Becoming unhinged, Pineywoods Wine, and a New State

I mentioned that our freezer door hinge snapped in half, and I called ahead to RV repair shops to order the replacement part. Texas RV Supply in San Antonio was able to order the part, but it was due to arrive from their distributor on the day we were scheduled to leave San Antonio. I called them in the morning as soon as they were open; the part had yet to arrive. Since their location was on our way out of town, we just packed up and left a bit later than usual (9:30 am) and got driving. As we were exiting the freeway to their shop, they called my cell phone with the welcome news that the part had been delivered! We were able to stop and pick it up, then get back on the road. I didn't install it until the next morning.

The miracle part arrives in time!

Installing the new hinge.

My phone was charging on the shelf below, so unhinged selfie.

We stopped at a Buc-ee's on our drive for lunch and gas. I've wanted to go to one since I read about them in a favorite fiction novel. I can see why people say that they love Buc-ee's.

The parking lot was huge, with lots of gas pumps (not shown).

The grackle likes the firewood sign and gives me the death stare.

My grilled cheese and fries. They mostly had meat so...

Our Harvest Host was the Naca Valley Vineyard. They were so nice. The tasting room has been closed since COVID-19 shutdowns, but they put in more outdoor seating and a pavilion for their wood-fired pizza and live music customers where we had our tasting. Wanda gave us a some history of the family property and the wines they have been producing. We especially loved the local blueberry wine, but all the wines they had were great. They even mowed down the taller grass to the pond so we could walk out there and appreciate the peaceful quality of the land here.

Wanda and the wine. We bought two bottles.

The temporarily closed tasting room.

Our spot.

Russ appreciates the pond and the tiny bit of fall color.

We are now in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I planned to stay at the National Park Campground for our entire stay, but I knew that there was no way we would get a spot at a first-come, first-served campground if we pulled in at the end of the day, so I booked a place on Lake Hamilton for our first night it town. It was lovely, but loud with traffic and with killdeers. We got set up and drove into town to preview the campground and get the scoop on getting a site from one of the campground hosts. I also stepped into the local Kroger for some fake meat products that weren't available in Texas.

Our site at Lake Hamilton RV Park. Nice.

Russ stands on the lake shore.

We did manage to score a campsite at Gulpha Gorge Campground this morning. There were only two free sites when we arrived at 9 am, but we are happy with the one we picked. It's lovely here and I can see why it is so popular. I had thought we would be dry camping, but all the sites have full hookups!