Tornados. BBQ and History

Driving around NE Oklahoma we occasionally saw what appeared to be an old tornado shelter.

Coming from earthquake country, we became curious about this local threat.  I asked our camp manager when earthquake season began.  He was no doubt amused and said it was April and May.  He further explained that they had three places in the campground that would provide shelter, two cider block buildings and a steel tornado shelter that would accommodate 60 people, closely packed.  We also noticed that Lowe's sells shelters.  For only $2995 you can crawl into the WWII looking pillbox.  No claustrophobics here!

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We spent a good part of a day at Har Ber Village, a private living history museum.  We timed our arrival after the 500 school children left.  There were dozens of buildings, most log, depicting life in the 1800's.  Also displayed were endless collections of everything from farm equipment to household items.

An Alternative to Lethal Injection?

Natural Dyeing with tree bark from the Osage Orange

Osage Orange Tree, Used for Hedge Rows after the Dust Bowl

Very Hard Wood

While Oklahoma may not be a culinary destination we indulged in BBQ on two occasions.  BD opined as to how the ribs were the best ever.

Indian Territory

Recently the trip has become even more spontaneous.  Arkansas was a last minute choice, as I had heard that it is a pretty pretty place.  Yes it was.

The next choice was Oklahoma.  My only venture there was in the 70's, in January on I-40 in a snowstorm.  Coming from SoCal I remember being surprised that  the the trees had no leaves and the sky was gray-that is when it was even visible.

I picked a destination in the NE  of Oklahoma called The Grand Lake of the Cherokees.   That reminded me that, among other things, the state has important Indian history.  Because the trip to the lake was along the eastern edge of the state, it consisted of rolling hills, trees and creeks, I believe the western edge of the Ozark's.  The RV park was lovely and spacious, looking straight onto the lake over a wonderful dog walking field.

View of the Lake from the Campsite

BD was a good sport about backtracking to the town of Tahlequah, the headquarters of the Cherokee Nation for a visit to the Cherokee Heritage Center.  Included was an exhibit about the Trail of Tears.
While we now all recognize that booting people from their ancestral home was a tragedy, even then there were those who strongly objected.  The Supreme Court found the removal unconstitutional and the first military officer charged with executing the removal, horrified at his assignment, protested and was replaced with a more compliant commander.  A small number of Indians signed the treaty moving them west (only 300 were at the meeting).  They had no authority and despite a petition in opposition presented by the Chief with 15,000 signatures, the Senate approved the Treaty by one vote.  Even former President John Quincy Adams said the Treaty, "brings its eternal disgrace upon the country."  President Andrew Jackson is said to have commented that the Chief Justice could enforce his finding if he wanted (knowing of course that the court has no such mechanism).

Haunting Statues Depicting the Trail of Tears

A little bit of Oklahoma Indian history as found at the museum.

Original Lands and Routes of Removal for SE Indian Tribes

Chief Ross was the highly respected Cherokee Chief despite being only 1/8th Cherokee.  He had blue eyes, was well educated and a successful merchant and planter.  He also had slaves.

Reverend Worcester was very active in the protest of the removal, imprisoned for his efforts.  He translated the bible from Greek to Cherokee and was instrumental in establishing the Cherokee Phoenix Newspaper (still published) as well as school texts and institutions of higher learning.  When the Cherokee were removed to Oklahoma their literacy was greater than that of the local population in Oklahoma.

By 1840 about 100,000 Indians from different tribes had been removed from the Southeast.  The number of deaths from disease, exhaustion and starvation is unknown but among the Cherokees alone it is estimated to be 4,000.

After the Civil War former slaves of the Cherokee became Cherokee Freedmen and were granted citizenship in the nation despite having no Cherokee blood.  Today there is a controversy regarding the continuation of such membership by direct descendants of those former slaves.  There are currently about 25,000 descendants.


The Cherokee Heritage Center also has wonderful displays of life before removal from very early times as well as an area depicting post removal life.

These structures recreate Cherokee life in the SE in very early times

This is the way Cherokees lived in Oklahoma in the 1800's 

Today the Cherokee presence is apparent including many Cherokee nation license plates.

