Texas RV Travel : Journeys : Arkansas
Camino Real de los Tejas
We journeyed to see the Rolling Stones concert in Little Rock, Arkansas on March 9, 2006. On our way to Arkansas in March 2006, we followed the Camino Real de los Tejas from San Marcos to Nacogdoches, Texas. We journeyed on Hays Country Road 266; switched to State Highway 21 in Hays County; onto the Old San Antonio Road (OSR) that bypasses Bryan, College Station and Madisonville, Texas; and back again on Texas Highway 21.
We ended our journey on this historic byway in Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas. We explored the Old Stone Fort on the Stephen F. Austin University campus, visited the remaining Caddoan mound, and walked the Lanana Creek Trail abloom with dogwood trees. Nacogdoches is known for its Azalea Trail, but we were a couple of weeks early for the full effect.
Caddo Lake |
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It is believed that Caddo Lake formed when floodwaters, blocked by
massive log jams on the Red River, backed up into Cypress Bayou.
Caddo Lake lies across the Texas-Louisiana border and is a Wetlands of International Importance. Caddo Lake meanders in channels, bayous and sloughs over 32,700 acres. Spanish moss draped bald cypress trees stand silent witness to the secrets of Caddo Lake. Caddo Lake State Park and several small towns (such as Uncertain, Texas) offer camping, boat rentals, tour and fishing guides, supplies and lodging. See the Caddo Lake Area Chamber of Commerce website for information.
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Hot Springs, Arkansas
We drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas and stayed at Hamilton Harbor, a wonderful resort on Lake Hamilton. There are 5 lakes in and around the Hot Springs area. They call them the 5 diamond lakes. The lake area was beautiful, with large pine trees and scenic drives.
We traveled to Diamond Crater State Park to dig for diamonds, drove all over the Ouachita Mountains and toured Hot Springs .
On Thursday, March 9, we drove to Little Rock to see the Rolling Stones. This was the purpose of our trip. We figure if they can keep rocking, we should too. So we did!
Return to Texas
We stayed two nights at Lake Tawakoni, which is east of Dallas. The water level of Lake Tawakoni was so low that all fishing piers and boat launches were out of the water by about 10 feet.
On the way to Lake Whitney, I lost track of my road through a small town. Next thing I knew, I was on IH-35E. I usually do everything I can to avoid the ever-continuing construction, but it turned out to be a good detour, because we got to see Carl's Corner, Texas.
Lake Whitney is a beautiful lake and the Thousand Trails Resort was really nice. We will be journeying there again.
On the way home, we drove State Highway 281, an easy, relaxing trip through the Hill Country. We looked for Eagles around Burnet, stopped in Lampasas at a spring-fed river, enjoyed the wild flowers along the road outside Johnson City, cut through Blanco and Wimberley to arrive in San Marcos, weary and glad to be home.
Updated 02/18/2011