OHHHHHHklahoma (4/27/25)

 

As soon as we had an idea of our timetable for the summer, we did two things- we booked an RV park in Massachusetts, a state that has relatively few RV parks, and we scheduled some work to be done on our trailer in Elk City Oklahoma.

Rolling Retreats is a repair/sales shop that specializes in DRV products, which is what our fifth wheel is. Although ours is still in excellent condition, it IS 14 years old and still has the original roof. Paul feels that we are on borrowed time with it, so we are having Rolling Retreats put on a flex armor roof, which should last the life of the RV. We needed to be in a hotel for two nights while they did the work, and we chose one with a kitchenette so we could cook simple meals instead of eating out.

With a couple of days to explore we headed for the hiking trails. There are several state parks and a wildlife refuge in this area. We started with Quartz Mountain State Park because it sounded the most interesting.

It was a good pick. About 30 minutes out of Elk City, the park has a few trails of interest. We chose Baldy Point. The trail started out in the brush, with large boulders, sometimes looking like a cave.

The trail opened up into a hillside and then wandered through a meadow.

The wildflowers are in full bloom here right now, which in and of itself made the hike worth it.

Lace Hedgehog Cactus:

Indian Blanket- which we had never seen before…

This cutie is an Eastern Collared Lizard (I love apps that identify creatures and plants for me!)

Although it was only about 2.5 miles and 350 feet of gain, it felt like more because we kept stopping to admire the flowers and the view.

In the “also ran” department, the following day we did a 3 mile hike in Foss State Park, and from there, drove up to nearby Washita National Wildlife Refuge. After eating our picnic lunch we had a nice chat with the ranger, but that turned out to be the highlight, because we didn’t see any wildlife.

At the end of the day we were able to pick up our Mobile Suites, with it’s brand new roof. At first it looked quite bright and white, but it has since started to blend in perfectly with the side walls.

After one more night in the nearby rv park, we hit the road the next morning, headed for the Arkansas border.

At this point we are not particularly having fun traveling across the plains states. The tornado warnings seem to follow us wherever we go. We have set alarms on our phone and most nights before we go to bed, we plan what we would do if we had a serious warning near us. Even without the tornadoes, the rain seems to be incessant.

We have had no choice but to drive through downpours and wind. We HAVE adjusted our timetable to avoid some of it but mostly we feel like the further east we can get, the easier the weather will be.

And as a side note, I unfortunately forgotten to pack my low profile waterproof boots- so shopping was a necessity.

Somewhere along the way we discovered  that water was getting into the rig. Living out west most of the time, our rig hasn’t been inundated with torrential downpours in a long time, and it apparently doesn’t take much to soak through some insulation.

Over the last week or so Paul has spent more time than he cares to digging in the bedroom closet, looking for the source of the water. The good news is that although it was frustrating and took a while, there was no damage, and he got to buy a new saw to cut through the closet. 

Michigan Road Trip-Day two (05-01-15)

Albuquerque, New Mexico to Elk City, Oklahoma

(427 miles)

After a really lousy night’s sleep, we were up early and ready to go.  I think we are still getting used to the camper, especially the lack of sound deadening insulation.  It seemed very noisy last night.




Anyway, before we could get on the road, we had to make some adjustments.  Paul had noticed that the camper had shifted and was no longer sitting in the bed properly,
It takes longer than we would like to take it off the truck and put it back on, so we actually got a late start.

After a few hours on the road, we left New Mexico behind. Somewhere in Texas we passed by Cadillac Ranch- “"a dozen Cadillacs half buried in the ground.  This isn't my picture, since I wasn't aware that we would be seeing it.

Missing out on that made me realize that I should pull up the “Roadside Attractions” website on my computer, to check and see what else is out there.  I was just in time to catch a glimpse of the Slug Bug Ranch- 5 VW Beetles, buried in a similar fashion to the Cadillacs.  Obviously it was a bit far away for a decent picture.









  I was better prepared to capture the Leaning Tower of Water.  Yes, it was built that way deliberately and apparently doesn’t lean as much as it appears.











After a mere 427 miles we decided to call it a day in Elk City, Oklahoma.  Around 2 pm I start looking for potential camping spots along our route.  I try to have several picked out, so Paul has options as to when to call a halt.  One of the perks of using the camper is that we can camp off the beaten path a bit.




 

The town has an awesome park on a small lake, complete with 5 RV sites-with 30 amp hook up.  And it’s free.  This was our view.








 
Dozer enjoyed watching the plentiful wildlife, although he sort of lost interest when he discovered we wouldn't let him out so he could chase the birds, rabbits and mice.










With all the quiet- we got a decent night sleep…..

Michigan Road Trip-Day One (04-30-15)

Lake Havasu City to Albuquerque New Mexico

(520 miles)

We were anxious to get out of town, so we were up and moving pretty early.  After buttoning up the trailer for a month long abandonment, we hit the road.

