Two Weeks at the Ranch...

Steve and I bought a new camper in June of 2007, we traded in our Winner’s Circle toyhauler trailer for a 36 foot Raptor Toyhauler. We are really set to go camping now!!!

Because of real life, we only got down to the ranch for three days after 4th of July, until the last week of August. I decided that I needed to go to the ranch for a two week stay. Hey, we had to get to know our camper and the ranch!!! Hey Steve bought into it, so off we went!!!

So I packed up the camper and Steve pulled us down to the ranch. Steve was going to join us for long weekends. When we arrived at the ranch on the weekend before Labor Day, we parked up at Hill Country. Steve and I had an enjoyable weekend riding the trails and camping. Steve left on Sunday afternoon and it was just Aeryn and I at Cloud 9 Ranch. We would ride around all the campgrounds every day; we learned how to get down to Wilder through Powder Mills on the back roads. We were enjoying our days.

My mother came down on Tuesday to spend a few days at the ranch. My mother had retired from being a manager of a camp ground in Texas five years ago, so she was excited to be able to camp again.

A Day Trip off the ranch:

On Tuesday afternoon we made plans to take a drive around the area, we went down to Mountain Home to check out our old stomping grounds at Robinson Point on Norfork Lake, we then drove over towards the Bull Shoals Dam, we stopped at Gaston’s for lunch. If you have never been to Gaston’s Resort and Restaurant, it is worth the drive. It is located at the base of the Bull Shoals dam and the White River. The smoked trout appetizer is to die for. I recommend this side trip to everybody and then afterwards we went across the dam to the new visitor center. This is a must stop also, the views from the visitor centers is worth the stop itself. The visitor center is also filled with history of the lake and area, so stop and spend an hour or two.

Driving back to the ranch, we decided to take the west side of the lake and cross the Peel’s Ferry across the Bull Shoals Lake to Theodosia Hills. This is the last ferry that is run by the Arkansas Department of Transportation. It takes a little bit to get to, but still worth the drive. After the ferry ride which brought back many memories for both of us, we headed for Theodosia Hills on 161 and drove east to the ranch!!!

The next morning while sitting outside drinking coffee we noticed a lot of activity coming up and down the road. The pullers were busy pulling the campers out of compound for the upcoming holiday weekend. This thrilled my mother; we sat there and guessed the size of camper and how many slides the camper had. It was something to watch the pullers as they were busy that morning!!! We sat there for hours playing the guessing game.

Wednesday afternoon, another road trip…this time to Hardy, Arkansas and Mammoth Springs. Hardy has the cutest historical main street right on 63 south of Mammoth Springs. It is worth the drive down there, the shops are full of antiques and other unique items. The homemade salsa, jelly, jams, and chocolate is a must. Stop for ice cream. Mammoth Springs is beautiful.

Back to the ranch: Again on Thursday morning, the pullers entertained us for hours, okay we are entertained easily. That afternoon we then got on the ATV and I took mom down to Wilder and then Foggy, up to the stables, over to the falls, and up to Lonnie’s. Mom was a good sport on the ATV, but she didn’t want to hit the trails. Even though we didn’t ride the trails, we found plenty of things to do and see around the ranch. We had a full day!!!

Next Entry: Our first holiday weekend at the Ranch!!!