That's all for this trip...

Evening, Campers! It's Silver Cliche' here, checking in with you tonight from Lake Point Resort State Park in Eufaula, Alabama near the shores of the Walter F George Reservoir which some people refer to as Lake Eufaula. We nearly escaped Alabama today. We are so close that Alabama is here at the campground, and Georgia is right across the lake.

So, not much to share today. A long drive... 374 miles, Google calls it 5:37 driving time but it drives much longer), intense rain with interstate traffic doing about 40 mph at one point, two significant cities of the south (Birmingham and Montgomery), a pass within 5 miles of "the shrine of Tupelo" (the Elvis birth shack). One noteworthy sign I saw not long after we left Holly Springs read Little Tallahatchie River. I was looking for "the bridge" and Billie Joe McAllister, but it turns out they were (both past tense) farther downstream in Money, Mississippi. Perhaps most memorable for me will be the last hour of the drive. After we left urbanity and the interstates we were on state roads... mostly two lane... through eastern Alabama. As residents of the Florida peninsula, I don't consider us "southern". The South (it's a specific place and therefore a proper noun and therefore capitalized in this context) runs from Virginia to the Florida panhandle (but not Jacksonville in my opinion) and west to include Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana. Others may disagree and say stupid things like "Being southern is in your heart and not about where the dirt in your boots came from". They're wrong. There is a word that is used more -- or at least used with different intonation and meaning -- in the south than in the north. That word is "land". Southerners refer to their region as "the southland". The phrase "southern land" comes up in rock-a-billy songs and elsewhere. That last hour of our drive today was through true southern land in rural Alabama. It was beautiful in a way that gave insight into why boys in grey fought as far north as Pennsylvania to protect what they had. Fortunately, they didn't get to keep all they had built on the land, but they did keep the land itself and it's still here to be seen and to inspire. It was green, lush, tranquil, largely undeveloped and seemingly undisturbed. Occasional small towns like Union Springs (how did that name stick here?) and Midway slowed our passage, but that was it.

Tomorrow we plan to complete the trip. It's been 6 + weeks since we left home. Time to get back and see what it looks like now. It'll be 7+ hours of driving, but I think the trusty Tundra and the Cliche' herself can handle it if we and the dogs can. 

It's been quite a trip. I hope you enjoyed coming along with us. We had a chance to catch up with some family we haven't seen I a while. That, alone, would have made the trip worthwhile as it has on other trips when we've stopped to see family or friends and taken advantage of a barn yard or driveway parking spot for a few nights. Beyond that we saw five national parks (Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches and Mesa Verde), a few monuments and recreation areas (Glen Canyon  and Navajo) at least four major rivers (the Mississippi, Colorado, Rio Grande and Arkansas), two major cities (New Orleans and Dallas), too many state parks to mention, too many small towns to count and odds and ends including a plantation in Louisiana, a food court made of Airstreams in Florida and a snow filled basin at 11,000 feet in the Rockies. The best parts are still out there on Flickr if you want to step through them again.

By the time we get home tomorrow I think I'll be spent. Let me close out this trip tonight by saying "thanks" to those of you who helped and encouraged us along the way. It helps on long days like today knowing that you are riding along with us in spirit.

We'll be home almost a month getting our lives back in order and the Cliche' road-ready again (she needs a good cleaning and even some repairs... for example, today somewhere on the rough Mississippi roads a drawer flew out of the wardrobe in the bedroom and broke. That takes some shaking!). Look for an email from me around Independence Day titled "Silver Cliche' hitting the road!" and ride along to Maryland then Massachusetts and home along Shenandoah Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina.

Until then...

SC'

1.) Transportation and b.) government waste

Evening, Campers! It's,Silver Cliche' with you again. Tonight reporting from Holly Springs, Mississippi and Wall Doxey State Park. We have made a commitment to put the miles under our belly pan (that's an Airstream anatomical reference) and move steadily toward home. Today was another 5+ hours of driving which was good for about 350 miles. That included three states - Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. It's been a while since we hit three states in a day.  A clear sign we are back in the east, although not yet back on Eastern Daylight Time. 

I was going to post a google maps rendition of how we got here, but it was overkill. Here's what you need to know... From Barling, Arkansas get on I40 heading east. Go for an eternity (like 4 1/2 hours). When you see a huge river under you and a giant pyramid right next to it (make sure the pyramid has a "Bass Pro Shops" logo the size of the playing surface at Yankee stadium on it so you know you have the right pyramid... more on that later) get off I40, take a meandering combination of Memphis city streets that google maps will figure out for you, hop on I 22 south for 20 miles and BANG! you're there. If you reach the University of Mississippi at Oxford (Ole Miss!) you've gone a bit too far.

If you want, along the way stop in Little Rock for lunch at a barbecue place. And since "water always wins" keep an eye out for rain which was not too much trouble for us today, but tomorrow and Sunday are forecast between 60 and 80% all along the route.

