OKLAHOMA, ARKANSAS, MISSISSIPPI + FLORIDA

Greetings Family and Friends,

It’s been over a month of traveling with Kate the Van now.  A friend asked how I planned my route and mentioned that he did so (domestically) around National Parks. It’s a great idea.  They are spectacular treasures.  I realized that for this trip my family and friends are my national parks. Or the main locations I’m arranging the rest around.  To select other stops, I limit myself to a 4-hour drive and search for state parks or similar uncrowded places along routes which will connect me from one family member or friend to the next. 

The first few weeks I traveled a bit faster than originally planned. My friend Ann in Florida was going to fly to San Francisco for a month, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to see her.  I still saw all the people and places on my wish list along the way and arrived in Florida before the end of April. 

I’m so glad I got to hang out with Ann and her partner Frank.  I saw two sand hill cranes while there.  They are magnificent birds I’d only seen photos of before. Ann and I took a meandering walk by a river, Zoomed with our mutual friends Sharene and Harrison in Amsterdam, swam in her pool, and talked and laughed so much I was hoarse the next day.  They surprised me with a birthday cake and some prezzies that were incredibly thoughtful and practical for tiny van living.  Ann cooked a delicious dinner which was my first home-cooked meal in while. It was a perfect day!

Shared below are some impressions and photos of places I stayed over the past few weeks. 

OKLAHOMA

There is no photo I could take that would represent the way the country turned green entering Oklahoma. I kept singing the “Green Acres” theme song passing by miles and miles, and acres and acres of bucolic farmland with striking homes and barns.  There is much I love about the desert but being surrounded by green foliage has such a positive effect on me.  I fully appreciate the Japanese “Forest Bathing” concept.   

Fort Cobb State Park was my first destination, but I stopped for gas first in the little town of Sayer. I noticed a beautiful tree blooming in purple and asked a nearby police officer if he knew what it was.  He said it was a redbud tree, which is the official state tree of Oklahoma.  I saw them all over Oklahoma after that. 

I asked the ranger at Fort Cobb about tornado preparedness, and he was kind enough to let me know about the community shelter location, and some interesting tidbits on tornados and the “season” in Oklahoma.  But it was a severe thunderstorm that rolled directly overhead the next day. Weather.com alerted me to “hail the size of nickels” (they weren’t kidding). With all the lightning I thought it prudent to unplug Kate from shore power.  I had battery LED lantern handy for the night.  No touching of Kate’s metal walls, and such.  It’s a different experience being in a van compared to a building during a thunderstorm.  You’re a bit more intimate with the lightning.   

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum was a place I’d wanted to visit for over a year.  I’d been following them on Instagram since the start of the pandemic when they shut down. Their head security guard Tim was the only one who remained onsite, and he took over the museums Instagram postings.  Social media was new to him, and he was adorable with it. Their Instagram community was 100% positive, cheerful, and a real tonic in the time of COVID.  When I arrived at the museum, they had two temporary exhibitions about women in the formative years of the West; “Find her West”, and “Blazing a Trail”.  Both were beautifully curated, and the extensive permanent collections were great too.   

Tenkiller State Park was another gorgeous Oklahoma state park.  The forest was dense, the visitors sparse, and the lake vast. The area was incredibly green and lush, which comes with abundant rain.  My $10 heavy-duty rain poncho has been my trusted companion for years.  It’s lightweight, folds up small, and covers both me and my backpack.  I may look like a hunchback, but I’m a happy one out there walking in the rain. 

Driving out of the campground I saw a lawn sign which read “Be humble and kind”.  That summed up all the friendly helpful people I interacted with while in Oklahoma. 

ARKANSAS

I didn’t see much of Arkansas as it was a driving day, and I covered a lot of ground toward Florida.  What I did see made me want to come back and explore the “Natural State”.  It seems to have a lot to offer people that like being outdoors.  One idea I’m pondering for the future is taking a gig as a host in a state park for a season.  Every state park I’ve visited has signs seeking camp hosts.  The pay is very low but comes with free rent. I haven’t met a camp host yet that wasn’t happy about the arrangement.  Things that make you go hmmm….

TENNESSEE:

I was only in Tennessee a few miles before to turning right into Mississippi.  But it was long enough to pass a truck pulling a trailer which had a sign that read.

“I go where I’m towed”

Forgive me…I’m a sucker for a bad pun 😉

MISSISSIPPI

This was such a lark.  Before starting my trip, I was at my sister’s where we watched an HGTV show featuring a restaurant in Laurel Mississippi called The Bird Dog Café.  The town looked so pretty I wondered “where is Laurel?” and found it on a map.  Laurel was on my way to Florida, so I decided to go there. 

When I arrived, it was a Monday and the café was closed, but I met one of the Bell brothers who co-own the café on the front porch.  I recognized him from the HGTV show, and he was such a cool guy. I told him why I was there and unbidden he took the time to give me a list of places he thought I’d get a kick out of seeing along my way. 

