Welcome to Go Camp! I'm so glad you're here! I'm Aurora LaRay! I am traveling with my furry-faced pride and joys: Paco and Atlas. We call a Coachmen Freelander home sweet home on the road!
In this episode we are talking Arkansas (with a sprinkle of Mississippi! We'll be covering….
1. A Haunted Highway
2. Transitioning into RV Life
3. Fries, nuggies
4. And Walmart
Thanks so much for joining us on our adventure!❤️
Welcome to Go Camp! I'm so glad you're here! I'm Aurora LaRay! I am traveling with my furry-faced pride and joys: Paco and Atlas. We call a Coachmen Freelander home sweet home on the road!
In this episode we are talking Arkansas (with a sprinkle of Mississippi! We'll be covering….
1. A Haunted Highway
2. Transitioning into RV Life
3. Fries, nuggies
4. And Walmart
Thanks so much for joining us on our adventure!❤️
Welcome to Go Camp! I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Aurora LaRay! I am traveling with my furry-faced pride and joys: Paco and Atlas. We call a Coachmen Freelander home sweet home on the road!
In this episode we are talking Arkansas (with a sprinkle of Mississippi! We’ll be covering….
1. A Haunted Highway
2. Transitioning into RV Life
3. Fries, nuggies
4. And Walmart
Right after this!
Couch Potato to Five K by Zen Labs Fitness is a simple, free, user friendly running app. I was skeptical, I’d never tried long distance running. Couch Potato to 5K starts nice and easy. Baby steps for the win!
Before I knew it, I was signing myself and Paco, my four-pawed running coach, up for our first ever 5K! I love that this has been something I can share with Paco and it’s taken us to trails and created opportunities to make new friends, that we wouldn’t have otherwise.
Now, we’ve leveled up to Couch Potato to 10K.
Thanks to Couch Potato to 5K and Zen Labs Fitness, I feel amazing!
We took a quick pit stop in Waynesboro, Mississippi. It’s the perfect town. We had a nice little walk. We didn’t run into many people, but we were met with smiles, by the folks we did see. The Stanford Steak house was not open yet. Their hours are 4pm-9pm – it is a place that I would very much like to do a show. The building is gorgeous. I can only image that the food is wonderful.
I did a quick google and found a really cool event in Waynesboro. It looks like it takes place in April. It’s called the Whistle Stop Festival. It’s an Arts and Crafts Festival. It looks like they have everything: Antique Car Show, 5K Run, Mechanical Bull – just tons of fun stuff! We’ll be keeping an eye out for that next Spring!
The other things that popped up, I wish it hadn’t – Devil Worshipers Road, which is technically Waynesboro Shubuta Road.
I’m at the four-way stop. Don’t do it girl. I’m not going to do it. I did it. I hit the gas. Onward to Devil Worshipers Road.
What’s crazy is that the hauntings here are pure speculation. Some believe that the hauntings are the result of a satanic cult. This cult enjoyed doing their murdering and sacrificing in the area. No proof.
Some claim that it’s Goatman. He sold his soul to the devil. Why did he do that? I don’t know. The Goatman is said to be seven feet tall and his accessory of choice, a pitchfork. Again, no proof.
Or, it could just be the witch.
Knowing that people have said that they felt like they were being watched. Car engines shut off. Hand prints on cars. I chose to go with the scary movie trope, “as long as I don’t believe, I’m safe.”
As long as I don’t believe, I’m safe.
As long as I don’t believe. I’m safe.
As long as I don’t believe, I’m safe.
Google Maps, immediately quits. I turn down the wrong road. I think we could have called that that was going to happen. I’m at a dead end, ditches on both sides – deep ditches. I have to maneuver all 22 feet of myself out. I’m starting to believe, because I’m too scared to get out of the RV to make a “maneuver plan”.
As long as I don’t believe, I’m safe.
As long as I don’t believe. I’m safe.
As long as I don’t believe, I’m safe.
We survive. I’m out. The radio, which has been all static pops back on – loudly! Red Rider’s Lunatic Fringe.
I know you’re out there/
You’re in hiding
And you hold your meetings/
I can hear you coming
I know what you’re after
I do want to give a shout out to 103.7 The Fox. It’s a great station!
I make it out and back to the main road, which turns out to be the road I’d been looking for. So, turned around. Let’s be honest, I believe and I’m started to get a lot freaked out. Obviously, I’m never coming back to this road, I decide to get some video. I did not edit this in any way and my phone was in normal video mode. Listen to the radio.
As I turn the corner…. (someone speaking in tongues.)
Now, we’re stopped for the night at Loves Travel Center in Village, Arkansas.
The best part, we’re right by a church!
The church we stayed near last night has a super interesting history. New Hope Missionary Baptist Church was formed in 1860. It became the main black church for Lake Village, Arkansas following the Civil War. The cemetery has hundreds of graves, most are unmarked. The church is said to be the oldest African American Church in Arkansas and the cemetery is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Any excuse for my Mickey D’s Fries. We are in Pine Bluff, Arkansas at McDonald’s – home of one of the last surviving examples of a single arched McDonald’s Sign.
