DIY Camper Life

Camping at Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds

Nicky and I decided to take a trip to Arkansas to stay at an Army Corps of Engineers campground, Dam site campground near Eureka Springs Arkansas. We left home in Glenville NY and headed west, our plan is to travel no more than about 5hrs a day, so we don't burn ourselves out from driving too much. The first day we drove to Westfield NY and stayed at the local KOA campground it was nice and quiet, but most important was the fact that we had an electric hook up, so we could use our newly installed air conditioner. We stopped and got burgers at one of the rest stops along the way so we didn't need to worry about cooking anything for dinner. On arrival, I just pulled through the site, levelled the trailer and plugged in. Two seconds later the 5000 BTU residential window A/C was on and turning my 6 x 10 cargo trailer camper conversion into an icebox fit to store slabs of beef in. We took a brief stroll around the park so, Nicky could get her steps in before turning in. After a short learning curve, trying to teach myself how to use my cell phone as a hotspot, I was able to stream our favourite TV series off of Hulu "Sons of Anarchy."

The next day we ate what we call our travel breakfast, diced cantaloupe, strawberries and blueberries in a bowl, along with our bagel of choice and cream cheese, topped off with a nice big cup of coffee. The second night we stayed at a KOA in Lebanon Ohio, nice little town, We pretty much followed the same routine as the night before. Both KOAs were nice and clean with great facilities, showers, toilets, laundry areas with several washers and dryers.

Day three we headed toward our first Corps of Engineers campground, located near Scottsville Kentucky, named Bailey Point Campground. absolutely beautiful! Large sites overlooking the water, nice bathroom and shower houses and even a camp store that sold firewood and ice. We stayed at Baily Point for two days, unfortunately, we were plagued by scattered thunderstorms for both days, but we still enjoyed our stay.

On day five we travelled to our final destination, Dam site campground, near Eureka Springs Arkansas. the first mistake I made was breaking our 5hr travel rule. the time to travel between Baily Point Kentucky and Dam site campground Arkansas is about 8hrs and 49 minutes as per Google maps. Google maps doesn't factor in that I was pulling a trailer and a lot of the roads are two-lane and much narrower than our wide northern roads. Ten hours later and Nicky not talking to me, we pulled into our site at Dam site campground. Once again a beautiful site directly on the water. The next morning after a good nights sleep and some breakfast, we were on speaking terms again. Note to self, do not break 5hr rule!

In summary, Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds are a hidden treasure for the camping crowd. I highly recommend checking them out.