Taking the Waters, Big Cats and Walmart

Our venture into Arkansas focused on the NW, the area of the Ozark's.  The first stop was Hot Springs where we stayed at a beautiful state park, Lake Catherine, with a site right on the lake.  Mr And Mrs Goose ( I am told that Canadian Geese mate for life) chose our site for nighttime sleeping, out on a small pier safe from predators.  It is hard to miss first light with the racket they make.  Forget the squirrel, Max wanted a goose.  He doesn't get the concept of flying away, plus he is NEVER off leash.  Gone!

Hot Springs, AR

The trip to the town, which includes the National Park, was a few miles from the lake.  The hot springs were used by native tribes long before Europeans arrived.  Carbon dating revealed that the water emerging from the springs at 140 degrees fell as rain 4,000 years before.  The heating is not volcanic but both compression and the breakdown of naturally occurring radioactive elements.  The water meets faults and makes its way to the surface.  The area was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase and Jefferson dispatched an expedition to explore the springs.  As interest grew in its curative powers, it was proclaimed the first Federal Reservation in 1832.  It wasn't until 1921 that it was made the 18th Natational Park.  Up until the 50's its benefits were sought to cure various afflictions, from heart disease to rheumatism and even syphillis. A description of treatment for the latter follows:

A patient undergoing the treatment was secluded in a hot, stuffy room, and rubbed vigorously with the mercury ointment several times a day.  The massaging was done near a hot fire, which the sufferer was then left next to in order to sweat.  This process went on for a week to a month or more, and would later be repeated if the disease persisted.  Other toxic substances, such as vitriol and arsenic, were also employed, but their curative effects were equally in doubt.” 

Mercury had terrible side effects causing neuropathies, kidney failure, and severe mouth ulcers and loss of teeth, and many patients died of mercurial poisoning rather than from the disease itself.  Treatment would typically go on for years and gave rise to the saying,

“A night with Venus, and a lifetime with mercury”

In the first half of the 1900's Hot Springs was a major attraction.  Visitors, many health seekers, would travel by train and stay in opulent hotels and bathhouses, taking the waters.  The government also made provision for a "free" bathhouse for those who could not afford luxury

I expected our venture into the waters at the lovely Quapaw Baths would cure the aches and pains of age but no such luck.  Guess I'll stick with ibuprofen.

Quapaw Baths

Next we headed to Eureka Springs, AR, known for the largest collection of Victorian buildings in the Midwest.  The town sits both in a canyon and on the hills surrounding it.  It is a warren of streets, all with homes clinging to the hill.  We never did learn our way around though managed to find our way back to a lovely dog park where we managed to tire Max a few times.

Cocktails on the  terrace of the Crescent Hotel(1886) revealed a wide, panoramic view of the Ozark's.

The Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs

View from the hotel terrace

The hotel was not economically viable and became schools until 1935 when Norman Baker opened it as a hospital for cancer and other ailments, claiming the spring waters provided a cure.  He had been run out of Iowa for practicing medicine without a license and brought his patients to Arkansas.  That gig lasted for 5 years until he went away on federal charges.  The hotel fell into disrepair but was renovated in the 90's.

Eureka Springs is a tourist attraction, drawing art lovers among others.  It is located on The Pig Trail Scenic Byway, a favorite motorcycle route.  The motels along the route advertise their biker facilities.
Close to town is the Thorncrown Chapel.  You can keep all those European Cathedrals and give me this unique place.  It has won numerous awards and was recently placed 4th on the list of top 20th century buildings by AIA members.  It was built by a local man who encountered financing obstacles but finally prevailed in erecting this "wayfarers chapel."  The beauty to me is that it celebrates nature rather than the creations of man.

Thorncrown Chapel

Another fun destination was the War Eagle Mill, first built in 1832, using creek water and French Granite to grind grain.  The French granite is harder than US granite and was brought over as ship ballast.  Because of fire and the civil war the mill has been built 4 times.  Interesting that they only grind corn now because of environmental health issues with milling grain with gluten.  How did the world ever survive????

