Here’s something I haven’t been able to say in months: This campground is full. We’re thrilled for our hosts, who’ve been going through a rough patch business-wise. Falling gas prices, plus daytime temps in the low 80s and nights in the upper 50s, have lured RVers back out, if only for a weekend or two.
Today’s trip to The Mountain had a specific purpose — our contractor ran into a significant chunk of inconvenient bedrock right where the house will be, and he wanted us to lay eyes on it.
And so we did. It’s massive. There are no discernable edges, and the backhoe operator was unable to get a claw underneath it.
Could it be broken up and removed? Yes. Would that (using explosives) be absurdly expensive? Also yes.
Since we don’t have unlimited funds, we’re faced with a decision about the kind of foundation we want. It looks like pouring a slab is off the table — should we dig a footer, build block walls and sit the house on a crawl space? Or pour concrete pads or pilings and put the house on piers?
We’re leaning toward the latter. I expect we’ll decide tomorrow and let the contractor know.
This weekend is the annual “Miles & Miles of Yard Sales,” stretching from Midway west to Flippin along Arkansas Route 178. Deb and I were intrigued, so we left The Mountain before noon and worked our way north toward the dispersed event.
Honestly, it wasn’t much today. It might be better tomorrow. Two things made the effort worthwhile — stopping at a friend’s sale in Bull Shoals (he gave me a killer deal on a benchtop drill press) and driving Route 178 (just another spectacular road in The Ozarks).
We even crossed Bull Shoals Dam. (Long story. Inside joke.)
Passing through Flippin we gassed-up at Walmart ($3.239), then drove back up to The Mountain to drop the drill press in the shed. Deb’s cousin had just returned from having a custom exhaust installed on his ’42 Chevy pickup project, and he started it up for us — it sounds perfectly badass.
We’re always looking for things that help us get to know the area a little better, preferably something a bit unconventional. This evening we drove down to the athletic fields south of Harrison for the 27th Annual Arkansas Hot Air Balloon State Championship.
We got there in time to grab “gourmet” grilled-cheese sandwiches from a food truck, enjoying our meal on the lawn while watching the nightly “balloon glow” exhibition.
When we got back to the bus I sat down to compose this post. I noticed that I had a notification from one of our trailcams on The Mountain, and I almost blew it off — probably another random gust of wind, at best a squirrel.
But no, this time the camera near the homesite had captured a browsing whitetail doe. That’s a first for us.
Don’t be surprised if tomorrow is a near-repeat of today. I’d be ok with that.
One year ago today, after a Bloody Mary before noon at Eddie’s Café in Apgar Village, we left the beaten path and drove up the North Fork Road to Polebridge.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB