“Cows and Calves and the Trek Homeward”

Sunday, October 2, 2022 – First thing this morning [while still at the Sallisaw/Fort Smith W KOA, in Sallisaw, OK] I paid bills online, after which I started editing, updating, and inserting pictures for Blog #7. By 4:00 p.m. the blog was ready for posting on my blogsite. That done, and since there was now no reason for me to stay at this KOA tomorrow for a third night, I made reservations at another KOA near El Reno, OK. There I’ll have the time I need to rest a bit and review my travel materials.

Monday, October 3, 2022 – I dumped the tanks this morning and, by 10:45 a.m., I left the KOA and got on I-40 W for the drive to El Reno. Most interstates, while not offering much in the way of scenery, are the perfect highway to get from Point A to Point B relatively quickly. I-40 is no exception…but, as history tells it – “Since Route 66 forged an efficient direct path from the Midwest to the west coast, Interstate 40 directly paralleled it through most of the Southwest, rendering most stretches of the older highway obsolete.” What remains of Route 66 are interesting places to visit -- that I discovered during a truck camper trip in April 2007.

Breaking the sightline monotony as I drove along were the billboards – “Casino” here, “Casino” there, “Catfish” up ahead. I was mostly intrigued by Oklahoma’s informative signs letting me know I was leaving such and such tribal reservation and entering another tribal reservation. There were a lot of those signs and they reminded me of the “Trail of Tears” and the historical fact that Oklahoma was the dropping off point for that forced relocation of five different tribes. Wondering why Oklahoma, I found this online -- “Oklahoma was born of this ‘institutionalized racism.’ Under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole nations – known as the Five Tribes – were forced from their ancestral homelands in the southeast and relocated to “Indian Territory,” as Oklahoma was then designated.”

“Alrighty, MAP, look sharp, Oklahoma City is coming up!” A major city OKC is and I braced myself for the inevitable mess of multi lanes, merging traffic, overpasses, exits on the right and exits on the left, and cars and trucks zooming by me out of nowhere. Focusing intently on this “big city” section of the interstate I held on to the hope that all the drivers on the road with me were also adhering to the well-meaning and oft-given “Drive safely!” counsel.

Soon as I arrived at the El Reno KOA and settled in, I immediately got out my maps, focused on stopping points for the next two nights, and secured reservations at those locations. The sun was setting but with dinner at the nearby Cherokee Restaurant on my mind, I went ahead and walked up the KOA road to the restaurant. Catfish was on the menu and that’s what I had, along with a salad and a couple of side dishes. A cream pie desert was to-go!

Tuesday, October 4, 2022 – I got back on I-40 W and crossed into the Texas Panhandle. About 15 miles from the state line, near Shamrock, I exited the interstate and got on FM 1547, going south. According to an online search, FM is an acronym for “Farm to Market” – “A roadway generally in rural areas, so designated by the Texas Transportation Commission.”

My destination on this road – “Lone Mound Ranch,” a Harvest Hosts ranch. As soon as I came upon the entrance, I slowed down and Lana Flint, the owner, waved when she saw me. I drove in, parked, and as we shook hands (Wow, strong grip!), she looked at my camper, gave me a thumbs-up, and led me into her country store to register me. She then gave me a map of the ranch with directions to another nearby gate and pointed out the marked locations of a couple of sites I should go to (she has five areas earmarked for RVs and several cabins on the property available for rent). After becoming acquainted with one another for a brief while, I then made my way to that other gate.

Turning into that driveway, I found the gate closed. Right, this is private property – lemme get out of the truck and check that chain link keeping the gate closed. Right, there’s no lock-and-key padlock, just a spring link clasp hooked to a chain link. Unhooking that clasp, the gate swung wide open. I got back in the truck, drove through the gate, stopped, got out of the truck, closed and secured the gate. This gate business sure did make me feel like a real farmer/rancher!

Driving about a quarter mile on the dirt road I spotted the trees that Lana had mentioned. Arriving at that spot [Site #1] there was a gathering of around 15 cows and calves and they paid me no attention as I maneuvered the truck around a bit to find the best and most level ground. The perimeter of Lana’s ranch is fenced and her herd of grass-fed cows roam freely around the property. It’s sheer luck that this group was right there when I arrived and settled in.

Described on Lana’s website as “…a 460-acre, idyllic, high plains, year-round, working cattle ranch,” there are no hookups here. So, since I’m boondocking for the night, I opened the propane tank for the fridge. My new solar panels have been keeping my batteries well charged throughout this trip and I know I have sufficient battery power for the lights inside the camper. I decided not to use the laptop while I’m here so won’t be needing to activate the generator for electricity.

I stepped outside to take pictures of my bovine neighbors. This is a novelty for me, being this close to cows and calves -- and surrounded by their dung, fresh and old both. The cows basically ignored me but the calves were quite intrigued by this human sitting in her camp chair and talking to them. A couple of the calves sauntered over to sniff the front of my truck, probably attracted to the smell of the goo all over the bumper.