Grinding Corn Using 100 year old French Granite Mill Wheel 

Lunch at the War Eagle Mill Cafe

Another sad but interesting stop was Turpentine Creek, the largest big cat refuge in the US.  The sad part is the ignorance of people who buy cute cubs as exotic pets.  According to the refuge, there are more big cats in private homes than in the wild.  As states begin to regulate Big Cat ownership the demands on refuges increase.  The facility seems to be run quite professionally, unlike some marginal but well meaning ones I have seen.  There is a sign thanking Walmart and Tyson for donated over 300,000 pounds of meat a year.

snoozing

There were lots of these beautiful tigers

The mountain lion eyes seem very predatory

Traveling in Pancho with the boys does not allow us to escape everyday chores.  Taxes were done on the road, thanks to help from our CPA Diane and investment expert Sandra.  Laundry is much easier now with our own washer and dryer on board.  Mail would be manageable with the help of the Good Sam Mail Service, but for the Vashon PO.  As with every year, forwards are ignored resulting in dentists and doctors tracking us down following returned mail saying temporarily away etc.  Amazing that mail in the big urban area of Seal Beach is competent and a small island can't seem to manage.  Among necessaries is periodic grooming for Raggie.  Stickers and mud become problems when he is in need of a haircut.  The campground manager recommended a woman who grooms dogs in a small studio on her property.  Using the GPS to chart the course resulted in a route that became more and more narrow with increasing numbers of washouts.

We will backtrack after traveling a few hundred feet further

Neglected singlewides, no trespass signs and warnings of video surveillance evoked images of meth labs and recollections of Deliverance.  We finally turned around, found the groomer and I was relieved to find she appeared to have all her teeth.  Raggie looks years younger and all is well.  After that adventure though, the Arkansas theme song though will be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3wrZ-M35Y


A trip to Arkansas is not complete without a stop in Bentonville, especially for RV'ers who avail themselves of free parking in Walmarts while underway.  When we are in SB or Vashon we never go to Walmart.  Out preferences are Costco, Trader Joes, Farmers' Markets and Target and of course on Vashon the wonderful Thriftway market,  and handy hardware stores.  In many parts of the country these options do not exist.  Except for upscale small towns, I have found the local Mom and Pop grocery stores to be pretty limited.  Without debating labor practices, sustainability, vendor relations....., Walmart does provide a pretty amazing selection of goods throughout the country.  The fresh produce options are plentiful and there are even some organic foods available.   A Walmart critic once remarked to me that there was no need for Walmarts in remote areas, people can just patronize Mom and Pop stores and eat locally.  Personally I do not want to give up my decent to good produce selection when I travel.  Enough on that, the Musem was very nice, located at the site of Sam's original Five and Dime.

Current Walmart Museum including original Walton 5 and 10

A few interesting facts:

Wish I bought this stock when they went public

Topping off the day was an ice cream cone at the museum parlor.

Leaving Texas-Finally

After three dreadful nights in the Camping World parking lot, just off I-10, we finally left.  I am tired of writing about warranty issues with Pancho.  The short story is that after a heated conversation with the Camping World manager, the two most critical failures are repaired.  The other two remain unresolved, awaiting another, hopefully better, service stop.

Katy, Texas is a fast growing suburb with horrible traffic.  Make a mistake on a route, discover it is one way-the wrong way-to your destination and go 6-8 miles out of your way.  Large housing tracks with huge houses feature one way in and out.  Plus, it was hot and muggy.  Now truthfully the locals thought the weather wasn't bad, they said it gets much worse.  We Westerners are SPOILED for sure.

While in Texas, we decided to suck it up and continue on to the Texas "Cajun Triangle, Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont" which borders Loisianna.

The attraction for BD was Pearl's home, Port Arthur.  We stayed in a really interesting, industrially new and clean RV park.  Ninety-five percent of the campers had new 5th wheels and trucks and were never there.  Turns out that they are working on major expansion of refineries and construction of LNG plants (now for export).  The park was quiet (a treat after the endless I-10 traffic) and pleasant and permitted easy access to the local sights.

If you want to know what the end stage of your cheap gas looks like....

Port Arthur Refinery

  LNG plants are under construction.

LNG Plants close to the gulf

Barge traffic on the inter-coastal waterway

Although the industrial activity in Port Arthur is impressive in its magnitude and economic importance, the original reason for the trip was to see Janis Joplin's birthplace.   Downtown Port Arthur is very depressed, likely a combination of hurricane damage and the usual central city blight but there is a very nice, local museum.  It features the usual area history from Indian time to explorers and now the petrochemical industry, but the big attraction is the section on local music talent.   The list of famous entertainers and songwriters from this area is extensive.

