Worth pointing out that we leave in two weeks and the Rover is still in pieces, but last night George and Evan put the engine back together. Unfortunately, over the weekend, Evan was testing the radiator for leaks with a pressure tester, which… may or may not have ruptured it. So that’s now been added to the to-do list…. He continues to chronicle over at OppositeLock, “Disco Inferno: Heads are on!”
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.
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.
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/oklahoma-adventure-trail-west-trip-log-and-photodump-1821920309 Kinja has deleted its OppositeLock and Overland communities. Content Unavailable
Evan wrapped up the trip with a great post with better car stories!
The second part of our last day included a photo stop along a frozen river. The flow underneath combined with the sunlight caused the layer of ice to crack, slide, get forced upward, and then refreeze which created this strange texture.
As we pulled up, George noted a hideous sound coming from one of the Jeep’s wheels. To make a long story short, turns out a tiny pebble had gotten up into the driver’s side wheel hub and was bouncing around until it would get stuck and then drag between the dust shield and the interior side of the brake disc. Freak little accident, but I’m sure all our cars have rocks in their shoes somewhere, just waiting to cause problems.
After that, we caught back up with the route and followed a long dirt path that surrounded part of the lake and some rural neighborhoods on the edge of town. Eventually, we crossed over Keystone Dam, which we were calling the finish line, and then the three dirtiest cars ever to grace the Sand Springs Expressway sped into town, around the IDL, and into the boys’ house.
The first part of our final day was full of giant windmills, out bridges, dirt paths, and one last water crossing that was actually a semifrozen waterfall!
Made it to the finish line at Keystone Dam just up river from Tulsa! 800 miles!
Ah and it gets worse…
Happy New Year from Taylor, Evan, George, Rover, Xterra, and The Toaster!
Gloss Mountain State Park, the Salt Plains, many miles of dirt paths, and a race!