:

Within a short time we came across a recent accident. The police hadn't even arrived yet, but it didn't look like anyone was hurt.

  Standin’ on a Corner in Winslow Arizona.  I did that, while Paul fueled up the truck.  It wasn't the corner and there was no girl in a flat bed Ford, either.

This is the corner, but it isn't my picture.  I stole it from the internet because we blew by at 30 mph, so my picture came out blurry.

Driving through Winslow, and not stopping to see “the corner” again ( we drove by it a few years ago) reminded me of a feeling that I had about 11 years ago.  That feeling is a huge part of why I wanted to RV full time when the opportunity presented itself.

About 11 years ago, Paul’s parents gave us a car.  The only thing we had to do was go get it.  The car was in El Paso, and we lived in Massachusetts.  So, we both flew out to TX, spent a couple of days visiting his parents, and then took off for Boston. 

We drove 13 hours a day- from sun up to sun down, to make it back in 4 days.  We needed to get back to the kids as soon as we could.  So along the way I took pictures- pictures of Welcome signs. 

Lots of Welcome signs.

I got my first glimpse- and just a glimpse- of the Mighty Mississippi, as we drove by at 65 mph.

So many places looked intriguing.  I had never been to Nashville or Memphis (you can bet I have since remedied that!).

We drove past places I had heard about in songs- like the Blue Ridge Mountains, and West Virginia…













The signs enticed us to get off the highway…..












….but we didn't.  We kept on driving. Past it all.  We didn't stop to see anything.









It was on that trip that I realized that there was so much to see in this country, that we needed to find a way to explore it. When we got home, I told Paul I wanted to do that same trip some day, but I wanted to take a month to do it- not 4 days.



Of course, real life delayed the realization of that dream.  We had two teenagers at the time, Paul was entrenched in the corporate world, and he soon after that trip he was informed that he was being relocated to Michigan. I wouldn't trade that time of our lives for anything. We enjoyed Michigan and have great memories of our 4 years there, but when Paul got the notice to retire in 2009, we knew it was our chance to escape the rat race and explore all the amazing things that this country has to offer.  And that’s just what we've done!



Ok, that’s enough of that.  See what happens when I have too much time to reflect???

Back to today- after 520 miles, we called it a day when we made it to the Elks Lodge RV parking in Albuquerque New Mexico- pretty satisfied with the amount of miles we got under our belts.

Speaking of miles- today the odometer on the truck passed the 100,000 mile mark.  Paul forgot about it, so no pictures, but he says its the most miles he has ever put on a vehicle.

S.O.I.T.C. (Grove, OK 10-20-11)

  Suite Owners International Travel Club- that’s the club for people who own the same brand  of 5th wheel (DRV, which makes Mobile Suites and Elite Suites)  that Paul and I have.  We scooted out of Arkansas to attend a rally here in Grove, OK, which was only 80 miles away from where we were.    For the last few days we’ve been mingling with other owners, hearing their stories, and sharing ours.  The first 2 hours we were here were a whirlwind.  We have one of the newest rigs, so quite a few  people showed up at the door in the first few hours to check it out. 
  
      There have been several organized activities in the last several days, plus some time for us to explore on our own.  Friday the weather improved to the point that we decided to go on the organized two hour boat trip around Grand Lake on the  Cherokee Queen.  It was a beautiful day to be on the lake, but it wasn’t a very exciting trip.

                                                                                                                                                                                                    Saturday we checked out a place called Har-Ber Village.  Its a pretty unique collection of almost anything you can think of.  It’s set up like a village, with walking paths that weave in and around the exhibits.   Each building contains a collection of antiques of some kind, including dolls, toys, china, medical equipment, and tools.      

                                                                                                             

  

One of the exhibits was what MUST be the world’s most extensive display of barbed wire.  Who knew that there were over 900 Styles of barbed wire fencing?

I sure am glad that we have modern technology when it comes to curling and drying hair!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I really liked the animal exhibit.  the information about this bear explains that he is a Kodiak Bear, found on Kodiak Island in Alaska.  He weighed in at 1600 lbs and is over 8 feet tall.  He was shot with a .357 magnum rifle. It took 5 shots to kill him, and typically with this type of animal, a hunter will wait at least 2 hours before approaching the carcass, because if there is any life left in the bear, he will attack and try to kill the hunter.

The last night of the rally we had a pot luck dinner and over 50 prizes were given away. Paul and I won a $25 gift card to IHOP, and some Christmas decorations.

There were 25 rigs here at the rally, plus representatives from a DRV dealership, and a Vice President of DRV. I guess the trip here was worthwhile for the dealer, since one of the two rigs he brought to show was sold to one of the couples at the rally.