ONE MORE DAY IN O-K Sept 18

Writing this I’m starting to feel like there’s nothing much to even record that anyone could care about – each day with 4 hours on the road, a new park, dinner and a game or two.  It’s definitely been a different kind of trip.  With Covid being what it is and with health issues and house issues at home calling, it seems that the effort isn’t adventure as much as just accomplishing the miles. 

That being said, though, Rob and I are having a strangely wonderful time despite the relative monotony of each day.  This day started and progressed pretty much like the last four – except it was Friday.  Weekends for campin during Covid has presented a whole different challenge.  With everyone reigning their circle in, camping has been one of the safer ways of getting out and staying safe.  And weekends mean that families are free and campgrounds are very hard to come by.

We knew the direction we needed to go but near everything I checked was booked so it took some creativity before I found Lake Wister State Park at the entrance to the Ouchita National Forest area between OK and AR.   We found another network of great back roads and had a smooth trip with one exception – coming face to face with a double wide trailer being moved!  You never know what you’re going to find on smaller country highways!  Rob saw the lead vehicle top a hill and said “they usually are ahead of a wide load” right about the time we crested the hill ourselves at 45 mph and THERE IT WAS!  With some decisive braking by both parties and some expert driving as well, we cleared!  Yet another thing to be watchful of added to the list!

We made it across the balance of the state as the dry plains made way for rolling hills and finally the Ozark Mountains and arrived relatively early to get to our site with a wonderful view of the lake.  The area had been hit with 13 inches of rain two weeks earlier which washed out the entrance to the campground and required a surprising detour through a mine and a long dirt road.  Rob’s not fond of dirt roads and this one was a prize winner managing to cover Moonshadow and mostly our bikes in a thick coat of dust!

Undaunted (it was Friday, you recall!) we made it to our campsite where Rob spent the next hour or so cleaning away the dust and I got our site settled.  We needed to stretch our legs and headed out for a hike with limitations due to the flooding damage.  The water level was still up significantly as we wandered over to the washed-out road to check it out.  Being on a damned lake, the water was released as much as it could be without doing further damage but seeing the evidence was a shocker.

Our neighbors for the night arrived while we were gone.  The father was a jovial sort and filled Rob in on all things goat.  He ran a goat farm and explained all the fun he had in the business.  He was a funny character and entertaining.  While he talked his wife and family busily set up their site with twinkly lights, corn hole and tent shelter – they were in for the weekend.  Being our single night campers, we don’t go through all those motions but have fun seeing how creative people get with their camp setups. 

We enjoyed a long talk with my brother in Alaska and mother in New Orleans laughing at all of our crazy adventures.  Rob played his guitar with the sun setting over the water, a special treat of a fire and the world becoming quiet, it’s not a bad way to spend a day’s end.