So the highlight of the day was Memphis. We passed through the city last year heading west to Yellowstone. Mostly I remember traffic hang ups and the embarrassing condition of the infrastructure. Neither seems to have improved much, although today we took the I40 bridge because Google told us the accident on I55 (could pavement "irregularities" have contributed?) would bring us to a halt. Did you know there are only 17 road crossings of the Mississippi between Tennessee and the delta. That's 737 miles of river with a bridge every 45 miles on average. Two of those are in Memphis. Hey, I want you to be a better informed person for having read this. You're welcome... again.

There are two stories that strike the person passing through Memphis. 1.) transportation and 2.) monumental government waste. Let's take #1 first. Memphis is home to FedEx. 'nuf said. Seeing as how there is no direct connection worth a damn from I40 to I22, Google maps did literally route us on city streets. It did the same last year between I22 and I55. Each tour was a wonderland of modern transportation. At one point today we went along the southern border of Memphis International Airport (MIA). In the few minutes we took to cross there I saw five FedEx planes take off using three different, active runways. It was 4:00 in the afternoon. That's 12 hours off from their busy time. Geez. I just looked up the google maps "satellite view" of MIA. At whatever random time they flew over, there were 80 cargo aircraft in neat rows at various facilities on the north end of the field. There were 5 commercial aircraft at the passenger terminal. Welcome to Cargo-town, USA! In addition to FedEx, every other major freight carrier has a visible presence including UPS, the Postal Service and even the Air Force who had three C17 cargo planes very visibly parked at their hanger near our route. But wait... there's more! Near the airport is the Port of Memphis on the Mississippi which includes a multimodal cargo facility (that's where they pick up those 8x8x40 metal shipping containers and move them between ships, barges, trains and trucks.) So, right here in Memphis there is cargo coming and going on every conceivable conveyance and at speeds determined by a shippers willingness to pay. They can get your Amazon order to you overnight on a plan from anywhere to anywhere (with a connection in Memphis at 2:00 AM) or on the slow boat from China via the Mississippi and the last train to Clarksville. All I can say is WOW! Now let's turn to monumental government waste. Remember that pyramid?  Guess who built it? Right. The City of Memphis and Shelby County. Oh they had grand plans. However, on opening night in 1991 with a Judd's concert planned it flooded. No bull. Evidently the arena had one of those rubber stoppers like an old bathtub but a really big one and nobody could find the chain for it. If you want the whole sad tale, read Wikipedia. The net is that the University of Memphis basketball program wouldn't even play there, the NBA team moved out of town (but kept the right to exclusive use of the arena... go figure) and after every other possibility was exhausted... a breakthrough!... Bass Pro Shops now has a mega store inside it... hence the logo. I poop you not. (Thanks for noticing. I'm trying to keep this blog at least as classy as Memphis itself). So, two lessons here, class: 1.) government should stick to governing and not real estate development and b.) if Donald trump becomes president I sure as poop hope he makes the transition from real estate development to governing better that the Memphis/Shelby team did going the other way. (And I know I mixed "1" and "b"... I have to do something to stimulate my brain now that all I have to look forward to is another 878 miles of driving through the southland and most hoodoos to photograph.)

So, here we are in Holly Springs. It's... raining... and heavily forested... and humid... which means it will continue raining on us for about 2 hours after the rain stops hitting the trees. Tomorrow is supposed to rain more as we traverse Mississippi (Yes, we will be near the Elvis Birthplace Shrine in Tupolo again. No we do not plan to stop. Look at last years blog if you need to see the picture again.) then we will cut southeastward across Alabama until we reach the Lake Point State Park Resort  in Eufaula on the Georgia border. With luck, that will be our last over night stop on this trip and we will back the Cliche' into her home spot in Vero Beach on Sunday night. Like a major ocean liner coming to her home from a round-the-world voyage, she'll get some cleaning, polishing, maintenance and repairs (and a refitting to the factory interior since the recliners stay home next time) and be ready to go north in a month!

Stay tuned!

Later, 

SC'

Oxygen, humidity and mosquitoes. Feels like home!

Evening, Campers! It's Silver Cliche' with you again tonight. This time from... wait for it... Barling, Arkansas! Yep, we dumped our plans in Oklahoma to step it up a bit and head east. We are safely parked for the night at Springhill Park (another fine product of the US Army Corps of Engineers!) right on the southern bank of the Arkansas River near Van Buren, Arkansas... no?.... how about "near Forts Smith, Arkansas"... still no?... come on, Fort Smith is the second largest city in the whole freakin' state. How about "Just across the border from Oklahoma and about the middle of the state"? ... Ok, good enough then.

