Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 4 - Harrison, AR

 Friday is the start of a Fuse Rally.   A large number of people get there a day or two early but the official start is usually on Friday.  The rally in Harrison was no different.  More units rolled in all day long until 25  units were at the park.   Well To be exact 24 Fuses and 1 Ekko but it is a really just a younger sibling of the Fuse.

People were out helping others fix problems with their Fuses.  Lots of experts in the group were providing tips on how to use features on the Fuse and showing people the ways they modded their units to make them more to their liking.   

The festivities started at 5:30 with the Pot Luck dinner.  As always, there was a huge amount of food, probably twice what was needed. And everything I tried was really good.  It is amazing what can be created given the small size of the units.  Things in crock pots and I even saw some bread.

After dinner,  Rebecca, the organizer of the Rally did introductions and started off the event.   We have people from as far away as Florida and California and everywhere in between.   It is amazing to see this many Fuses in one spot.   There were going to be more be there were a number of last minute cancellations and with COVID going around and other health issues I was happy to see this many.

Lee from Winnebago gave a short talk about what he was going to talk about on Saturday and got mobbed with questions.  Lots of people are really interested in the Ekko he brought with him that has all sorts of cool features and things we recommended would be nice in a Fuse but I think the universal consensus was that they were not as interested in the cassette toilet.  That was not an idea from the Fuse community.

Harrison KOA Holiday

 

Our Fall 2021, Fusing in the Ozarks Rally, was held at the Harrison KOA Holiday in Harrison, Arkansas.  This is a very nice campground. 

The first thing to say about this campground is that the staff and owners are incredible.  They took care of our every need and were always around maintaining the grounds and keeping the place spick and span.  

Everything was just as perfect as you would want with nothing out of place.   When you needed something they were right at your site in minutes.   This is as nice and clean of a campground as we have stayed.   They even had the grounds decorated for Halloween on the first of October.

All of the sites were very level, there were 72 channels of cable TV and some of the best WiFi I have seen in an RV Park.  There was a new wrinkle for us at the KOA.  Many of the spots were pull-in, not back-in.   We have never had a pull-in site but it really does not matter and made setting up camp a little less stressful.  If you have a trailer or a big class-A , not to worry, there were lots of pull-through sites as well.

So, as I always point out, the real grade of a RV park is the showers.  How did the Harrison KOA make out.   Perfect Score.  The bathrooms were spotless.  The showers large and there was plenty of hot water.

The campground is located right on Highway 412 so it is really easy to get to.  There is a little bit of highway noise but there will soon be some more sites further away from the road that will be quieter.  

On our way out I filled up the propane on the Fuse.  They were able to do it without any problems or confusion.  It worked out to be very convenient and we were off without any hassle.   This was a perfect place for a Rally, to spend a number of days or just to spend the night.

Heading to the Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 3 - To Harrison, AR

We took our time on Thursday morning getting on the road.  From Russellville to Harrison was only a couple of hours according to Siri.  Should not be a problem.   So we did not get off until 10AM or so.  

And off we went dutifully following Siri's advice.   So how would she take us to Harrison this morning? Well she decided to take us on something called the Pig Trail Scenic Byway.  I still do not know why on one day Siri picks one way to go and on another day she picks another way but we just follow the advice.  

When we made our plans the maps app showed us going straight north from Russellville up HWY 7 on the 2hr 11min path but there must have been construction or an accident or Siri was just messing with us on Thursday so off to the Pig Trail, we went.  The longest option when I took this snapshot the day after.

Sorry there are no pictures,  I was holding on for dear life.  It actually was not that bad in the Fuse but I do not know how a large Class A would do it.  After we left it we saw several heading that way and were passed by several Semi trucks so I and sure they made it.  There were a number of switchbacks and curves where the speed limit was 15mph and I would guess the average speed limit was 35mph.   It actually was a beautiful drive but as Sonya and myself agreed, we would have hate to have done it at night or in the rain.

So how did we do on day 3, performance wise.  We drove 181 miles and got 13.5mpg.   I actually think that was a good MPG rating this time since it was all up and down.  Town/Haul mode in the Fuse got used almost all of the way.