Lana said the cows go everywhere on the ranch and I was free to walk around, too. So, I did that. There are a few trees on the property but the acreage is mostly native grass and other foliage that the cows graze on. Oh, yeah, as I walked around, I made a mental note to be sure – and especially before I step inside the camper -- to flick off, with a stick, the prickly sharp burrs sticking to my shoes and socks.

The ranch is named for a ¼-mile long mesa on the property. There’s another smaller mound, not as high, and I chose that one to climb up on. The short footpath up wasn’t difficult but I did need to crouch low to the ground to keep my balance, keeping an eye too on where I put my hands and feet. The view at the top was amazing – the 360-degree expanse of the ranch, the sight of a group of cows up on higher ground, some of the structures on the property (a barn, for one) – and other land and mesas in the distance. And, yup, my camper was right where I left it. What goes up must come down and I was a lot more careful getting back down, again crouching low and watching for loose stones.

Back at the camper, the cows had all moved elsewhere. As the sun started to set, I walked over to the area closer to the barn and took pictures. In reply to my question earlier, Lana verified that it gets very dark at the ranch – there’s no artificial light or light pollution. Oh, but we did have the half-moon tonight, so I didn’t get to see very many stars when I stepped outside just before going to bed.

The dirt road into Lone Mound Ranch.

Cows outside my kitchen window.

A calf...some cows...and a truck camper...on a ranch.

Grazing and paying me no mind!

Clouds add character to an environment -- always.

My truck camper near a piece of ranch equipment.

From the top of the smaller mound.

The smaller mound in the background. 

The setting sun...

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 – Waking up to the view of the tell-tale orange band trough my window, I got right out of bed and, stepping around the dung, stood at a couple of spots to take pictures of the sunrise. Since there were no cows around my site this morning, I decided to walk to the barn and see what it looks like up in that area. There were some cows in a corral and one of Lana’s dogs was watching me -- and me him, through my binoculars.

                                                                          Sunrise...

Heading out shortly after 9:00 a.m., opening and closing the gate again, I met up with Lana at her store and made some purchases. In a text exchange with her yesterday, after I informed her that I was all settled in at my spot, she texted – “It’s not often I see a little lady in such a Boss rig as yours.” (with a smile icon). As I was putting my purchases away in the camper, Lana looked around my camper outside and asked me a question. We got to talking about my camper and she was surprised to learn that my first truck camper trip was in 2006, when I was 56 years old, and that I’m now 72.

Lana pointed to a trailer that was set up behind the store and said that a woman (with respect for her privacy I’ll call her “Ms. K”) had been living in that trailer for the past seven years. Not a minute later, “Ms. K” herself stepped out with her dog and Lana called her over to come meet me. Within a few minutes of talking with her, I thought to myself that she appeared to be very much like those full-time trailer and camper van folks in the book and movie, Nomadland. She said she’s 71 years old, lives off of her social security, and goes where she can find a job for the time being. When I mentioned that sort of lifestyle as portrayed in the movie, “Ms. K” concurred and made a comment about the main character in the movie as not being a “happy person.” Her implication, as I inferred it to be, was that she’s not like that character at all. When I finally left, getting back on FM 1547 and heading for I-40, I felt a sense of wonderment that, in less than 24-hours and way out in this Texas countryside, I met two fascinating and admirable women – strong, independent, self-sustaining, warm, friendly, and content with their lives. Lana’s website - https://lonemoundranch.com.

Driving along on I-40 W I crossed into New Mexico…and gained an hour. Not long after crossing the state line, I exited the interstate and took a couple of state roads to the Ute Lake State Park, in Logan, NM. Since today had been cool and cloudy, with an occasional sprinkling of rain, I stayed inside the camper and did some work on Blog #8 (this one). Figuring I would need heat at some point during the night, I opened the propane tanks…and put my sleeping bag back on the bed.

Thursday, October 6, 2022 – It rained during the night, and it continued to rain off and on this morning. I’ve no complaints. Rain is needed and, despite many days of heat and humidity, I had absolutely ideal blue-sky weather during my month-long journey around Arkansas.

I got going around 10:00 a.m., made my way back to I-40, drove on towards Albuquerque, got on I-25 N, and arrived at the Rio Rancho home of Evelyn and David, my sister and brother-in-law.  Having visited them here when I started my trip last August, I’ve come full circle, for a second visit as my trip is now coming to an end.

Friday, October 7, 2022 – Ah, how nice it was to wake up under the warm covers of a real bed! How much better it is to be pampered by Ev and David!

Ongoing right now, while I’m here, is the nine-day Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. David was up first and, as we stood at the big windows of their house, he pointed to a few hot air balloons already rising from Albuquerque. By the time Ev joined us, there were hundreds of balloons filling the sky. We looked through my binoculars, their binoculars, and David’s telescope. Through the telescope we could make out the many various special balloon shapes such as an emperor penguin, two hugging bears, a spaceship, an ice cream cone, a sloth, to name a few. Around mid-morning, the balloons had moved off to where the winds took them. Quite a show this was to see from our vantage point!

