’t really do much during the week.  We went to Holton, KS, a couple of times to Wal-Mart.   One day we ventured in to Topeka, KS, to pick up a few things at the Wal-Mart Super Center and PetSmart.  Otherwise, it was just rest & relaxation.

Wednesday, the 19th, we moved down to Carthage, MO, just east of Joplin.  We stayed two nights at the Coachlight RV Park.

We just stayed here as a stopping point on our way south.

We drove over to the Downstream Casino RV Park just across the state line in Quapaw, OK, to check it out.  The first three nights are actually free with water and electric hookups and a dump station nearby.  We considered staying here a night or two, but there are only twenty three sites and when we were there only a couple sites were available.  We didn’t want to take a chance going over there and not have a site available.  It would be a good stopover when traveling through the area, and the price is right too.

Friday, the 21st, we left Coachlight RV Park and headed south down to Russellville, AR, to Outdoor Living Center RV Park for three nights. 

This is a small park with very tight sites and full hookups.  There was a motorhome parked next to us the first night.  They left on Saturday, and a fifth wheel moved in.  As you can see in the pictures below, the fifth wheel wasn’t parked on the site very well.  The right side tires were actually in the grass instead of on the gravel.

To their benefit, I hadn’t hooked up our sewer hose yet.

That’s the sewer hookup right there by their “Welcome” mat.  As a courtesy to them, I dumped the tanks at one point while they were gone, but I didn’t leave the hose hooked up.

Friday night we went to Cracker Barrel for the Friday night fish fry.  Saturday we found a recycling center and got rid of a bunch of stuff we had saved up.  Then we checked out a COE park near Russellville called Old Post Road on the Dardanelle Lake/Arkansas River.  It looks like a place we would’ve liked and would’ve had a bit more room.  The sites have electric and water with a dump station nearby.

By the way, when we arrived the other day at Coachlight RV Park we didn’t have a reservation.  I usually call ahead before we leave and I didn’t even do that.  I got a bit nervous when we got there because they looked like they were really full.  Luckily they had a site available, but we learned a lesson to call ahead first, especially during this time of the year when many of the snow birds are heading south for the winter.  In fact, we ended up at Outdoor Living Center RV Park because our first choice was full and had no sites available.  We didn’t stay at Old Post Road COE because they don’t have cable and I didn’t know if I would be able to get a clear view for DirecTv.

There is a dam and lock just north of Old Post Road COE.

A view of the Arkansas River below the dam and lock…

The dam and lock are huge.  See the people in the center of the picture for perspective… (click the picture to enlarge)

We crossed the river and checked out another campground just north of the town of Dardanelle and south of the dam called Riverview Recreation Area.  It has water and electric and a clear view of the dam and river.  However, there is a VERY STEEP road to go down to get to it and, of course, you have to go out the way you came in so a VERY STEEP road up to get out.  We probably won’t stay at this one.

This old Avion travel trailer was sitting out by the road at the campground where we’re staying.  It’s very similar to the first Avion that my parents owned back in the late Sixties and early Seventies.  My parents, sister, and I had some great times in that trailer as we traveled all over the county with it.  Avion travel trailers were a very high quality built unit out of Benton Harbor, MI.  My parents liked them so much that they actually owned three different Avions over the years.  Unfortunately, the company was bought out and then eventually discontinued.

Monday, the 24th, we left Russellville and headed to Robinsonville, MS.  We stopped at Camping World near Little Rock on the way and picked up a few things.  We’re staying at the Harrah’s Casino Mid-South RV Park for a couple of nights.  Here’s a couple pictures of the signs.

For some reason, I forgot to take a picture of the park and our site.  This is a big RV park with full hookups and all paved roads and sites.  It’s located about twenty miles south of Memphis, TN, near the Mississippi River.  We didn’t go to the casino or restaurants so I can’t comment on that.  This is a nice park, and we’ll stop here again if in the area.

Next up, a visit with the King.