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Destination Unknown

May - August 2022
  • John and Kimberly Haviland
Traveling in our van in search of the setting for the next chapter of our lives. Making sure to have a blast along the way. Read more
  • John and Kimberly Haviland

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  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
    1
    1111

    Drunken Donkey heading north

    June 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    After chilling at the house sit in North Dallas for three days it was time to head north and check out three different lakes.

    We did not leave until 1:00 pm and Kimberly was hungry so she found us the Drunken Donkey! What a great bar. Unfortunately their air conditioner was broken and the repair guy had to go to Fort Worth for parts. We stayed anyway and had a great time.

    We met several great people including, Berkeley, the guy Kimberly looks like she is ignoring in the photo below.

    Kasey was the bar manager and he gave us some info on the lakes we were going to. But we also talked about Broken Bow Lake that is in our future farther east. Kasey loves Broken Bow. He wanted to know if we had ever eaten crayfish. I have and Kimberly hadn’t so he gave us a pound of them. They are delicious but totally not worth the effort of getting the tiny bit of meat off of them.

    Our first stop was going to be Lake Lewisville, but we drove over it and just kept driving because the water was not very nice.

    Next was Ray Roberts Lake. Really big lake. We looked at camping at a state park, but when we checked out the water it was decent but the lake was just really big and not a lot of good places to paddle board.

    Kimberly and I aren’t big into fast food but every once in a while we give it a go. We have been driving by Golden Chick fast food places it seems forever. Kimberly wanted to check it out, bad Kimberly bad Kimberly. There was a Sonic right across the street, although I have never been to one it would have been a much better choice. I joked afterwards that it should be called Golden Sick instead.

    On to lake Texoma on the boarder of Texas and Oklahoma. Another really big lake. We checked out yet another campsite and took a closer look at the water. The water was ok but definitely not great.

    I think we both had kind of decided individually that if we are going to consider Texas as a final destination it would most likely be in Texas Hill country.

    We just crashed for the night in a Walmart in Madill Oklahoma.

    We woke up and decided to head to Broken Bow Lake with hopeful thoughts running through our heads.    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
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    Ouachita Lake…say that 3 times fast!

    June 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Well, after a refreshing nights sleep in the Walmart parking lot, (actually not too bad… very quiet in these Podunk towns), we decided to head to Broken Bow lake. We have met many people on the way who love this lake. We also watched many YouTube videos about relocation here. When we got there, it was a pretty nice lake. We immediately discounted living there due to major traffic and no homes actually on the water. It has also gotten major touristy in the last five years. We decided to keep moving on into Arkansas.
    The countryside along the way was loaded with fields of Black-Eyed-Susans. I couldn’t help but stop and take a picture because I was thinking so much of our baby girl!
    John almost applied at the Mena Arkansas police department because of their cool cars, (see pic).
    Arkansas is a dark horse for us. Tornado alley runs right down the center, so something I am terrified of. For those of you who have not lived through a major wind event, I will take an earthquake any day. We put it on the back burner, but crossing the border into this gorgeous state was jaw-dropping. Beauty everywhere and water recreation is plentiful!
    It is home to the five diamond Lakes. Supposedly some of the cleanest and clearest in the United States. We headed for Lake Ouachita and scored a water front site for the next 3 days.    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
    4

    Same ole - Same ole

    June 15, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Not much to report. Two more days of relaxing and paddle boarding. Are you getting bored with us yet?
    One of the men camping next to us sauntered over and introduced himself. He is a retired Hot Springs Arkansas police officer. He retired last year at this time. We had a great 2+ hr conversation with him about living in Arkansas, retirement and his 18 yr old daughter. (He has had sole custody of her since she was 3 1/2 years old.) I eventually excused myself and he and John talked for at least another hour. It still surprises us when people are so engaging. It was nice to enjoy some good company.
    John is becoming quite an expert on our Blackstone grill. All the goodies are cooked on the same surface, (think of a restaurant grill). Breakfast for supper is one of my favorites!
    We are having difficulty acclimating to the humidity/dew point, as expected. Tomorrow we will head out and explore several more lakes in the immediate vicinity.    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
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    1

    Lake Greeson

    June 16, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Surprise stop at Lake Greeson. We were only going to check out the water on our way to DeGray Lake, but finding an awesome site available, decided to spend the night. We are still traveling throughout the SW corner of Arkansas.
    Arkansas southern accents are incredibly thick. It’s super cute when little kids talk to us. It makes us laugh every time!
    Very much enjoy watching Fireflies again!!    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
    4

