This song really says it all and it is by the famous Irving Berlin. How did he know how van mom would feel after being gone for 5 1/2 weeks? Michigan and the farm were the final destination and it took a week to get there with lots of great stops along the way.

LAKE BOB SANDLIN TEXAS STATE PARK

I give Texas State Parks five stars., at least this one. Clean, spacious, reasonably priced and well run. Pulling Beamer in the trailer slowed us down a bit, so once we were finally settled, van mom couldn’t wait to get out the mountain bikes and check out the park and the trails. Van dad did not share that excitement but willingly went along. You will notice in the first picture below the screen door that van dad installed while in Texas. This has been a game changer. Being outside is great except for one small four letter word….bugs. Sitting in the van with the screen over the wide open door is as close to sitting outside as you can get, without the bug bother. It is magnetic and opens and closes quite easily.

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WINDING STAIR NATIONAL REC AREA OUACHITA MOUNTAINS OKLAHOMA

Mountains in Oklahoma? Who knew! The Ouachita Mountains are unique in that they run east to west, rather than the north to south direction of the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. The sandstone and shale slopes harbor two types of forest: hardwood on the northern slopes and pine and oak on the drier south-facing slopes.
This area had lots of hiking and van mom had hoped to ride her bike on part of the Talimena Scenic Byway.
The Winding Stair Campground was probably quite the place in its day, but now can only be used for dry camping. The sites were spacious, well spaced and cheap. $8 per night. The weather was not in our favor. Rain moved in and was expected to keep up all the next day. So no grueling hikes for van dad. He was bummed.

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CHERRYVALE PARK BIG HILL LAKE. CHERRYVALE KANSAS

We headed north and a bit west to get out of the rain. Van mom has recently discovered recreation.gov. and has been able to find quite a few great spots to camp. They are spacious, affordable and the facilities range from “seriously?” to “great!” Big Hill Lake has five different park areas, 17 miles of equestrian trails, a beach and some great fishing. It is often referred to as the Little Ozarks. This looked like a good place to stay for two nights.
The first morning started with a hike along the lake, not to long or demanding…..just right.

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After lunch and some housekeeping, it was off on the bikes to explore.

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