Breakfast was enjoyed at the KOA Kafe that met the need for caffeine and grub requirements
By 9:15 the smitanic was ready to break camp...except the Toad needed the BB hooked up.
With the sweat bees annoyingly hovering as the early morning heat began to rise the feared BB tests were repeatedly performed. Marking the seat from a prior success had no effect. Theresa attempted the calibration for the first 50 min, then Kevin relived her for another 40 min of futile attempts and finally while Kevin finished pulling in the slides Theresa got the illusive "ready" indication. The tape was marked with little hope of continued success without a major struggle.
A record time of 1hour 45 min was consumed in this minor but critical process. There has to be a better solution!
At 11am the coordinates for the Ozark campgrounds were keyed into Nora.
The route Nora selected was a series of 2 lane highways that presented an acceleration, RPM and speed challenge to capt Kevin as he navigated the Ozark Slalom course of twists and banked turns up and down the undulating terrain. He would down shift prior to steep climbs or down hills indicated by 30 mph curvy signs. He used the engine brake to manage the downhills and try not to loose momentum on the reciprocating uphill. Theresa held on to the passenger handrail as the 16 tons of rolling mammoth rounded each curve, just like the Wild Mouse Ride from the Riverside park in Des Moines, Iowa threatened to eject fair riders into the river!
At Yellville ,AK the route turned to the south into Buffalo River Natl Park. Navigation was strictly visual now. The campground sign was spotted but there was no place for a RV with Toad to pull over. Kevin made the turn, stopped on the road with 4 way flashes on and urged Theresa to quickly get info on where the Toad could be unhooked.
Theresa managed to wait in line to get the info then ran back out to the RV that was blocking the road. In the meantime Kevin was very severely warned by a park ranger that the Smitanic must move and cannot block the road! Theresa climbed back into the RV with new intel on the park. Down a very steep hill , that seemed like a fortress that would hold back White Walkers, was a promise of a parking lot where the Toad could be safely unhooked.
As the mammoth approached the parking lot a Rangers truck stopped going in the opposite direction. Ranger Rita (not her real name) had been obviously warned Iof the arriving behemoth and stopped to offer some alternative campsites that would better accommodate such a beast!
After the toad was safely unhooked, Theresa accompanied Rita to inspect the other sites.
The first site was good but had limited maneuvering to back in while the second site was directly across from the bathrooms and a parking area and seemed good.... However it was a designated handicaps spot. Rita ensured Theresa that it was ok for the smitanic to dock there. Perhaps oversize problem vehicles qualify as handicap? Theresa lead the smitanic with he toad to the new site. The portage was secured and Kevin reaffirmed his conclusion that state and national parks are not that friendly to RVs of the extreme size !
As the team completed the steps to set up camp they noticed the driver's side slide out was already starting to slide out at the bottom. Apparently the damage done by I-40 has also impacted the ability for the slide out to remain secured while under way. This will need to be addressed once the Smitanic is near an RV dealer/service center.
The entire campground was on the shores of the buffalo river carved between very high bluffs. This left all cellphone and Internet reception null and void . However, the satellite TV had a clear path to the SE sky so at least some civilization was in touch
The sand wad quite soft and the river with its rising wall was spectacular ! Some folks in canoes were coming ashore just as the team was gazing in awe of the river carved cliffs.
It was agreed that this location was worth the effort !
Also it was agreed that this would be a great place to hang tomorrow and may include a drone flyover!
Dinner was put on the grill as the sun set and the bugs became more aggressive! The chicken and corn was perfectly done with a cucumber (Thanks Jimmy), onion, tomato salad to complete the meal.
The struggle of the day was well worth the location . Tomorrow will allow exploration of the river and fun playing with what is offered by Mother Nature.
Connectivity is very bad to non-existent so Day 8's post will be delayed.
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