    From Bliss to Bullshit

    June 17, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Well, we woke up this morning on Lake Greeson happy to be alive! Awake early, we were sitting in our camp chairs by 6:30am…the campgrounds nothing but birdsong. We drank our coffee watching the reflection of the trees on the lake. It was like glass! We didn’t want to leave but our campsite was only available for one night. We weren’t too worried about it since we were heading to Degray Lake. All articles and reviews brag about the clarity of the water.
    Beautiful driving! The countryside is so pretty!
    I normally don’t want breakfast in the morning, but while driving through one of the tiny towns I noticed “Trudy‘s Cafe”. It looked inviting so we stopped. I’m not sure how many of you out there would have actually walked into the café once you had the front door open. (See video, paying particular attention to the ceiling and the floor.) The characters that were in there were priceless! But I’ll tell you what… Our eggs were cooked to perfection, bacon perfect, hashbrowns perfect and the place was spotless. Friendly, friendly people and an old fart who made sure to stop by our table to say, “Hope you find a spot to land.” Such sincerity…making sure to look into both of our eyes with a slight nod.
    When we got to Degray Lake all of the campgrounds were up on thickly wooded hillsides, so no easy access to the water. We were super bummed out we left such an awesome campgrounds on Greeson. It was too far to go back, so we started stressing on where to go from there. Lake Catherine was another lake with rave reviews and it was only 25 minutes away. Unfortunately, we also read that they are always full to capacity. We risked it and found a reserved lakeside site that was a no-show. We could not believe our luck and booked it for two nights.
    Weeelll, so here we are. Boards are pumped up and ready to go, three days of good food in the fridge and lake water so nasty I scrubbed the skin off my feet where they actually touched the water. So gross 🤢! We will head north tomorrow!    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
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    Revelations about Arkansas

    June 18, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    A very emotional day. It was 96° with a dewpoint of 76 - making it feel like 109°. John and I both agreed that despite the beauty, outdoor recreation and welcoming locals, the humidity in Arkansas is too overwhelming to live comfortably. With that decision made, we decided to forgo heading up to the NW corner of Arkansas and southern portion of Missouri. We both feel a bit deflated and miss having a ‘home’ for the first time. (PLUS, now we won’t be able to see my bestie Jen, who is coincidentally going to be in Fayetteville, AR on the 29th with her sweet as Hell kids, Skylar & Peyton 🥲.)
    So off to Tennessee we rolled. With quick stops at a brewery for John and an ice cream parlor for me, the day got a little brighter. Halfway to Memphis we stopped at a truck wash. Sassy has not been cleaned on the outside since Las Vegas. She looks shiny, bright and new again!
    Staying at a Cracker Barrel 10 miles shy of Memphis. Not even two hours away and the dewpoint has dropped to 64. It is 86° outside, but feels so cool after all of the humidity. I begged John to play checkers outside of the restaurant. When returning to the van, we opened all of the windows. So awesome after weeks of running the air conditioner.
    We are going to check out some neighborhoods tomorrow and book an Airbnb for a couple of days. We will play tourist by catching some live music on Beale Street and revel in the fact that we have a washer and dryer at our disposal.    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown

    One of Those Days (or two)

    June 19, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    I want to preface this with the fact that Kimberly and I are very blessed and grateful for everything.

    Kimberly decided she needed a couple days out of the van and I can always relax in a house (couch potato at heart). We decided an airbnb in Memphis or Nashville was in order to play tourist. We decided on Memphis because Iets be honest, I am more of a blues guy then a country western one.

    We left our luxury accommodations in the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel and I navigated Kimberly to La Baguette French Bread & Pastry Shop. We had amazing danishes and good coffee!

    We saw a four year old boy with mom and grandma and overheard them talking to a local couple. Come to find out they were from Wisconsin and had been in Memphis for three months as the little boy had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and was in Memphis for surgery and treatment. Memphis has a huge Saint Jude Chidren’s hospital. Saint Jude has always been one of the charities Kimberly and I donate to.

    The young man is doing well now. I relay all of this because I just want y’all to take care of your families and never, even for a minute if possible, take for granted what you have. To always try to be positive and spread positive energy. Take it from me I know it’s not always easy. Try living in a van, but positive energy helps everyone.