The South struck me as a place where people, even when they have a business to run, go out of their way to make sure a perfect stranger enjoys themselves.  I took photos inside the café of a hanging wall partition they made from repurposed windows and sent them to my sister.  It was a bit like throwing a dart at a map and then going where it landed.  A fun little episode in the trip that made me smile. 

That night I stopped at Lincoln Lake State Park in nearby Wesson Mississippi.  It was pretty place with a large lake, but a “beware of alligators” sign put a damper on any thoughts of swimming.  I wasn’t in California anymore…new mindset.  I also passed on a shower that day.  There was a 3” spider in the shower stall, and instead of trying to escort him/her out I opted for a sponge bath with lemon eucalyptus soap.  Not a problem 🙂

All campsite bathrooms are not created equal.  I’m a fan of state park camping in natural settings that come with tranquility and low prices.  But I stop at KoAs (Kampgrounds of America) periodically because they almost always have WIFI (the state parks don’t), and the KoAs generally have better facilities (bathrooms, laundry, swimming pools, stores, etc.).  However, the KoAs pack you into parking spaces like proverbial sardines. Which makes sense as they exist to make a profit, while state parks are the people’s parks. 

I loved driving on the two-lane roads in Mississippi and seeing how folks live.  Their acres of lawn are so large that they drive lawnmower tractors.  Some homes were nestled in thinned out forest land with trees left in place to provide shade, and the forest floor groomed into part of the lawns and landscape. There were a lot of nice-looking newer homes, but the vintage residences with white siding, painted shutters, and wraparound porches won my heart. 

There is something about a home with a wraparound porch that just sends me.  There was a time when neighborhoods were built this way, rather than cloistering ourselves in more private back yards. They conjure up stories in my mind about sociable communities with friendly neighbors. I’ve probably watched Its’ A Wonderful Life too many times.

My last stop before Florida was called the Pensacola KoA although it is located in Lillian, Alabama.  As of this writing I’ve spent some time in Alabama and will write about that state in the next post.  Just wanted to mention that this KoA has some sweet little camping cabins, and a small private beach with boat launch.  It was a nice overnight stop. 

FLORIDA

My first stop in Florida was stunning.  I stayed at Saint Andrews State Park which is at the eastern end of Panama Beach. You walk from the campsite towards the gulf to a boardwalk over protected dunes.  Then, if you’re like me…. you gasp when you lay eyes on that beach the first time.  It’s the whitest sand I’ve ever seen.  The water is clear in jeweled colors of green and turquoise.  And it’s warm.  Not the shock I’m used to with the Pacific.  The campsite itself is located on a lagoon.  In addition to the miles of beach, there is a protected shallow swimming area by the boardwalk.  There were quite a few families set up to spend the day there. 

I looked for a stop between Saint Andrews and Venice Florida and found the cute little Ocala Sun RV Resort.  Perfectly maintained grounds, sparkling clean bathrooms and showers.  It looked like they had tennis courts and some other amenities.  I spent over an hour in the pool and got acquainted with some long-time residents.  At about $600 a month, that’s not bad rent for a retiree. 

Although Ann and Frank gave me the warmest of invitations to stay in their guest bedroom, I always feel less intrusive and more at ease when I stay in Kate.  It’s nice to let people keep their privacy and routines I think…and no one needs to wash my sheets when I leave.  When I can do laundry at their place though, that is a gift!  So while visiting them I stayed at a KoA in Bradenton, FL a short drive away.  This KoA is on the grounds of a working farm and is a paradise for young children and their parents.  Their activities included a miniature train ride, a petting zoo, a gemstone dig, and a sunflower field you could walk through and pick your own. I particularly enjoyed the fresh produce from their farm stand.  That, and this place is hands down the winner of best bath/shower rooms at any campsite I’ve ever seen.  Not fancy, just modern, clean, and roomy.  

After leaving Ann’s I booked a few nights at Tomoka State Park on the North East side of Florida, near Jacksonville.  Tomoka felt like being in a jungle.  No swimming again what with those pesky alligators, but they offered kayaks for $20 an hour (plus $8 for additional hours capped at $55 a day).  I paddled into the wind and incoming tide for over an hour. On the way back to return the kayak it was an easy drift in. So peaceful and such a delight.  Occasionally dipping the paddle to correct course, floating under blue skies next to the deep green foliage.  Watching the birds soar, and small planes banking overhead. Fish were jumping and the living was easy.  It occurred to me I’d be quite happy if I never lived in a city again.

My last Florida stop was a county park near Tallahassee named Coe Landing.  This was when I realized I hadn’t prepared adequately for mosquitos. I’d been living in Kate for a year and a sheer curtain over the side doors had kept any bugs out while in California and Oregon. During my travels in the south, I’d been gravitating to places near the water and so do mosquitos.  They were determined little buggers, and some small enough to get in through the screen cover on roof fan.  I sewed a temporary mosquito net fix but need to come up with a better permanent solution that involves Velcro and tight fitting screen panels over the two side sliding door openings. 

Thanks so much for dropping by.  I’ll be traveling through Alabama, South and North Carolina, Virginia, and a few other states en route to see family in Massachusetts and Maine.  I’ll post again in June.