Day 14, Tuesday, May 29 Oklahoma

Once again, we're the only ones in the campground and plan to visit Bartlesville to look around, do laundry, check out the library (genealogy), read our e-mail and hopefully see Pirates of the Caribbean 3. As I write the morning is partly cloudy and Helen's humming birds have caught up with us at last.

On the road one tends to daydream, at least I do. Henceforth I will call it Road Dreaming.
So this morning as I sit here and road dream I will remember fondly those faces left behind that we will probably never see again and the events that will play over and over again each day in campgrounds across this country. I'm astonished by the great variety of good courageous people we have met so far, each willing to open themselves to you and share a personal adventure. I aspire to be like George Edmonson. Not to worry as I travel down the road trying to anticipate every eventuality, rather drive with hope that around the next curve a new adventure will reveal itself. He looks for opportunities to become lost. What a concept! Pop near the end of his life told me that in the end when the body refuses to work, all you have left are your memories. We're gathering memories.

Day 13, Monday, May 28 Heading to Oklahoma

Route: Bentonville (Sam Walton) on hwy 72/412 to Jay on 159 to Honey Creek State Park for information and on to Grove on 59 to Afton to 144 down to Vinita - then 60 to Nowata to Barttesville to Osage State park.

We drove over 200 miles today and it didn't hurt a bit. Although we were putz'n seven hours we arrived ready for dinner and a short hike. There are only two other campers here. The hordes have moved on leaving one campfire smoldering. I'm too tired to write tonight, perhaps in the morning before our trip into Bartlesville tomorrow to find the Internet and do a load of laundry. Helen wants to see Pirates of the Caribbean tonight. Hot dog! pop corn for dinner!

Day 12, Sunday, May 27

We spend Sunday drinking hot chocolate and writing in our journal so we can upload Monday while on the road to Okalahoma. We've decided to head northwest instead of southwest. How did that happen? In the afternoon we hiked the War Eagle trail, popped our head into a few caves along the way and tried not to kill ourselves on wet rocks along steep ledges. We grow cautious on our slippery slide passed middle age.

We have met some really interesting and remarkable people, Deanna and Matt and their 4 children. We first noticed their twin daughters throwing a baseball with their father…and they were quite good… and I absolute do not imply here, "for girls." The two boys play baseball too, one a pitcher and catcher, all of them heavily involved in games at this time where normally the entire family camps across the United States in their popup camper. During our first greeting we learned they camped at Singing Waters (I think) campground just above Cullowhee, NC on hwy 107 a few years ago. They had visited WCU, the Mountain Heritage Center, Cashiers and Wal-Mart in Sylva, which tells many of you about the time they stopped in Jackson County. Deanna said Matt was wearing his WCU shirt the day before.

We spent several nights with George and Ann by the campfire trying to solve the world's problems but alas they proved to great. Helen has a new hummingbird feeder and I managed to take a few pictures of them today. We're learning that humming bird feedings are popular among RVers. Once a humming bird dived my red pocket tee shirt so we have a feeder out of self-defense.

Day 11, Saturday, May 26
We drive into Huntsville (pop. 1,936) to pick up supplies at one of the oldest Wal-Mart's in the country. Apparently Sam Walton started the company in Bentonville not from here. Today is Jen's birthday and Helen's determined to find an Internet connection so she can send greeting. We find the Ozark Coffee Roasters and meet owners Kim and Mike, 15 year transplants from southern California. When asked about the town they tell us the movie War Eagle was made there and is expected in theaters soon. It's about a baseball player trying to decide weather to go to collage or stay home with a friend who is paralyzed. If you want to see Huntsville Ark, see the movie. They also woefully tell us that the town is not very "internet connected" having only one expensive carrier ruling everything. They tell us their friend Randy has Y five at "Surplus Supplies up the road. At that moment Randy and his daughter walk in. Mike pleads our case so Randy says, "It's off now but I'll call one of the boys at Surplus and hav'em turn it on." We thanked everyone and drove to Surplus, parked outside and log on. While Helen writes Jen, Rick calls and we chat about our travels. I tell Rick about George and his jeans garment factory in Georgia and Rick says to ask him about the quality of the cloth as sides move from XL, XXL, XXXL. The answer I learn that evening around the fire is "no", but your cost increases because larger sizes use different machines thus increasing manufacturing cost. George tells of making blue jeans with see through plastic seats. Remember those? They called them "hot pants."

Randy's "Surplus Supplies" is worth mentioning. The building is large and inside is everything that has either gone bad, leaked, gone bad, or "accidentally" fallen off the back of a truck. Almost everything cost about ninety-nine cents. It was great stuff and it took every ounce of my control not buy something I really really needed. I asked the guy running the place if they had any used paperback books. He thought for a second and said, "Well there was one over there one time but we don't get much all for books… wait a minute there used to be a big box of'em in the back." He disappeared behind a huge stack of boxes in the corner and never came back. I looked and waited finely gave up and returned to the car to check on Helen. I was walking to the car when Rick called. While chatting I opened the car door and set off the car alarm. Cussing and fumbling with the car keys and door I abruptly signed off with Rick. The guy who was looking for books pops up at the front door grinning from ear to ear. I spat, "I'm gonna kill this smart ass car!" He broke up.