Johnnie Allan	Marcia Ball	Benny Barnes	Becky Barksdale
Archie Bell	Rod Bernard	"Jivin' Gene" Bourgeois	Zachary Breaux
Lonnie Brooks	Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown	Cliff Bruner	Tracy Byrd
Bobby Charles	Clifton Chenier	Mark Chesnutt	Harry Choates
Jimmy Clanton	The Clique	"Cookie and the Cupcakes"	Dale and Grace
Arleigh Elton Duff "Arlie"	Ted Dunbar	Frankie Ford	John Fred
Larry Graham	Bill Hall	Lee Hazlewood	Clarence "Frogman" Henry
T. K. Hulin	"Ivory" Joe Hunter	Harry Haag James	George Jones
Janis Joplin	Robert Troy Kimball	Boogie Kings	Jerry Lacroix "Count Jackson"
Tommy McLain	Bob Mcdill	Huey P. Meaux "The Crazy Cajun"	Tiny Moore
Aubrey Wilson Mullican "Moon"	Barbara Lynn Ozen	Phil Phillips	Johnny Preston
J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson	Tex Ritter	Bill Rogers	Brian Schnexnayder
Percy Sledge	Floyd Soileau	Jo-El Sonnier	Billie Jo Spears
Warren Storm	Issac Payton Sweat	B. J. Thomas	Wayne Toups
Clay Walker	Joe "Country" Washburn	Glenn Wells	Tony Joe White
Edgar Holland Winter	John Dawson Winter, III "Johnny"	Jimmy Wyble	James Harold Young "Big Sambo"
ZZ Top	Johnny Rivers	UGK

The big name is Janis.  Her death at 27 from an overdose of nearly pure heroin is a sad story for sure.

 In case you don't remember the song,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qev-i9-VKlY

Much more to my liking is Bobby McGee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7hk-hI0JKw

Two days ago we hit the road and headed north for Arkansas, a new state for all of us.  After much agonizing we decided to abandon the plan to see the coasts of VA, NC, SC, GA and Fl.  So much time was spent in Texas waiting for repairs that we faced the likelihood of more bugs and humidity.  The trip north in Eastern Texas and into Arkansas was pleasant, many trees but heavy rain.  While cheap gas is great, especially traveling in a 10mpg motorhome, looking at its production is not too scenic.  The view in our Lake Catherine State park campground is much more to my liking and the 57 degree morning invigorated us all.

Pancho hanging out at Lake Catherine State Park

The first area of exploration will be Hot Springs.  It is the site of a National Park.  There are currently no plans to undertake a Clinton pilgrimage-sorry Democratic friends.

