Deacon Blues

If you are from my generation you should be able to figure out what state I am in right now from the blog post title.
A free taco to all who guess correctly. The only catch is you have to eat it at Brother Mike’s house this year during the last week in December…
Freddy and I wrapped up our stay in east Texas a few weeks ago. The weather was clear and cool. The morning walks were slightly unsettling.
We would head out at sunrise.

And be watched by several hundred vultures perched in the surrounding trees.

Yeah.
Freddy didn’t seem to mind. He found a small swamp and pretended he was the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

He really did not want to leave. Gave me pleading puppy eyes.

Doesn’t work on me anymore. We headed east to a nifty little hidden gem of a campground just past Shreveport, Louisiana.

Kisatchie is the largest national forest in the state. It is also the smallest. Confused? That’s because it is the only one.
We stayed at Beaver Dam campground.

That $15 per night includes power and free showers. We ended up staying 3 nights.
Freddy asked what being a beaver entailed and I explained what they are all about. So he proclaimed that he is now a beaver and backed that claim up admirably as you will see shortly.
Anyway, back to the campground. There are 29 sites in the main loop that take reservations. There is also also a smaller tent loop that was closed and is walk up only. For the price, go with the electricity. Makes it easier to run a blender.
We stayed in site 22.

Right behind the “beaver” on the left side is a spur trail that hooks up to the main lake loop trail. It’s about 5 miles around and Freddy approved.

 He just started lifting his leg a few weeks ago and finally figured out the purpose. To leave his mark. At first he would let it all go at the first stop, then look confused when he lifted along the trail and nothing came out. Now he paces himself and can mark several miles per walk.
The lakes, upper and lower, are low speed only. There is a ramp available next to the small pier.

Freddy spotted a stick…

And did his fetching thing.

While I picked my site due to it’s proximity to the trail, there are several other ones on the water.
Check out 7, 9, 11, and 12.

There have been fire restrictions in effect so far this year at my stops but not here, so it was time for Freddy’s first campfire.
I gathered some pine cones in a bucket and he found some sticks.

I put the stick on the picnic table and told him it was time to be a beaver.
“I need you to chew up that stick into smaller pieces for the fire”.
“Like this?” he replied, and started gnawing.

I laughed hard, almost dropping my adult beverage.
“No, not into mulch, small sticks about a tails length long”.
He barked his understanding, made a pile of sticks, and then picked out a good one to get it started.

He dropped it on the pine cones and twigs burning in the fire pit.

Lay down and woofed to get the flames going.

And then took a nap.

Afterwards he said it was a lot of work being a beaver and is now a puppy again.
Whatever.
Next stop was Moro Bay State Park in Arkansas.

 Another little gem. Just 20 campsites that will run you $22 per night with full hookups.
Numbers 3 through 13 are alongside the Ouachita River. 4, 8, and 9 are good examples.

A huge off river site is number 18.

We stayed in site 6.

Freddy liked it but was confused by his new camp leash.

I will explain at the end of this post.
There are 5 cabins available, a marina, and a visitor center/store.

(On that pole it shows the high water mark from 1988)

And lots of signs. Some redundant.

And some just having a sign party.

My favorite of those says “Do not pull on ferry if motor will not start”. Okey dokey.
To be fair, the ferry service was stopped after 164 years. All the signs were saved to be near the last boat.

This one.

Which Freddy had to check out.

Finally, they offer a kid friendly attraction. A turtle pond.

Although I think there might be some Jurrasic Park stuff going on.
Rule number one states that you need to keep your fingers away from the fence. Maybe the turtles are crossbred with velociraptors.
Our last stop in the Natural State (Arkansas motto) was Lake Chicot State Park.
We did not like it. I take that back. We only liked sites 114 – 127. They are on the lake, an oxbow of the mighty Mississippi. And 121 is the best. So that is where we stayed for just one night. (112 and 113 are not on the lake)

The path to the dock is next door.

The rest of the lakefront sites look like this:

No understory, no privacy, but at least you are on the water.
The other 100 plus sites are just in open areas.

You will pay over $30 to stay in one of the lakefront sites. Unless you can get one, I would pass on this park.
I am planning on seeking out lesser known but spectacular campgrounds this year. Reservations? Maybe. Hookups? Maybe. Puppy friendly and simply a wonderful spot to spend a weekend or a week? Definitely!
The first two in this blog post qualify, as did South llano River and Squaw Lake from earlier posts this year.
Lastly, Freddy is now into blending in with his surroundings. All the better to sneak up on critters to chase.
He wants to know if you can spot him in these two pictures.

I told him that except for his pink tongue in the last one, he was doing great.
When I showed him how they looked on the computer, however, he became upset.
“I hate my new camp leash”.
“Freddy, you chewed through the regular leash twice. Now you get a wire rope”.
“I don’t want a wedding coat”.
“Um, I said it’s a wire rope”.
“I am going back to being a beaver and will chew this wedding coat apart”.
Sigh.
It’s a wire rope, but I would not bet against him. He is a determined puppy/bear cub/burro/beaver.
Regards,
Greg
(and Freddy!)