    We checked out Airbnb and looked at being downtown Memphis or an area a couple miles out of downtown. We decided to drive around and check things out . We drove by all the iconic spots in Memphis and checked out both areas we were looking at staying. I was worried about parking Sassy downtown with no secured parking. Vans and parking garages don’t really work either. Memphis has huge poverty and pretty high crime rates, but we thought the town was really cool.

    Kimberly and I got in to one of our ‘round and rounds’ - when I am trying to guess what she wants and she’s trying to find the perfect Airbnb that has everything we want for what we want to pay but having zero luck.

    Having no luck in Memphis, she started looking at Nashville to see if we could fine that perfect spot. I figured she was ready to move on, so I jumped on the freeway for Nashville.

    Once again I realized that liking somewhere and having a good time there doesn’t equate to, hey let’s pack up our life and move there. Memphis definitely did not have the water recreation we want.

    There is really only one big town between Memphis and Nashville which seemed weird to me. We made it to Nashville and started the Airbnb search again with similar success - meaning none. Cracker Barrel here we come.

    I decided I wanted a beer and Kimberly found us the Filling Station. A very small taproom in the 12 South neighborhood. Super trendy tourist area which is what Kimberly and I are not looking for. Beer was good but still no progress on Airbnb.

    Dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse with similar disappointing results. Not good at all and shitty service.

    This trip is supposed to be about finding a place we want to move to - but we get off track frequently and it also feels like we are on vacation. It is really hard to explain the feeling or the dynamic.

    The weather has been great the last two days. No air conditioner needed at night. looking back at Arkansas and the nasty weather that chased us out of the state, now is quite lovely.

    I just like to think my spirit guides are given me little nudges, at least thats what I am hoping for.

    Sorry for the long post. Still being thankful and trying to be positive. Miss everyone and hope you are all doing well.    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
    112

    Taking a breather in Kentucky!

    June 21, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    Van = Filthy
    Laundry Bag = Full
    Razor Stubble = 3 Days ( from a woman who abhors the aforementioned and shaves every night.)
    Sleeping in parking lots and eating crap food = 2 days/nights
    I was DONE!!!!!
    Finally found the most isolated and tranquil Airbnb (in our price range) for two nights.
    Chilled and overlooked the lake for two nights. There was lake access, but we only went once because it was quite a hike. Gorgeous water!
    All of our bedding and clothing laundered and folded! Van is now spotless! Sitting around and watching Netflix doesn’t seem like such a ‘loser’ activity to me anymore.
    We are recharged and ready to hit the road again! Onward to the unknown♥️    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown

    Possibilities around Cookeville, TN

    June 22, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 93 °F

    We left our Kentucky/Tennessee (it teetered on the border) Airbnb without much hope. We were both in a good headspace, but on our way to the Airbnb, we had stopped and tried to get groceries in a local town of 4,400 people. We were excited with the prospect of cooking in a full size kitchen 😃! Well, let me tell you, I have family that live in small, middle of nowhere towns and I have never seen grocery stores so nasty. One brand of chicken and all of it looked gray and slimy. The hamburger had such a high fat content that it looked light pink (almost peach). We ended up making BLTs (iceberg 😖) and frozen chicken pot pies. That’s how bad it was! I looked wide eyed at John in the grocery store and he said, “There’s no way we can live here.” So even though our two days at the lake bungalow were a refresher, we were still kind of down on the actuality of living in Tennessee.
    Thankfully we took the time to check out Cookeville being that it is surrounded by rivers, streams and two sizable lakes.
    While grabbing lunch, a young girl complimented me on my earrings as I walked by. I thanked her and later returned to her table being that I felt a pull to give them to her. Rose was thrilled and we had a lengthy conversation with her grandmother, a 27 year resident of Cookeville. Very informative and helpful.
    Today we are camping for two days on Center Hill lake. It is gorgeous water! Looking forward to scoping out the surrounding area this weekend.
    ***Oh, and thanks be to Jesus, the grocery stores are magnificent! 😆    Read more

  • John and Kimberly HavilandTravelerDestination Unknown
    14

    Center Hill Lake - Tennessee

    June 23, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    Another awesome morning view. Another day of perfect water. Another great meal from my personal chef. Another breathtaking sunset. I guess I should stop complaining?
    We will head out tomorrow to continue looking around this area. Specifically Rock Island State Park on the Caney Fork River and Burgess Falls State Park on the Falling Water River.

    **Enjoy the Fireflies if you can. It’s kind of like that vision test where they tell you to hit the button when you see a dot flash with your peripheral vision.🤣    Read more

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