Thursday August 26th 2021

The temperature reached the mid to upper nineties, but the location of my site made a big difference. Ever since I left Louisiana over a month ago, my campsites have been in the open without any shade. Here along the Arkansas River at Maumelle Army Corp of Engineers park I am parked in the shade. The direct sunlight doesn’t reach my RV. It is dark later in the morning and earlier at night. The end result is it is naturally cooler. This level of heat in the direct sunlight results in the AC running continuously from 9AM to 9PM. Here in the shade it gets to cycle on and off.

The shade is the good part of my campsite. The same trees that provide the shade prevent my satellite TV dish from getting a signal. I’m forced to watch one of the 51 over the air channels I receive on the regular antenna for entertainment. It is actually the first time in weeks that I’ve had access to all four of the major TV networks.

The other downside to my campsite is a little more concerning. It looks like this site fills up with water from the hill behind it in heavy rain. Since it hasn’t rained significantly since I got here, I don’t know the level of concern. It could be an inch or several inches based on the accumulated mud I’ve observed in some areas. This is important considering the weather forecast. Tropical storm Ida is heading this way. The current track isn’t a major concern, but if it moves to the west, several inches of rain may fall in this area. I’m paying close attention to the developing forecast and will take action as necessary. Moving to another site after the weekend is a possibility as is escaping the area all together.

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In addition to finishing setting up my campsite I checked out the changes to the park since last summer. Not much has changed. The only significant thing I observed was the height of the river. The water level is a little higher than last year. Since the level is controlled by the Murray Lock and Dam a little way down river, it is probably by design.