Located at 2819 S. Olive Street Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
The sign represents the transition from the “speedee” sign to the double arched. The first double arches sign appeared about three months after the Pine Bluff store opened.
Let me tell you this, my fries - McTastic. Paco is McThrilled about his McNuggies. Atlas is currently McSleeping, he’ll be McCited in a couple hours. (so stupid) Talk to you McLater.
It’s been too long since we’ve been to what you may call a “Rest Area.” We call them “Miniature State Parks”. Paco loves Rest Stops. Top Ten on his “Best of Trip” lists – always.
I’ve been feeling bad because we haven’t stopped at a Rest Area since Alabama, but now that we’re on the 40 at Big Piney Rest Area and Tourist Information Center, it looks like things are turning around for this trip.
It’s a really nice stop. Paco’s happy. Atlas is happy. I’m happy.
When I transitioned into my “home is where you park it” stage of life. Friends would say things like, “Aurora, you’re living the dream, traveling the country. You’re so lucky”. I’m here to tell you it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. OK?
There is a major adjustment period. I’d been living in an apartment complex in Burbank where this amazing, magical maintenance man, named Paulo, would fix all the broken things. All of them. All the broken things.
When I bought my rig, I felt this “can do” empowerment. Like, somehow, I was also magical and could fix all the broken things. Like Paulo had passed the magic wrench to me. This was my hero’s journey.
I read up on everything… maintenance, upkeep, taking things apart – putting them back together. I was going to be the best RVer. History would remember me. I felt confident when it was time to flush out my septic system. Overly confident. I was flushing it out, step one per this YouTube video with 60,000 views. The 40,000 THUMBS – DOWNS -ES, should have been a red flag. Probably.
As I’m watching step two, sitting at the table/couch/bed I feel a drip on my shoulder and then another drip and another drip and another drip and another drip. Then, the equivalent of the coach getting the ice water dumped on him/her after the team wins the big game or Carrie at the Prom.
I look up… I don’t know why I looked up. I look up. Brown water is coming from the ceiling…. How did it get up there? This is not the kind of magic I signed up for. This is bad magic. It flushes down. How is it up there? It flushes down!
RV life is literally raining down shit on me.
It’s raining shit (How disgusting)
It’s raining shit.
Why’d I give up my apartment?
It’s raining shit.
What’s the retail value on a Coachmen Freelander? Lightly used. Weird smell.
It’s raining shit. Yeah.
I learned. Now, I go to the pros for anything dealing with fluids; bodily, flammable otherwise. Going to an RV Repair Place. That’s its own pile of ceiling shit.
Running down memory lane as we continue on to Oklahoma. As we pass through Bentonville, Arkansas - I’m recalling some pretty amazing times. I had the pleasure of taking the stage at Meteor Gallery in Bentonville a few times. I’d love to hop on that stage again sometime soon. It’s a great venue!
The building itself is a restored, over one hundred year old movie theatre. They have a great stage. If my memory serves, it seats just over three hundred and for my music lovers, there’s a separate section that’s a guitar store – bad ass guitars.
You totally hit the camping jackpot when you stay at Blowing Springs RV Park. Five-Stars all around. Trails for days. It’s such a pretty park and I love exploring those woods.
Not too far from there, I want to say about a five minute by car, is a section of Food Truck Trailers in Bella Vista on Lookout Drive. I recall eating one of the best breakfast burritos of my life. We even picked up Chinese Food to take with us on the road to our next stop.
Oh, and I mentioned, “camping jackpot” – it’s also the “Dog Trip Jackpot”. The Bentonville Bark Park is over an acre of off-leash fun, just west of the North Bentonville Trail. It’s probably one of the best dog parks we’ve ever been to. It’s fantastic. It just so happened, there was a Yappy Hour happening when we were in town. One of those moments, I couldn’t have planned better, if I tired. Paco won a ball-flinger. A yellow ball-flinger. Still in use today! Our go-to dog park toy.
We visited the Peel Mansion, it’s a Civil War era home with stunning gardens. How am I talking about Bentonville and not talking about Walmart? If you visit, you kind of have to go to Walton’s 5 & 10. There’s a gift store, Walmart Museum and a snack shop, called Spark’s Cafe. The snack shop has ice cream – the best ice cream.
Sam Walton loved ice cream. Butter Pecan was his favorite! That’s what I had! I totally get it. It was next level top notch. When you stop by, you’ll spot a tub that looks super Walmart! That one is called Spark Cream – it’s supposed to taste so good and it’s fun that it sports those blue and yellow Walmart colors! Let me know if you’ve ever tried it! I’d love to hear about it!
Next time we talk, we’ll be in Oklahoma!
Thanks so much for joining us! I love sharing our adventures with you! Go Camp is now available on the iHeart radio app and wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
Please subscribe, so you don’t miss our next adventure. If you would like to connect, I would love that, you can find all my social links at www.auroralaray.com.
Have a wonderful day and many, many happy adventures!