Hot air balloons from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Saturday, October 8, 2022 – We woke up to a gray sky and rainy morning but that didn’t deter us from going out to breakfast at the popular Range Café in Bernalillo. Back home, after doing a bit of online research and getting phone assistance from Ev, I secured a campsite reservation for my very last night in the camper.

When it got dark later in the evening, David set up his telescope out on the patio so we could take a good look at both the full moon and Jupiter, “…the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System.” David said to look for Jupiter’s moons and I could see three of them. As we were taking turns on the telescope, the balloon festival’s fireworks were going off at the same time. Quite a busy night of viewing the universe and the man-made fireworks!

Sunday, October 9, 2022 – We said our good-byes around 9:15 a.m....

David, me, and Evelyn...

…and I left, taking the nearby Unser Blvd. directly to I-40. Well on my way westward, it was a cloudy morning (no rain) until I crossed into Arizona, gaining an hour and some sunshine!

By the time I reached the KOA in Flagstaff, AZ, I’d driven a little over five hours. As soon as I got the camper set up on my site, I started bagging clothes, food, and other items – getting a head start on that task for my arrival home.

Monday, October 10, 2022 – Woke up to a clear blue-sky morning and, facing another five-hour drive today on I-40 W, I got going at 8:30 a.m. Today’s drive was interesting and, at certain regions along the way, quite spectacular -- going from the cool high altitude and forests of the Flagstaff area to Arizona’s hot low desert environs.

I was finally in California when I crossed the Colorado River near Needles, from where I then got on Rt. 95 and headed south to Blythe. The northern segment of this two-lane Rt. 95 was fun to drive on – a few curves and a LOT of rolling “rollercoaster” dips that made me smile…a LOT! Rt. 95 ended at I-10 and I made my way to the final campground of this trip – The Cove RV Resort, located on the Colorado River. Driving through the entrance, I immediately recognized the place -- I did stay here some years ago for my final night of that trip.

The office was closed but there was a campsite map taped on the glass door for me, telling me that G-20 was my site. I got there only to find a sprinkler right in the middle, happily sprinkling water in all directions. Seeing that there was a sprinkler doing the same thing on G-18, I decided to just go ahead and get settled on G-19. I moved one sprinkler a bit out of the way and turned the other one off as that water was hitting on my slideout. I walked back to the still-closed office and taped a note to the door informing “Linda” that I’m on G-19…and hopefully that’s alright with her. Then I bagged some more stuff and called it a day.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022 – I got right out of bed as soon as I woke up and…

* Stripped off the sheets from the bed;

* Separated laundry piles for later;

* Transferred some bags to the truck for quicker unloading when I get home;

* Turned on the kitchen and bathroom faucets to drain the water into the grey water tank;

* Dumped the black and grey tanks;

* Did some minor interior clean-up.

After all that, I was ready to leave. But first, I gotta go see the Colorado River. My first night in the camper, on August 15^th, was at the Colorado River on the Arizona side. Last night was my final night at the California side of the same river. A young bikini-clad woman was at the beach when I approached and she was playing with her three full-grown German Shepherds (or maybe they were Belgian Malinois). I called out to alert her that I was there and to make sure she had her dogs under control. I went a bit further off to the side, put my hands in the water and splashed the cool water on my arms and legs. A swim would be nice, but no, home is calling.

On the way back to the camper, I stopped for a second, thinking about it, and then turned towards the office. It was open and I went inside to introduce myself to Linda, the owner. I mentioned G-19 and she said what I did yesterday was perfectly fine. I told her I had been here before but it was under different management at that time. She said to come back again!

Arriving home at around 1:00 p.m., I immediately unloaded the truck and camper and did one load of laundry. One more thing to do tomorrow…

Wednesday, October 12, 2022 – First thing this morning, now that the camper has been completely emptied, I did some interior cleaning. Around 8:45 a.m. I left home, took I-10 W to Ontario, and dropped off the camper for storage at Galaxy Campers. I brought up some minor issues with David, my camper guy, and we agreed to address those before my next truck camper trip. So, until then, this wonderful journey to and around the beautiful state Arkansas is officially over.

STATS:

Total days in Arkansas - 34

Total miles in Arkansas – 1,724

Total days of travel – 58

Total miles of travel – 4,929

ADDENDUM:

After returning to Palm Springs from Ontario on Wednesday, I took the truck for its smog check [for tag renewal]. The test failed because the truck’s catalytic converter was missing! Stolen, obviously, but when and where will remain a mystery. If I had been traveling without the catalytic converter throughout my trip, I find it interesting that no hearing person alerted me to the truck sounding louder or different than it normally does. An unfortunate situation, and truly sad to know the world is full of unscrupulous people. Arkansas reminds me, however, that we are surrounded by GOOD people, too!