Saturday, March 09, 2019

WEATHERFORD OKLAHOMA TO FORT SMITH OKLAHOMA: OUR BIGGEST NIGHTMARE TODAY WASN’T OKLAHOMA CITY TRAFFIC….IT WAS THE WIND!!

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HOME BASE FOR THE NIGHT

Even with our attention focused keenly on weather conditions this past week we were caught flat footed in the middle of the night by a fast moving storm front packing high winds and rain.  It hit us broadside with with a vengeance carrying some of the heaviest wind gusts we’ve ever experienced.  Managed to get our large slide in just before some of the heaviest gusts hit.   At 5 a.m. it was as if someone flipped a switch and turned off the big blow…..temporarily.  Garbage can lids scattered across the Walmart parking lot.  Strong gusting winds were soon back and they were coming from the west so for us it meant a nice tail wind again today as long as we kept heading East.  And that turned out to be the rub………………..

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NICE TO SEE MORE TREES CROPPING UP

Think it was somewhere around 8 a.m. when we rolled out of Weatherford on I-40  heading East for Okalahoma City.  Had it not been a Saturday morning we might not have gone that way but knowing traffic would be lighter we chose that route.  Swung around south of Oklahoma City using the 44/240 by-pass.  I knew once we headed south on 44 we would be in for hell with the wind….and we were.  Had it been a weekday with heavy traffic we could have been in trouble but it wasn’t so we weren’t.  The bad crosswinds were gone again soon as we made the swing onto 240 east by the Will Rogers Airport.  Little did we know we would make a navigational error a little while later and those crosswinds would be back determined to destroy us.

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A LONG NASTY STRETCH OF CONSTRUCTION ON BY-PASS 240 AND THIS WAS THE EASY PART

Overall it was a nice driving day with clear overhead skies and light traffic for the most part.  We were approaching Henryetta Oklahoma when we saw a McDonalds sign and decided to slip in for a coffee pit stop.  I wheeled off the next exit ramp……and right onto the Indian Nation Turnpike.  “Arrrgggghhhh!!!!’  We were cooked and there was no turning around and here’s the worst part.  The Turnpike headed south so we were instantly at the mercy of those heavy duty crosswinds again.  Saw a sign for a town 38 miles away.  We were not happy campers at the mercy of those winds plus it was very hilly with forests on both sides of the turnpike causing sudden wind tunnels.  It was touch and go and we couldn’t turn around.  Pulling over to the side of the road wouldn’t have helped either.  Now to add insult to the wrong turn and threatening winds we see a toll booth ahead.  Yep, we had to pay $4.50 and the not so friendly guy said we couldn’t turn around for another 10 miles.  Pulling away from the toll booth we spotted a hole in the fence so to speak leading to another road which led to a proper turnaround.  Without further adieu we slipped through the well traveled hole in the wall and two minutes later we were turned around and headed the 11 miles back to I-40.  Now the crosswinds were hitting us on the other side of the coach trying to dump us off the right side of the road.  We knew if we could tough it out for the 11 miles we would be back on I-40 again heading East with a slightly burpy tailwind.  We joltingly made it to I-40 and an hour later we tiredly pulled into the Cherokee Casino at the east end of Fort Smith Oklahoma.  This had been our pre-planned destination for the day and we were sure thankful to find a spot in the Casino parking lot and shut it down.  Winds were still bad but at 70F it at least was a warm wind.  By 5 p.m. those bad winds had dimished to a mere whispering breeze.

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A REALLY CRAPPY REST AREA EAST OF HENRYETTA OKLAHOMA

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WITH TODAY’S HIGH WINDS WATER ON LAKE EUFAULA WAS CHOPPY

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It was tempting while west of Oklahoma City this morning to head north up to I-44 and boogy for home via St Louis but we decided to stick to our travel plans by continuing east in warmer weather.  We do have a destination in mind so we’ll wait until Sunday to see if we reach it.  Maybe a tad longer than the I-44 St Louis route but as you know we do prefer the lesser traveled Interstates.

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EVEN WITH NO LEAVES THE TREES STILL LOOKED GREAT

Our overnight spot for tonight is the Cherokee Casino on the west side of Fort Smith Arkansas.  By the looks of it we are only a few miles from the Arkansas State Line and Sunday we just might find ourselves in the Ozarks.  Li’l Abner country as I recall.  Wonder how many people remember or saw the 1959 Li'l Abner movie.  I did:))  Not our first time in Fort Smith.  Back in late December of 04 on our way to Big Bend National Park Texas in our second of 4 Class C’s we actually got ourselves lost in the Ozark Mountains along the way.   Wasn’t until we stumbled into Fort Smith Arkansas that we knew for sure where we were.

