Author: mattlang

We woke up on a cool, breezy sunny morning at Bell Cow Lake in Chandler, OK. We had some breakfast and then took a ride over to “Area A” of the campground. There were a few occupied sites but not many. There was a dude out fishing off the shore a bit. We rode out on the point and took some pics.

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We filled up with water, loaded up the bikes and took off for Texas. Pammie had Canyon, Texas on our radar so it was highway 44 west for us for a long time! Things got flatter, and flatter. We started seeing signs for “Cherokee” – another tourist trap loaded with goodies we just had to see. Every few miles, another sign! Jewelry, Moccasins, Native American Artwork, Clothing, Food, Hot Sauces (they didn’t have a sign for that but we bought some!) Live Buffalo…c’mon, we’ve gotta stop!!

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Back on the road and recharged with some good old shopping. Ahhh, road trip calories don’t count. Lunch? We’re headed to Oak City, Oklahoma to stock up on groceries and make some lunch. We shopped at a Woodland (I think) in Oak City and fired up the generator in their parking lot and ate right there.

Back on the road, out into the windmill fields. Miles and miles of flat fields as far as the eye can see with giant windmills in every direction.

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We drove under 328 miles today, all the way to Palo Duro Canyon. We took a wrong turn down someone’s driveway but corrected ourselves and moseyed on down the bumpy ass road to the campground just before the Palo Duro Canyon State Park entrance. We had pulled into the Palo Duro Canyon Adventure park. They had some sites so I booked one online and pulled in. I quickly realized I had messed up and got a quick education on 50 amp and 30 amp plugins. This was a 50 amp and 50 amp only. No other plugs, no adaptors available so we moved to a 30 amp spot.

It was damn hot! Pam’s phone had showed it was 100 degrees in Canyon, Texas on the way here and I don’t think that was an exaggeration! The good news was the wind was steady. We’d been fighting the wind all day on the road with the Ford V10 downshifting over and over to take on Mother Nature. Here, the wind provided a little relief from the heat. If it hadn’t been windy, we’d have turned to dust! Okay, maybe not but the sweat would have cooked on our sunburned hides. Okay, maybe not but, it would have seemed even HOTTER!

We tried to level but failed a couple times. She’s listing aft. Oh well, fire up the AC! Quick! The engine room is HOT, HOT HOT – that ‘ole V10 is poking’ right into the engine room (what we call the cab of the rig) and she’s TOASTY. It’ll take her a while to cool. We sit outside to watch a storm come in but it never arrives. The sky is dark, dark gray and looking like it’s dumping some rain in the distance but that never hits the canyon.

We talk to our neighbor who’s from Amarillo and just bought his camper from a relative who lived in it for a year while their house was being built. Sounds familiar! He has two girls and they circle us on the campground road on their bikes while we talk. He’s been to Maine but can’t remember the town. He’s been to the Grand Canyon and says it will be nice. He likes his camper. He brought it here to test it out and to see how his truck did pulling it. He digs it!

We put the chairs away and go inside for dinner. The sun comes below the ominous clouds and sets the sky on fire a bit. I tool around on my bike and take some pictures. We open the dining room window to watch the sunset while we eat. After dinner we both tool around the campground with out lights on. The girls next door se us go by and head out on their bikes too.

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Woke up the usual time – 6:30-ish – and went out for a short bike ride before breakfast. The campground was pretty quiet. The Doc next door was getting ready to take off for home (he told us the day before). I coasted down the hill and across the bridge over to the cabins and lodge. Across from the lodge there is an amphitheater and, past that, there is a day use area. Out behind the playground and picnic areas there’s a path down to the river. I went down to check it and hoped Pammie would be up for a swim before leaving this AM. Checkout time is 2 PM at the campground!

I rode around the circle and came to the old “Camp Zoe” site. If you look up Camp Zoe in Missouri you’ll find the history of The Schwag – a Grateful Dead cover band led by Jerry Tebeau that held music festivals at this venue as recently as 2011. Jerry’s now in prison on drug charges, I think, but he says he’s paying for the sins of others. Before Jerry the site was a youth camp and the structure and stone path from the original camp are still there along with a plaque that has some of the history. 330 acres. Jerry bought it for $560K. Damn. What an incredible spot.

Pammie was up and showered when I got back but she was easily convinced to take a ride and a dip.

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We packed up leisurely and got on the road around 11-ish. I wanted to go back to Eminence and get a cup of Joe in town so I ignored googletta’s advice to drop off this windy road and get out to the highway sooner. I parked on the main drag across from the grocery store and cafe. There were masks here and there. Pam wore hers. I carried mine. In the cafe no-one wore a mask. There were a few parties eating. The waitress said she had to make some coffee so it would be a few minutes. She eventually brought out what would be a probably a medium coffee at dunkee’s and we chuckled that Pam wouldn’t drink that much coffee in two days! The charge? .50 cents each. A BUCK!

Taylor called while we were driving out to the main road. We turned onto I64 and the skies were looking hostile. Within fifteen minutes or so the clouds let go and it poured! I pulled over because I couldn’t see for a while. We got back underway and things cleared up a bit, then we saw a few lightning bolts and the skies opened up again. This went on for about an hour. Pammie tried to take a video but didn’t get it. I haven’t driven in rain that heavy for a long time but the rig is six tons. She’s not likely to hydroplane and the tires are good so visibility and other drivers are the only real worry. After a while it cleared up and we were enjoying the steamy sunshine once again.

We stopped for lunch in a park in Mansfield, Missouri out behind the school and town swimming pool. There were kids coming out of the school – no masks, and plenty of kids in the pool having a blast! Pammie made some pasta and chorizo seitan we had picked up Presque Isle when we were headed up to Cross Lake on July 4th! Delicious! This was a nice lunch spot. While we were there I noticed a van had pulled in behind us. The back was open and loaded with luggage. A young lady was sipping from here water bottle and stretching. I assumed they were traveling too and found the same spot to take a break and have some lunch.

Back on the road it was straight, straight, straight and hot, hot, hot. I started seeing signs for “Ozarkworld” – Ice Cream – Taffy – Road Trop Calories Don’t Count – Moccasins – Damn, we HAVE TO STOP. I imagined a tiny little place loaded with useless shit. I wasn’t too far off but it definitely wasn’t tiny and there was a cool junk shop (antiques!) out front too. We bought some candy and a couple post cards. Ozarkworld! Now I could stop saying it over and over…until we saw the sign for the Nut House! Yeah. I vowed to count how many signs we’d see before we arrived at the Nut House but I quickly lost interest in my own stupid little game.

We arrived at Bell Cow Lake campground around 8PM. It took a while to find “Area B” but we pulled in and only two or three campsites were taken. Both prominently displaying 45 flags (I don’t advertise that loser for free) Who cares. They’re just friendly campers just like us if you keep the politics of division out of it.

We took a dip in the murky water and it was refreshing. We both had flip-flips on but they were sticking in the mud. It was definitely mucky and not very deep but very refreshing and welcome after a 350 mile day. There are water and electricity hookups and the fee is $20! Thank you Oklahoma! That’s a great bargain and we appreciate your clean and welcoming campground! The cell service is ripping here too, fyi!

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