Oklahoma and Tornado Alley

May 22, 2016

We left Capulin, NM for Boiling Springs State Park in Oklahoma today. It was a five-hour drive through the high plains…very flat and windy, but pretty. We stopped at a Walmart in Guymon, OK to get some DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) for the rig so we decided to make that a lunch stop. 

 Oklahoma

Pronghorn along the road for miles

 The wind blows so hard here that the trees just grow leaning

We lost an hour on the drive east (MST to CST), so we arrived at the campground at around 4 pm. We checked in at the entrance and the woman told us we could pick any site we wanted in the two campgrounds. So we chose one in the Whitetail campground. There were only three other campers in the Whitetail campground so that’s kind of nice. We set up camp and started the grill. Then had a fire and watched TV (only one channel available…LOL) outside with the awnings out to protect us from the on and off drizzle.

 Wild turkey wondering through the campground

 The campground was just about empty

May 23, 2016

It was VERY windy and rained a lot last night so we weren’t sure what was in store for the weather today. There was mention of tornadoes on our one local TV station. We weren’t very happy to hear that so Dave went to the ranger station to see if we had anything to worry about. We were also concerned that all of the other campers left by 9 a.m. The ranger said the “weather” usually misses them, "the last tornado was in 2012, and 1934 before that". So we decided to stay put for another night. The day turned out beautiful…lots of sun and humidity (ugh, we haven’t missed the humidity and kinda bummed to be feeling it again). We stayed within the park and road our bikes and hiked some trails, also went to see the boiling springs, well…boil, very cool. Dave washed the jeep in the late afternoon.

Small lake on the park property. Tons of turtles on an old dam in the center.

Boiling Springs well 

The spring is bubbling and the sand does look as if it is boiling

 River Trail

Some cyclists snuck up on us when we were looking at the river 

and it scared the heck out of Dave. He started cracking up after they left.

 Saw this big guy crossing the road on the bike ride back to the RV

Then the wind started to pick up…and the clouds rolled in and the sky turned an eerie color…then the hail started…and the tornado siren in the nearby town of Woodward went off…we then headed for the bathroom where the rangers had told us to go in case of a tornado. This was at 7:40 pm,  about an hour before sunset. We met other campers there…all Oklahoma residents. They’d been through this before and it was interesting…and scary… to listen to their stories. We were there for about an hour watching the storm when a ranger finally came by to check on us. He was glad to see that we had left our rigs/tents/campers to seek shelter. He said the tornado had touched down about 3 miles away and it was stationary. 

Dan and Gail had been tracking the storm for us since we had no TV and sporadic internet, but our cell phones died so that line of communication ended. One of the guys with us, Bob, had a transistor radio and that was good, but we couldn’t see a Doppler radar and only heard what the forecasters wanted to talk about. Tony, another guy in the “shelter” got a radar picture up on his phone so that was helpful. Dave was able to run to our rig in between lightning strikes and got our chargers so the line of communication opened again with Dan. At 9:20 Dan said the tornado had dissipated. 

 Dave (wearing a yamulke?) trying to find a radar picture on his cell phone

The low clouds rushing toward the tornado were fascinating. The tornado was 3-5 miles to the northwest of us (left in the photo) when this was taken.  Our rig looked so small and helpless (right in the photo).

Dan was texting us info during the storm

A piece of hail...luckily this was about as big as they got

This was our storm shelter

So we all felt safe enough to head back to our campsites. We had brought our slides in so we kept them in for the night just in case. And that was a good thing since at around midnight the winds picked up again and the rain and lightning started. That ended at around 2. It wasn't a great night’s sleep, but we’re glad the tornado stayed far enough away that it didn’t hurt the rig or us. 

May 24, 2016

We watched our one channel of TV this morning and they were talking about another storm possibly coming through this area again later this afternoon. So we’re outta here. Not sure if there’s any good place to be in the state or surrounding states for that matter, but we’re heading to Eufaula State Park. Dan said it doesn’t look like they’re expecting any bad weather in that part of the state so off we go.

Since we didn’t make our decision to leave Boiling Springs until 9:00, we didn’t get on the road until 10:30. It was a windy drive, but no rain. The birds around here played “chicken” with our RV the whole drive. We were constantly yelling “Whoa!” as the birds narrowly escaped death just missing our windshield. Not sure why the birds are hanging around the highway when there seems to be sooo much countryside to fly around in.

We arrived at around 3 and the sun was shining. This is a pretty state park. Again…we love birds…but a female bluebird is wreaking havoc on our jeep and rv mirrors. She must be jealous of the bird she sees in the mirror and she’s scratching them up. We had to cover all of the mirrors. 

Eufaula State Park

Bluebird yelling at itself in our mirror

Now attacking the bluebird in the mirror

We got to enjoy the sun for about an hour and then the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. While we were FaceTiming with Becca and Gregg, a park host came by on a golf cart and warned us of heavy thunderstorms headed our way. Yippee!! But at least they aren’t expecting tornadoes!!

May 25, 2016

Heading to the library for wifi and to see where it’s safe and less stormy to camp. They’re predicting rain here until Sunday. So it would be nice to find someplace sunny and dry to spend the holiday weekend.

The state park is located in Checotah - the hometown of Carrie Underwood  :)

In the afternoon, we road our bikes around the campground, down to the lake and to the beach area. This is a nice campground…we wish the weather was going to be nicer so we could take advantage of everything it has to offer; big lake, disc golf, hiking trails.

 Rode around the park today

A nice lake, but the weather is too crazy around here

So sad to be leaving tomorrow! It's so nice here!

We’ll be heading for Mena, Arkansas tomorrow.

May 26, 2016

We got on the road at around 9:30 today heading for Mena, Arkansas. We arrived at around 1:30. After lunch, Dave went down to the pond and did some fishing. He caught three crappies.

Someone please come up with a national fishing license so he can fish in every state!

May 27, 2016

We went to a Visitor’s Center this morning to see if there was anyplace we could put our kayaks in the water. The woman working there gave us some information on rivers and lakes. We checked out the Ouachita River but it was hard to judge from just looking over one access point. If we knew more about the water levels, etc., it would be easier to figure out where to put in and how long to float. Too many variables. So we ended up hiking the Earthquake Ridge Trail in the Ouachita National Forest. It was a 3-mile loop trail along a tree lined path.

After our hike we headed back to the RV to make plans for tomorrow, eat dinner, and Dave went fishing down at the pond again. Tonight he caught two crappies.

May 28. 2016

We drove out to Shady Lake Recreation area today since the forecast said it was going to be sunny in the afternoon. We haven’t been in the kayaks since California about a month ago so we’re anxious to get back on the water. It was an hour drive from our campground to the lake and it was totally overcast when we put the kayaks in the water. We were hoping the weather would improve as the day went on and it did at around 1:00. The lake is only 25 acres, but it was pretty and we had fun floating around. A family was having a reunion in the pavilion by the lake and they had some musical talent so we were entertained with live music for the last two hours of our float.

 Our float on the lake started with an overcast sky

Lots of turtles on a log

 The sky eventually cleared up

 Dave checking out the dam

 The location of the awesome family reunion music!

We had a fun time on Shady Lake. It was nice to be out in the sun and on the water! We headed back to the RV at around 4:30 and Dave took a dip in the campground pool.

Heading for Hot Springs, Arkansas!