We had lunch at a McDonalds in Huntsville.   After lunch the road straightened out and we had a nice ride into Harrison and the KOA.    Showing our age, we actually have been through Harrison before when we went to the Rally in Branson a few years back. We remembered when we saw the Walmart and the Arby's we ate at last time.  

Ivy's Cove RV Retreat, Russellville, AR

We spent the night at Ivy's Cove RV Retreat in Russellville, AR.  This was a very nice RV park just off of I-30.  It was still far enough away from the Interstate so you could not hear the traffic.  It was a really nice campground and we would not hesitate to spend the night again.

 

We were in a very large pull through site.  Nice and level.  To get an appreciation for the size, all of our neighbors were full size (40'+) Class A motorhomes.   We looked very small compared to the other motorhomes on our row.  There was also nice large field to walk the dog in.  One important thing to note is that they allow you to wash your rigs at your site. Our Fuse had picked up some grime from being on the road so I was able to give the Fuse a quick spray down and make it look respectable again.

As I point out the most important feature of an RV park is the bath house and showers.  They were spotless with plenty of hot water and reasonably large.  The showers were located with the laundry and there was some workout equipment so if you want to stay fit while on the road you definitely could.

Heading to the Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 2 - To Russellville, AR

 On Wednesday We left Tupelo and headed for a jaunt through Mississippi with our ultimate goal of spending the night in Russellville, AR.   After a great night we headed out through the backroads of Mississippi to see Fort Curtis, a reconstructed Civil War Fort in Helena, AR.   

Well we listened to Siri and Apple Maps drove down a number of farm roads, backroads and saw a huge number of Farms growing everything from soybeans, to wheat to cotton.   We even found a bump over some railroad tracks where I think the Fuse was airborne.  Think of the Fuse taking the place the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazzard.   Decided to come to almost a stop before going over any more train tracks after that.

We got to the Fort and it was closed.  It looked nice but it was locked up due we guess to COVID.    We ate some lunch in the Fort Parking Lot and then went on a tour of the farms of Arkansas.  It is always amazing to me the difference in the land on one side of the Mississippi River and the other.  

We drove for a while and arrived at our destination at the Ivy Cove RV retreat in Russellville, AR.

We thought that Russellville would be a small town but it was not.  Big and bustling with every store you could imagine and it was the home of Arkansas Tech University.   Right down I-40 from Little Rock.  The best part was the restaurants all seemed open so KFC was for dinner.

So on Wednesday we traveled a little over 323 miles.  We got 16.5mpg

Heading to the Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 1

 

Well we are off to the Fusing in the Ozarks Rally in Harrison, AR.    Our first time out now that Summer is over.    We are super excited and heading down the road.   

Our first stop this trip is in Tupelo, MS at the Campground at Barns Crossing.   You can read about this camp groups at: http://confusedrv.blogspot.com/2019/09/campground-at-barnes-crossing.html.    We have stayed at this campground several times and it is a good one just off of I-22.   Take note that this campground does not take credit cards so bring a checkbook or cash.

With COVID still around it is a little different traveling.   We normally stop for takeout once or twice a day.  We are finding that this is a hit or miss proposition.   Going up restaurants in Alabama all seemed to be open more or less normal.  Once in Mississippi, the fast food restaurants were drive through only.  So We got lunch at an Arby's in Dothan, Al but missed out on KFC chicken just outside of Tupelo.  I guess I could try bringing the FUSE through the drive through, but I am not really that brave.

So on Tuesday, We went from Tallahaseee to Tupelo.  I won't report on the milage on the first tank of gas since it was a partial, a lot of idling in the driveway and up and down the road around the house.   We drove a total on Tuesday of 425 miles.   And on the second tank of diesel we got 14.97 mpg going from Dothan, Al to Tupelo, MS.   Not too bad for mostly Interstate Driving at 75mph.

Retirement

I retired Friday (6/4/2021)!  Now more time to RV and have fun with the Fuse.  Not sure when or where we are going next but no we no longer have to figure it out months in advance.  The path is clear ahead and the outlook is beautiful