I've been meaning to write about a lesson I've learned on this trip. Now seems the opportune time to share the thought. Here it comes: When water meets anything, water wins. Nope, that's it. I started realizing this as we got deeper into the west on the way out but it hit me hardest at the Grand Canyon. If not for flowing water (lots of it... over a long period of time) the Grand Canyon would have remained the Grand Plain (boring!... we already have the even larger "Great Plains" and they are totally boring... just read the posts for the past few nights... and please try staying awake this time). Then I thought about New Orleans (water!), the Rio Grande basin (water!), Zion (water!), Bryce Canyon (water!), etc.. It's all about water and in each case the land has been transformed and reshaped while the water is unscathed, moves on and gets ready to come back and do it again. Water always wins.

So, last night I told you we were getting road weary and disillusioned by attempting to capture and share interesting pics of the plains (boring!). Today we got reshaped by the same force that turned the erstwhile "Grand Plain" into the spectacle that it is today - water. It has been something between drizzling and pouring here in the nation's abdominal region all day. (If this is the abdomen, you'll have to use your imagination to orient the other parts of the country around the anatomy. Remember, Louisiana is south of us.). Fortunately, modern humans have the National Weather Service and the Internet to access it (except in northeast New Mexico as explained a few nights ago) so we saw this coming. Rather than heading to Quartz Mountain today (in the rain) then to Lake Thunderbird, Oklahoma tomorrow (in the rain) then to Springhill Park on Saturday (in the rain), we elected to cut out the middle men and head right to Springhill Park today (in the rain). 

 I wrote the other evening that when we were leaving the Rockies we stopped in Salida, Colorado (great fish and chips that day... just typing "S-a-l-I-d-a gave me a flashback) and left town following the Arkansas River. It took the northerly route through Kansas then northeast Oklahoma, but then it veered southeast and we became reacquainted today. You may recall that all of the US Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds we've stayed at on this trip have been on lakes created by Corps-constructed dams. This campground is not one of those. In addition to their dam efforts, they also build waterways projects including canals and locks. This campground sits on the Arkansas at a point where locks and a small hydroelectric station enable the river to contribute to commerce and human progress. Try selling that idea in Washington today! This week's Supreme Court decision had to remind the Corps that they are supposed to tame water to help the American people, not tame the American people to help water. But that's a topic you can research on your own and draw whatever conclusion you want. Here in Barling if it would stop raining long enough for me to walk 150' directly behind the trailer across a spongy lawn I could take a picture of the river with some gargantuan barge full of something being moved along the Arkansas to the Mississippi from deep in the abdomen of America. Maybe tomorrow.

Our route today took us southeast from Fort Supply, Oklahoma back through Woodward (where we learned about greasers at the laundromat yesterday) and 60 miles to a point west of Oklahoma City where we picked up I40 heading east. That carried us nearly 200 miles (yep... It was five and a half hours of driving today at our stepped up pace) just across the state line into Arkansas. Along the way we saw casinos... lots of casinos... remember that Oklahoma was "the Indian Territory" before statehood. The US Army pushed all manner of tribes into that space including the Cherokees whose homeland we visited last year in North Carolina, and the Choctaw (I have no idea where they used to live) and dumped them into land occupied by tribes that were already there (Muskogee, Sioux, Comanche, whatever). In the smallest measure of retribution, these tribes now each have the right to open casinos on the land they were given and they have done so. We stopped for gas, then parked to make lunch in the trailer at a Seminole Casino. The Seminoles! They are a Florida tribe. How the heck did they get their own casino in Oklahoma? I have no idea, but clearly everyone is on on to action in Oklahoma casinos. We crossed the Chisholm Trail, and sang in memory of Merle Haggard when we passed Muskogee, Oklahoma,  USA. By the end of he day we were below 500 feet above sea level. The air here is warm and thick with oxygen, humidity and mosquitoes... just like at home! The best part of our day was seeing the "Arkansas Welcomes You!" sign. Oklahoma wasn't that bad (it's not like it was Louisiana or anything). I think their old advertising slogan was quite right. "Oklahoma is OK". I can imagine a discussion between me and our neighbor Brendan when we get home that would properly use that phrase in context: He: "Hey, how was your trip out west?" Me: "It was  fantastic... We saw amazing things in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah." He: "And you came home through Oklahoma, right? How is that?" Me: "Oh, Oklahoma is OK." After what we saw farther to the west, we were not disappointed to move past OK.

So we have set a new target. Instead of rambling and moseying at our standard pace (three hours of driving a day when in transit and two days a week off the road) we are setting our sights for home. We head to northern Mississippi tomorrow (in the rain), southeast Alabama on Saturday (in the rain) and if our rear ends can handle it should arrive home Sunday night hopefully to a beautiful Florida evening.

Stay tuned!

Later...

SC'

Step away from the greasers

Evening, Campers! It's Silver Cliche' with you again and once again tonight from the US Army Corps of Engineers campground known as Supply Park on the shores of Fort Supply Lake near Fort Supply, Oklahoma.

