Previously! On the Travelogue…

Between Christmas and New Year’s 2017, we did the western half of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail, which George also has a great write-up on. I think we were all surprised by how much we enjoyed Oklahoma sightseeing. It was a fun drive and went through some incredibly beautiful parts of the state.

Also through some little rivers which were cold and had ice chunks flowing through them…

Also did I mention it was so cold? It was so cold. Yes, that is the only hat I own.

Now that the weather is warmer, albeit rainier, and it’s been a whole three months, we’re itchin’ to finish the rest of the circuit.

OAT East

On Maundy Thursday, we’ll start back at Ladybug Cabin in Davis, on I-35 about half an hour north of the Red River. From there, we’ll set out west this time on a long road back to Tulsa by Easter Monday. There will be even less pavement on this half, and a lot more forestry as Eastern Oklahoma includes part of the Ouachita National Forest and gives a taste of the Ozarks in Arkansas and Missouri.

Evan has a write-up on the trip over at OppositeLock. The biggest appeal is the Kiamichi Trail (”K-Trail”) that stretches from Clayton, Oklahoma to Mena, Arkansas, which is entirely unpaved and largely unmaintained.

(Photo from Habitat Offroad, which also has a great write-up.)

It’s gotten some mixed reviews and runs through some areas of what is now private property, but, undeterred, George has detours in place to keep us out of the worst of the trouble (which the Internet calls “rednecks running at [the last group] with shotguns” and “boring, pin-striping hell”).

We’ll also stop at the Heavener Runestones, which isn’t so much a driving destination as a cultural oddity. Who knew, in a state so known for its First Nations populations, that there were also Scandinavian settlers dating back to the 19th century? Or at least, that’s the current theory on how these mysterious rock markings made their way to America’s heartland.

(Photo from EatSleepRIDE, with a great photo-dump and overview.)

We’ll also hit up a small part of the Talimena Scenic byway. A road Evan has attempted twice already but once time he got riotous food poisoning and the other time his Saab died. So, selfishly, I’m hoping third time’s the charm.

And of course, we’ll end up back at Frog Rock, which remains “just a rock” (inside joke after too much wine at the haunted winery). I’m lookin’ forward to this one. Regrettably, I was hesitant about the “scenic drive in Oklahoma” idea after spending too much of my life on Interstate 35 and the Turner Turnpike. But this time, I am all in.

Hopefully Evan can reconstruct the engine in the Land Rover in time.