End Point: Amarillo, TX
Miles: 515
I need to figure out satellite internet for my computer... otherwise all the sudden I realized its been 3 days since I've updated this and I then have to go back and piece together the last 72 hours.. thank goodness I take a lot of pictures!
June 2nd: Woke up in Alma, AR
First stop: Fort Smith National Historic Site
1st issue of the day: the main road was flooded and closed.
Finally arrived and thank goodness I did! I REALLY REALLY liked Fort Smith! It has the cutest little downtown area around it and the historical site was amazingly well done!
Second stop: Sid's Diner
2nd issue of the day: almost ran out of gas
Driving down the I-40 is a bit monotonous - so often got on and off of it - usually to visit historic Route 66. Unfortunately, this both ate up time... and gas. By the time I started getting hungry, I looked down and the gas light was on and the "miles left on tank" indicator was blinking with '-----' instead of numbers (like 55 miles left on tank). What can I say! My stomach has PERFECT TIMING! So I found this delicious place to eat in weird little El Reno - a place known for the "onion burger." Basically take a glob of ground beef, smoosh it on a flat top, pile on a handful of finely shredded onions, smoosh again, flip, serve on a toasted bun. MMMMmmmmmmm! Funny thing, not only was this restaurant in my "USA's Best Road Trips" book but it had also appeared on Man vs. Food a few years ago - and I had seen the episode!
Third stop: Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
No issue here, thank goodness! Just some good ole fun! Such a cute little place, put together by the local historical society.
Fourth stop: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site/Black Kettle Grasslands
3rd issue: I'll get to this...
So, I wanted to get to this battlefield because it was the first non-civil war battlefield I had seen in weeks! What I wasn't expecting is sharing its visitor center was a ranger station for Black Kettle Grasslands. See, National Grasslands don't ever really show up on any site-seeing radar. They don't usually have visitor centers, they don't have a National Park cancellation stamp, they don't have interpretive trails or maps or any of the fun stuff other NPs have.... Well, the lady at the battlefield mentioned that the Grassland had free camping spots, so I stopped into the station and chatted with them. They seemed SUPER excited to have someone in the building! The Ranger went over the maps with me and showed me the camping areas. I then asked her why Grasslands don't have stamps and the lady got even more excited and ran to the front desk- they had just recently gotten one from headquarters but it had only been used one time and it was months ago. So, I was the second person to ever get the stamp. And yes. I felt special.
Feeling good about having a place to stay for the night, I drove out to the campground... and... yeah... it was a little run down and underpopulated... it was right on the edge of a beautiful lake and there was a bathroom and open spots... but upon closer inspection it was filled with old beer cans and there were people coming and going with jet skis, so it was loud... I even got so far as setting up my tent... then I just decided it just didn't feel right... so I packed up and got back on the road - heading towards my original camping destination just north of Amarillo, Texas.
Fifth stop: Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, TX
4th issue: sunset and wind
Its rare that I hate google... but this night... I hated google... it sent me on a recreational area goose chase... what was supposed to be a 2.5 hour drive turned into a 3.5 hour drive and it was getting dark... I ended up driving all the way around this big lake, eventually finding a site. Got my tent totally set up... and ugh... again... ended up just pulling it right back down. This time it was cause of the wind. SO MUCH WIND! The sides were pushing in... the tent kept bouncing up... the whipping of the fabric was loud and obnoxious... so I finally gave up on camping. Time for a hotel.
Sixth stop: Hotel in Amarillo, TX
5th issue: Jack-hammer, right outside my door, starting just AFTER I laid down
Screw it. Just fits in with the day. Not by any means a BAD day, just a long, somewhat challenging one. And hey, I'm now REALLY good at setting up my tent. I'm going to bed. Thank goodness I brought earplugs. G'night.
I need to figure out satellite internet for my computer... otherwise all the sudden I realized its been 3 days since I've updated this and I then have to go back and piece together the last 72 hours.. thank goodness I take a lot of pictures!
June 2nd: Woke up in Alma, AR
First stop: Fort Smith National Historic Site
1st issue of the day: the main road was flooded and closed.
Finally arrived and thank goodness I did! I REALLY REALLY liked Fort Smith! It has the cutest little downtown area around it and the historical site was amazingly well done!
Second stop: Sid's Diner
2nd issue of the day: almost ran out of gas
Driving down the I-40 is a bit monotonous - so often got on and off of it - usually to visit historic Route 66. Unfortunately, this both ate up time... and gas. By the time I started getting hungry, I looked down and the gas light was on and the "miles left on tank" indicator was blinking with '-----' instead of numbers (like 55 miles left on tank). What can I say! My stomach has PERFECT TIMING! So I found this delicious place to eat in weird little El Reno - a place known for the "onion burger." Basically take a glob of ground beef, smoosh it on a flat top, pile on a handful of finely shredded onions, smoosh again, flip, serve on a toasted bun. MMMMmmmmmmm! Funny thing, not only was this restaurant in my "USA's Best Road Trips" book but it had also appeared on Man vs. Food a few years ago - and I had seen the episode!
Third stop: Oklahoma Route 66 Museum
No issue here, thank goodness! Just some good ole fun! Such a cute little place, put together by the local historical society.
Fourth stop: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site/Black Kettle Grasslands
3rd issue: I'll get to this...
So, I wanted to get to this battlefield because it was the first non-civil war battlefield I had seen in weeks! What I wasn't expecting is sharing its visitor center was a ranger station for Black Kettle Grasslands. See, National Grasslands don't ever really show up on any site-seeing radar. They don't usually have visitor centers, they don't have a National Park cancellation stamp, they don't have interpretive trails or maps or any of the fun stuff other NPs have.... Well, the lady at the battlefield mentioned that the Grassland had free camping spots, so I stopped into the station and chatted with them. They seemed SUPER excited to have someone in the building! The Ranger went over the maps with me and showed me the camping areas. I then asked her why Grasslands don't have stamps and the lady got even more excited and ran to the front desk- they had just recently gotten one from headquarters but it had only been used one time and it was months ago. So, I was the second person to ever get the stamp. And yes. I felt special.
Feeling good about having a place to stay for the night, I drove out to the campground... and... yeah... it was a little run down and underpopulated... it was right on the edge of a beautiful lake and there was a bathroom and open spots... but upon closer inspection it was filled with old beer cans and there were people coming and going with jet skis, so it was loud... I even got so far as setting up my tent... then I just decided it just didn't feel right... so I packed up and got back on the road - heading towards my original camping destination just north of Amarillo, Texas.
Fifth stop: Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, TX
4th issue: sunset and wind
Its rare that I hate google... but this night... I hated google... it sent me on a recreational area goose chase... what was supposed to be a 2.5 hour drive turned into a 3.5 hour drive and it was getting dark... I ended up driving all the way around this big lake, eventually finding a site. Got my tent totally set up... and ugh... again... ended up just pulling it right back down. This time it was cause of the wind. SO MUCH WIND! The sides were pushing in... the tent kept bouncing up... the whipping of the fabric was loud and obnoxious... so I finally gave up on camping. Time for a hotel.
Sixth stop: Hotel in Amarillo, TX
5th issue: Jack-hammer, right outside my door, starting just AFTER I laid down
Screw it. Just fits in with the day. Not by any means a BAD day, just a long, somewhat challenging one. And hey, I'm now REALLY good at setting up my tent. I'm going to bed. Thank goodness I brought earplugs. G'night.
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