Critters in Texas

FLYING THINGS While traveling along the gulf, we saw a variety of birds -the area is a birdwatchers paradise with many refuges and preserves.  Sitting in the campground in Port Lavaca (waiting for our appointment) we were able to see regular visits from one of the most colorful, the Roseate Spoonbill.  Walking out the raised viewing pier over the estuary, I got as close as 10 feet while they were busy feeding and paid me little attention. Roseate Spoonbill Now we are in the Houston suburb of Katy, staying at the lovely Stephen Austin State Park.  Our first view of a red flying bird revealed a cardinal, a real treat for Westerners. Cardinal While these are are real treat, the most common flying critter here in the park is the mosquito.  I had no idea but found the following about the area. Locking Mosquitoes out of Houston, TX Houston mosquitoes are considered to be some of the worst in the United States. Of the 2,500+ mosquito species throughout the world, 80 of the most aggressive live in Texas. Houston, therefore, is affected by many mosquito-borne illnesses that affect both humans and pets, including: West Nile Virus Encephalitis Malaria Yellow Fever Filariasis Dengue Fever Elephantiasis Dog Heartworm In addition to these health hazards that can be caused by Houston mosquitoes, nobody likes swollen, red, itchy bug bites all over their body. And nobody likes smelling like over-the-counter insect repellent of questionable efficacy! Houstonians have been installing mosquito misting systems in their homes and businesses in growing numbers, with excellent results in repelling our Houston Mosquitoes. Using natural insecticides extracted from chrysanthemum flowers, these houston mosquito control devices are the solution for keeping biting insects at bay. A simple, one-time installation and regular maintenance are all it takes to keep mosquitos, gnats, no-see-ums and other pests away from your home and yard. We seem to be the only people who prefer to hang out in the coach rather than sit outside, getting bitten.  They must be covered in repellent or genetically immune as are not covered in clothing,  netting nor are they constantly swatting.  No wonder Houston is a major medical hub with all those dreadful mosquito borne diseases.  Fortunately the boys (not BD) are on heart worm meds.  A quick Internet search revealed what everyone  else seemed to know.   FOUR LEGGED CRITTERS My late cocker, Boogerman, was an unforgettable dog.  I had him for 17 years and never got tired of the spirit of that boy, right to the end.  The camp host had a young pup who, but for a much lighter color, very much resembled Boogs as a young dog.  Of course, I had to inquire about the dog and wrangle an invitation to visit.  Mandy is full of life and is one of only a few cockers that are lucky enough to have kept her tail. Adorable Mandy She was full of piss and vinegar and I told the BD that he was lucky she wasn't up for adoption.   Speaking of dogs, Max was at his usual dashboard observation post when he went nuts.  I looked out only to see a huge black critter.  While I first thought it was a cat, it seemed to lumber without the usual graceful feline movement.  It disappeared into the brush and I proceeded to look up pictures of baby black bears-NO,-black panthers-NO, black cougars-NO.  We stopped at the ranger station to register to  this important sighting.  The ranger laughed and said it is a huge black feral cat and that she worries about the safety of her dog when it is around.  So much for exotic animals. Camel Corps Texas experienced an interesting experiment in the mid 1800's when Jefferson Davies was faced with supplying the increasingly populated and traveled southwest with military protection.  Efforts to create a transcontinental railway failed due to politics (can you even imagine) and so Davies dispatched Major Wayne to the middle east to study the feasibility of using dromedaries to transport military supplies.  In 1856  33 disembarked at Indianola, TX, along with their Greek and Turkish drivers.  The next year 41 more we shipped. During the early summer of 1856, the Army loaded the camels and they were driven to Camp Verde via Victoria and San Antonio. Reports from initial tests were largely positive. The camels proved to be exceedingly strong, and were able to move quickly across terrain which horses found difficult. Their legendary ability to go without water proved valuable on an 1857 survey mission led by Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale. He rode a camel from Fort Defiance to the Colorado River and his team used 25 camels on the trip. The survey team took the camels into California, where they were stationed at the Benicia Arsenal. During an 1859 survey of the Trans-Pecos region to find a shorter route to Fort Davis, the Army used the camels again. Under the command of Lt. Edward Hartz and Lt. William Echols, the team surveyed much of the Big Bend area. In 1860, Echols headed another survey team through the Trans-Pecos that employed the Camel Corps. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Camel Corps was mostly forgotten. Handlers had difficulty with their camels spooking the horses and mules. Beale offered to keep the Army's camels on his property, but Union Secretary of War Edwin Stanton rejected the offer. Many of the camels were sold to private owners; others escaped into the desert throughout the West and British Columbia. Beale's favorite, the white camel "Seid", fought with another camel during rutting season and was killed by a crushing blow to the head. Seid's bones were sent to the Smithsonian Institution. Feral camels continued to be sighted in the Southwest through the early 1900s, with the last reported sighting in 1941 near Douglas, Texas. Hi Jolly (Hadji Ali), an Ottoman citizen, came to the US as the lead camel driver. He lived out his life in the US. After his death in 1902, he was buried in Quartzsite, Arizona. His grave is marked by a pyramid-shaped monument topped with a metal profile of a camel. Hi Jolly Grave in Quartzsite EATING CRITTERS Texans love their meat.  Fried or BBQ'd is best.  Really good BBQ places range from shacks selling take out to large restaurants, complete with choices of southern style sides.  There are not too many green veggies and those offered are never al dente.  Salad means macaroni, potato or maybe bean. If it isn't meat it is fried catfish, shrimp or mud bugs-otherwise known as crayfish.