Both of our kids are teenagers now, Adrian 13 & Helen 15. (Helen is slated to start driving school!) We almost went to the Turner Falls OK area this year, due to wanting a bit of a change and because of gas-money concerns, but we ended up in Jasper ARK after all largely because of how hot it's been, with OK slated to get up to near 110'F that week.

This year probably will be remembered for 2 things, one good/one bad. The good--the new cabin and how it was nicer than Dogwood had been, especially with its full-sized kitchen which enabled me to cook full meals (plus it had a gas grill too). That was something I'd been screaming for since day 1, and now I had it. The bad--how hot it was, and how that exhausted us more quickly and it even lead to spots such as Falling Water Waterfalls being dry. Thus, this year may end up being remembered more negatively than any other than perhaps 2016. Even so, there were good moments, and I don't think the "Jasper era" has yet ended even though our kids are growing up.

We found a new cabin (Buffalo Trails Cabin, 870.688.2314) via VRBO (GSP coordinates: 36.013583, -93.160936 {link to maps}) which was near one I'd found last year "on the fly" and was pondering as an alternative to the new ones I'd found in 2021, since it's actually in Jasper itself. It's off ARK 74 S as if you're heading to Hasty Campground. (The new massive large one we found last year was long since booked during this time, plus somewhat more expensive and not as close to our normal spots.) It was very similar in layout to the previous Dogwood Springs #1, but somewhat larger (wider especially) and, crucially, had a built-in full service kitchen and a gas grill, which helped a lot with being able to cook full meals and not have to eat out everyday--and it's in a secluded area that's nonetheless not so bumpy. (Dogwood Springs no longer has the same "charm" for us due to new ownership removing the waterslide, and the lack of a full-service kitchen always was a pain.)

I don't upgrade cameras so much anymore, thus I have my Nikon Z50 and Sony RX100 III from last year. My wife had a Nikon D3200 kit I'd found for cheap earlier in the year, and Adrian borrowed my (sort of works) Nikon J1 I'd gotten for $50 about 8-odd months ago. (I also found his old camera from Amarillo 2020 and a memory card, looks like I may have found his lost photos.)

We were going to take our 2007 Toyota Corolla due to it having a very strong A/C but it had (apparently) wheel bearings problems, so we took our newer Pontiac Vibe I'd gotten not quite a month ago. I had just fixed the A/C and it had a full-blown aftermarket Bluetooth stereo which made music/GPS easier. It did fine other than running a bit hottish (2/3 on the scale, roughly) at times when going uphill with the A/C on. I worked 8-5 Saturday (7-16) my wife was off-work, we left after I got back home from there and made it to the hotel in Arkadelphia.

Spots Visited:

Blue Hole

Bradley Park

Crow Hole

Falling Water Waterfalls

Hasty

Nopalito's Harrison ARK

Ponca

Pruitt