Thackerville, OK yard art and Gatesville, TX

Steve & Susy arrived at Red River Ranch Thursday so we now have 3 Haulin' HitchHiker couples. Judy did chicken on the grill for supper for the 6 of us. Friday we all went to Gainsville, TX to check out the big fiberglass people (the lady is Jackie Kennedy), then some ranch yard art and finally a glockenspiel, but it wasn't working so no pictures. we had a so-so lunch in Muenster at a German restaurant. Friday night we met with a dozen Oklahoma HitchHikers club members who were also in the park for their October rally. We had a good time exchanging info with them before hitting the sack.

Old farts

Well we are old farts. Up at 8am, cleaned up at 8:30, at the casino at 8:45, in line until 9:30. Why you ask? Free breakfast buffet. After that we washed the truck, did laundry, I wrote my a--hole congressmen, and Judy did water aerobics in a COLD pool. Life is good. Vote the bums OUT.

Thackerville, OK

Monday we made a long 250 mile drive to Red River Ranch, a free ROD CG 5 miles from the TX border. Jeff & Susan are also here. We are all relaxing and waiting here for Steve & Susy to arrive Thursday when we'll start to travel in the TX hill country and the TX Gulf coast with them. Jeff & Susan will leave to visit family in Austin. Monday night we all played Bingo, Judy won twice, Jeff and I each once. Our winnings will help offset our investment losses. I do believe our President and Congress are truly messed up. How could we have elected such bozos? Today, Tuseday we are just relaxing.

I'm BACK!!! Grove to Cookson to Thackerville

We spent last Wednesday at the CG and relaxing then started to break camp. Thursday we made the LONG 90 mile trip to Cookson and the Corp of Engineers Chicken Creek CG. We went there to spend 4 days with three other HitchHiker couples; Jeff & Susan, Stacy & Sharon, Wes & Tonia. I didn't do any posting from there as it was on Tenkiller Lake and Internet access was very poor. The CG has a wonderful location on the rolling wooded hills beside the lake located inside the Cherokee Nation. It was VERY enjoyable and we will return. We had a good time with our friends. We did a lot of visiting, some card playing, football & NASCAR watching, watching the squirrels and EATING. Friday night we went to Sam and Ella's Pizza Parlour (say the name fast and think of under cooked chicken) for supper and had the best pizza since we have been on the road! On Saturday Wes smoked a huge brisket and Judy made German potato salad, everybody contributed to a great supper. We checked out the Cherokee Museum located at the end of the Trail of Tears and an old mansion built in the 1840s. Wes & Tonia (who is Cherokee) both work for the Cherokee Nation on their computer systems.

We said our good byes Sunday night and departed Monday morning for Thackerville.

Will Rogers, tall totem & lots of guns

Another day of exploring in the gently rolling green hills of northeast OK. We travelled to Claremore, a few miles north of Tulsa, and first stopped at the worlds tallest totem pole. A guy retired in the 40s, got bored and started to make things including this totem pole. He also made 400 fiddles from different woods, none had strings or played. He even made a wooden lawn mower powered by a battery & electric motor. The blades and rest of it was wood. We then visited the Will Rogers Memorial Museum where he and his family are buried. It's on a beautiful high piece of property (his own) overlooking the countryside and city. A lot of $$$ was spent on this museum! We enjoyed it, his rope trick B&W movies were outstanding! We then stopped at the JM Davis Gun Museum. He was a property owner & businessman who collected over 50,000 guns and related items during his life. Guns guns guns, rows and rows of guns guns guns. What we find interesting is the history and many of his guns were from outlaws and law officers. I have included a few pictures of some including the nooses & blindfolds used to execute bad people. See the 5 notches in Harry Reids pistol grip?

Ma Barker & her boys

Sunday was a stay put and relax day, although after a heavy overnight dew Judy just had to clean & wipe off the trailer. Today we went for a ride to Vineta for lunch. They have a well known restaurant on old route 66, Clantons, that has been written up in several food magazines and on TV food programs for their chicken fried steaks. I rate it so so and Judy's chicken fried chicken was much better. After lunch we went to Welch and waited for over 1/2 hour for a train stopped on the tracks in the small village. At least I got a cat nap in! We finally went up tracks and crossed the tracks to continue our cemetery hunt. We read that the Barker family was buried a few miles outside town off a dirt road in the Williams Cemetery. We have some interesting info sources for off the wall places. You youngsters don't know Ma Barker and her boys, they were bank robbers and kidnappers in the 1930s. Ma and one of her boys, Freddie, were in a shoot out in 1937 with some of J Edgar Hoover's G men, Ma & Freddie lost the gun fight and ended up here. Here's more info on Ma...http://www.trivia-library.com/c/biography-of-gangsters-arizona-clark-ma-barker.htm Hello Jean!!!! Hi BJ!!!!!

Cherokee Queen

Today was a nice relaxing day. Judy went to Curves this morning and did a little shopping on the way home. We went out for a late lunch at a local German resturant with Harold & Joan, neighbors also in a HitchHiker. Then this evening we all went for a relaxing boat ride on the Cherokee Queen on Grand Lake. It was a beautiful evening.