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Oh and don’t fergit ta tern yer clocks ahead one hour tonight eh…………………

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ON OUR AFTERNOON WALK PHEEBS AND I SURE COULD HEAR A LOT OF CROAKING FROGS ALONG THAT TREE LINE OUT THERE AND WE HEARD A KILLDEER AS WELL….YEP, SPRING’S WELL UNDERWAY IN THESE HERE PARTS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The General Managers of Cascade Brewery (Tasmania), Tooheys (NewSouth Wales), XXXX (Queensland), CUB (Victoria) and Coopers (South Australia) were at a national beer conference. They decide to all go to lunch together and the waitress asks what they want to drink. The General Manager of Tooheys says without hesitation, "I'll have a Tooheys New." The General Manager of Cascade smiles and says, "I'll have a Cascade Draught, brewed from pure mountain water." The General Manager of Coopers proudly says, "I'll have a Coopers, the King of Beers." The bloke from XXXX says, "I'll have a XXXX, the cleanest beer on the planet." The General Manager from Carlton glances at his lunch mates and says, "I'll have a Diet Coke." The others look at him like he has sprouted a new head. He just shrugs and says, "Well if you poofters aren't drinking beer, then neither will I."

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ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact? WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

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A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. "Mommy," she said, "can we leave now?""No," her mother replied."Well, I think I have to throw up!" exclaimed the girl."Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush," said her mother.After about sixty seconds, the little girl returned to her seat. "Did you throw up?" her mother asked."Yes," the little girl replied."How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?" her mother asked."I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, 'For the Sick.'"

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16 comments:

  1. Ai
    Are you trying to make us all feel old. Of course I remember the L'il Abner movie.
    I didn't know of a Fort Smith Oklahoma but I do know of Fort Smith Arkansas. Driven thru there many times.Have a safe trip.

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  2. Yes, I remember lil Abner too!
    Wow, this post is a real episode....... I was very engrossed.
    Just happy you guys made it safely through it all.
    You related it so well.
    Are you in a hurry to get home? Thought you would take it slower
    and enjoy the journey.

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  3. We've once made an error just like you did and instead of taking a road, by mistake ended up on a highway for miles and miles before being able to return. I know how you felt and probably voiced it too!! After all that now just relax, tomorrow will be better.

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  4. Oh, oh, oh! What a sad state to hear that the Indian Turnpike gave you grief today! We know that road so well. Always went that way from TX to MN to avoid traffic, When we were heading up, and coming back, though, wind was never an issue. We just had to be sure we had plenty of gas to cover the generator running in our Class C. Lots of miles with few off ramps. Was some relieved to hear that you did make it to your destination. Those winds hitting your sides are seriously scary. Hope you
    don't encounter more bad weather on Sunday!!!!

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  5. Turner Turnpike The best and safe road without the heavy traffic. 10 Years using this way

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  6. Wind is my worst nightmare when pulling my little Bobcat trailer. Like most of you fellow travelers, I go to great lengths to avoid that..and traffic, especially big trucks/semis. You described your misadventure so well I could easily relate. Take it easy the next couple of days. You need a rest!

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  7. Ugggh...nothing worse than being stuck on a road you don’t want to be on and having to pay a toll, no less! Here’s hoping for smoother sailing tomorrow, Al.

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  8. OOOppps really hate when that happens, taking and unplanned detour, and then having to pay for you mistake as well. Hopefully the winds will let up for you.

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  9. Oh dear, not much you can do but trudge on and hope for a turnabout.
    We stayed at that Casino on the way down this year, it was a great find with hookups.
    Good luck on the rest of your travels, nice to hear the warm weather is staying with you.

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  10. What a day of stressful travel. We have never taken a wrong turn.. No really, never. ;-D

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  11. ...I remember once suddenly finding ourselves on a toll road in Chicago. No toll booth, it was all electronic. I could not find out how much it was, so I just mailed them $10. In my paranoia I imagined them banging on my door in the middle of the night to collect the toll.

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  12. Same thing happened to me. No toll booth to get on and guess what, no toll both when I got off. About a week later got bill and fine in the mail from the toll road authority. They had a picture of my vehicle and the license plate.

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  13. What an adventure you folks had today. Glad it all worked out for you folks. Not fun being on a road you don't want to travel. The winds sound terrible. I like to try to avoid windy days (not always possible of course) because no road is ever straight and at some point that tail wind will become a side wind. Maybe a couple of days lay over at the casino will be helpful. Not leave you too stressed or tired for the days ahead. Safe travels.

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  14. Missed a few days and was so surprised to see you were headed east already! I hate those brutal side winds. Good that the toll was so cheap on your mis-direction, and that you were able to get turned around "early". We haven't been to Oklahoma yet but there are several great places we're looking forward to visiting once we do. Safe travels.

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  15. Since my home is here in that eastern most county of I-40 in OK, I feel like I need to apologize for our winds and our toll roads. So glad that you survived both. Please come back again some time in the future. Maybe we'll blow less, but we'll still get your money.

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  16. We have all had those detours but yours was complicated with that nasty wind. But you survived, that is the important things. Our friends who left here a week ago took 5 hours to drive the last 21 kms into the USA. They're devastated and exhausted but they are still planing on coming back.

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