9 May 2024 - Arrived at Bull Shoals White River State Park Campground - A Little Piece of Heaven Right Here!

 

It was a short night for me at Little Rock Air Force Base FamCamp as we stayed vigilant with the crazy weather.  This morning at 0844 hrs we wrapped things up, departed the base and headed northbound to our next stop - Bull Shoals White River State Park Campground.  There is no direct route from Little Rock to Bull Shoals and due to the extensive construction we bypassed Little Rock completely and caught Highway 5 north to Highway 64 and west to I-40 then north with a combination of windy roads to our destination. It was a scenic drive but the closer we got to Bull Shoals it became very slow and curvy.  

The good news is it was a relatively short driving day at just 162 miles and overall it was very enjoyable but tiring. We stopped a couple times for a pit stop and once just to let vehicles pass us.  Just south of Bull Shoals is Flippin AR.  That may ring a bell with some, but it is the home of Ranger Bass Boats, the defacto standard of bass boats.  We will tour Ranger Bass Boats if time permits.

Not far north from Flippin is Bull Shoals.  We have been here several times before.  Our first visit was with my daughter Michelle and future son-in-law Keith Ervin when we traveled here from Norwalk IA to scuba dive the Bull Shoals lake.  We had an absolute blast!!!

So today we rolled into the town of Bull Shoals, across the dam and down below the dam to the State Park.  We checked in quickly at 1245 hrs, 162 miles and headed to our site.  

On the map above, the red arrow points to out site.  Just to the left of our site is the boat ramp where we will meet our good friend and fishing guide, Paul Bobby tomorrow.  Paul and his wife Cindra are both Air Force Veterans from Alaska and moved here after Paul retired.  Cindra continued her service as an officer in the medical field.  

Paul Bobby, "G.I. on the Fly" trout fishing guide service

MSgt First Sergeant Paul Bobby before he retired.

The Bobby's and the Schellhase's in 2022, our last visit.

The Bull Shoals White River State Park is an absolutely beautiful park in a beautiful area.  It is so relaxing.  We are camping just below the Bull Shoals Lake dam on the White River.  The site was adopted into the state park system in 1955 after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created the lake by constructing Bull Shoals Dam on the White River.  The White River is one of the nation’s premier trout-fishing streams.  

We set up our RV and then took a walk with Liberty down by the river and there were fishermen and fisherwomen testing their skills against some awesome rainbow trout.  

The boat house

Trout fishermen in the river casting for a catch.  The water is absolutely crystal clear.

Other fishermen casting lures from the jetty

The water speed, level, clarify, and temperature below the dam in the White River varies depending on how many generator turbines are running.  They adjust this daily basis depending on the demand.  So we will adjust our fishing based on all of this.  Paul will text me early tomorrow to determine the plan of attack.  I am really looking forward to another fishing adventure here.  Paul is an awesome guide with an awesome boat.  If you fish with Paul Bobby and GI on the Fly (search Facebook for his page), he will put you on the fish!!  

We also hope to reconnect with one of our long time 132d Fighter Wing friends, Chief Master Sergeant (ret) Charles Leonard and his spouse Sherri!  They live just east of here in Mountain Home AR.  Chuck advises there is a whiskey bar in Mountain Home that is calling our name LOL!