Camping and Canoeing at Arkanas State Parks

I was not really planing to write this blog. I was looking for a sunset photo to participate for @juliank daily photo contest and happened to find these pics from my archive. So though why not share this story with you all.

My entry for @juliank Golden hour photography

So this is pre-Kiara era (my daughter). When @deeps-kivi and I used to travel a lot when ever we get a chance , this is one such long weekend get way to Arkansas. I stayed in Dallas , Texas close to four years and there is not much of greenery around , so you nearest getaway is always Arkansas. Its 4-8 hours of drive depending on which region we want to Visit.

To me Arkansas is one of those beautiful places underrated places in US where there is lot to explore and the are amazing state and national parks, not to mention many scenic drives. The fall colors here are very famous and usually there are lot of crowd during October/ November

So this time we are not riding a motorcycle , rather driving a car. Plan was to camp for 2 days. We never book anything in advance mostly because most plans are last minute decision. There are even trips where I wake up early 3 am and decide to go somewhere during weekends. I usually get ready , pack a bag and then wake up @deeps-kivi :).

My job also don't allow me to plan things ahead of time hence these last minute plans. Since I dont book anything we always take our camping kit and go prepared. This is one thing I really like about US , you get a sense of security and can always find a place to stay hotel/motel/campground. I have done this through out the year , never had to book and was luck to always find some place to crash !

Since we dont have a fixed plan it also gives to chose any place one the way as we explore and discover. So for this trip we though we will head to Degray Lake , I gave a call to them on the way to see if they have any camping spots. And we were luck , they had a waterfront tent space for us to camp for one night !

Once we reached there , there were multiple spots for us to pick. So we took a quick drive to camping area and selected one which a good view of the lake.

We setup the tent quickly. Camp sites are really neat and organized. Place to park , tent pads, a coal grill and a nice patio ha ha :)

Deepthi setup her Hamick and decided to relax while I started to drill having some cold beer !

Grilling Chicken

So thats our dinner, just protien :)

There was no one else to take our photos so I setup the cam on timer and clicked few snaps !

Our Neighbors had jet-ski

After dinner we decided to walk round the park and see the sunset .Trust me these colors are real !

It was a great day and bit tiring because of the drive. So we decided to call it a day a bit early.

Next day morning , having breakfast.

After breakfast we roamed around the park to explore a bit more. Since we had only one night available had to leave and look for another place to the night. So by noon we started and went further to another park Petit Jean State park.

The drive there was amazing with great roads , lots of bikers on the way !

Love watermelons , nothing beats it on a summer day !

We got some rain on the way

So yet again without any reservation we got a nice spot to say. They did not had a tent space but had a pre-setup tent with some bunk beds inside. We gladly took it and price was also reasonable. This was again waterfront

Renting this spot came with a Canoe as well. So we had not done canoeing ever in our life before so we were excited and nervous at the same time. We left that for the next day

Camp was decently equipped.

What a relaxing view !

Then we setup some campfire , sat in front of the lake and talked for a long time. This is the most amazing thing, you forger all your worries , work pressure. Just us and the sound of the water waves from the lake - pure happiness !

Woke up early in the morning ! View from inside the tent

Beautiful Lake

Thats an airport on the other side, very surprising !

Time for Canoe

Getting Ready

The lake was not calm , lot of waves. Being our first experience we were very nervous , even though we both know swimming. So we still gave it a try and played around for an hour !

We spend good amount of time in the park and late in the afternoon drove back to Dallas. Met a couple on 2 motorcycles on the way back. Talked to them since we had something in common "Motorcycles"

Harley , I am not a great fan on one because it not my riding style. But this one is a beauty !

We reached Dallas back Late in the night.

That's all for now , hope you enjoyed photos and reading. Leave a comment , have you been to Arkansas or similar trips ?

Thanks for Stopping By !
@ashwinrajt

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