Cody’s blog

Memphis KOA Journey
7037 I-55
Marion, AR 72364

870-739-4801

August 9, 2021

Next stop, the Memphis KOA Journey! Actually located in Arkansas, just short of the Tennessee border, this was one of the most interesting KOAs I stayed in! I let the kitties ride in the trailer on the drive there, stopping every hour to check on them. I worried about the heat, since the trailer’s air conditioning wouldn’t work unless we were plugged in, but they made the trip all right. I had to drive through Little Rock, Arkansas along the way, and it was stressful as always driving through cities with the trailer, but other than that, the drive was fine. The campground was a little hard to get to, but the truck’s navigation got me there all right.

Once we got set up and the air conditioner going, the cats flopped in the floor under the fans to cool down.

I had the strangest experience getting gas. I let my truck nav take me to the nearest gas station, which turned out to be an isolated little local station with sort of general store attached. They were apparently not really set up for out-of-towners, and the general air of abandonment with some pumps not working and strips of plastic blowing in the wind made it feel like I was stepping into a horror movie. The gas pumps were odd, with metal handles under the nozzle you had to turn the pump on. I had to go into the store to ask the guy at the counter what to do several times, and move my truck once to a different pump, before I finally got my tank filled. The guy must have thought I was nuts, but he patiently helped me figure it out. Bought a bottle of aloe juice while I was there to make up for taking so much of his time.

One of the fun things about the campground was a giant outdoor chess/checkerboard set up on a concrete pad , with chess pieces and checkers and a tile chessboard. This campground was one where they would make dinner for you, so I ordered nachos and cole slaw, which was yummy, and bought a big plaid cloth napkin at the camp store to use as a place mat for Mister, since he tended to push his food off his dish and onto the floor.

I spent most of my afternoon figuring out my stops for the rest of the trip, planning to arrive in New York on the 16th.