Today was a day off the road, but not a "day off". Sometimes we try to have a relaxing day when we are not in motion, but once in a while we are overtaken by deferred chores. Today was one of those days. The most seriously deferred chore was grooming the antique Wheaten Terrier who has made every trip since we got the Airstream. Kailey is 18 now and showing every bit of her 126 dog years. Wheatens are "hair dogs" and need grooming. However, given her advanced age, the fact that she has acclimated to Florida since her retirement there in 2013 and the cold weather we anticipated (and saw) in Arizona, Utah and Colorado, we let the hair grow as a protection from the cold. Now we are back down to where the air is thick and warm, it was time to remove the hair. Neither she, nor I were amused by the process. Judging by her appearance now, and reflecting on my experience administering my own hair cuts I think it is wise that I did not choose to pursue hair cutting as a profession. 

The other major chore of the day was laundry. We packed heavily for this trip including every pair of unmentionables and socks we each own. To stretch things out I even operate a "dry laundry" to the complete chagrin of Mrs. C'. If you are not familiar with the process, ask the male who you know who has most recently graduated from college and who did not live at home for those four years. The core concept is that a garment, once worn will become more wearable if left I disturbed for a long enough period of time. This is especially useful for Hawaiian shirts provided there is a closet in which to hang them. Following college graduation, most men no longer use the traditional "pile/invert/reuse" method, especially if there is a woman in their life to shame them for ever considering the practice. Today was laundry day.

To do laundry we left the shores of Fort Supply Lake and headed into the county seat - Woodward, Oklahoma - 12 miles away. Woodward is a city of 12,000 population. Here in these parts that ranks it as the largest community in a 9 county area (I told you this place is sparsely populated. When you next hear some wag talk about the global population crisis and how we are running out of land and resources just say to yourself "There's room in Oklahoma..."). While there we did a bit of shopping and at lunchtime we turned again to... class?... anyone?... that's right Bueller, TripAdvisor for guidance on a lunch spot. It wasn't promising, but we picked a "local institution", the Poly Anna Cafe on Main Street. I'm not sure what had more character, the Formica topped table we sat at that literally had the pattern worn off it from God only knows how many years of plates and coffee cups being slid across it or the stream of customers who flowed in and out. The regulars had either blue denim bib overalls (yes, even the ones in their 60s and 70s) or starched denim jeans held up with a belt that was capped by a silver buckle the size of a salad plate. Plaid shirts were de rigueur. I was in khaki cargo shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with palm leaves and a big, orange bird of paradise on it (Why? That's my uniform, that's why. Plus the shirt was fresh from... ah.... um... the "laundry"). The most common thing folks said to us in Woodward was "Where you folks from?". Anyway, back to Polly Anna's and lunch. They had a little of everything on the menu. An assortment of "diner-ish" choices. That implied that the kitchen included all types of cooking equipment. Mrs. C' ordered the fried chicken with two sides peas and mashed potatoes) I ordered the chicken fried steak sandwich with the onion ring upgrade and a side of fried okra. I might dress like a Hawaiian, but I eat like a local. The mashed potatoes were from a box, the peas were in a Velveeta sauce. Ugh! However, every fried item was perfect. I would call the okra unquestionably the best I've ever had. So, the lesson is: When eating Oklahoma diner food, stick with the fried stuff and you won't be disappointed. Our lunch confirmed what we already knew. Or When you eat at a "local institution" you have a "local experience".

After lunch we hit the laundromat. Oh boy! We had another local experience. About 1/4 of the washers and 5 specific dryers had signs that read either "Greasers" or "Greasers Only" on them. That declaration almost got lost among the other signage that said, for example "No washing of horse or dog bedding... No exceptions!". We didn't use the "Greasers" washers for fear a John Travolta or Henry Winkler impersonator might come out of the back and start a rumble then pull out his comb to preen before defending his laundry equipment. However, when the first load was ready to dry we headed to the nearest dryer and got ready to load it up before a woman who works there came running over to stop us. "That dryer is for 'greasers'" she said. "Oh, we didn't realize that. What's a 'greaser'?" we asked. It turns out the largest industry in the Woodward, Oklahoma area is oil and gas exploration and production. We knew that intuitively based on the businesses we passed on the way into town that featured drilling equipment, drilling fluid tankers and such. We had also seen a large natural gas pipeline compression station yesterday as we left the panhandle and oil wells dropped randomly along our route. So, "greasers" are the machines for the oil field workers to use to wash their work clothes. It turns out that no amount of effort will keep the residue from those clothes staying in the laundry equipment and contaminating the next load. So we still needed to worry about Travolta... but the one from "Urban Cowboy" not "Grease".

After being thoroughly doused in Oklahoma culture we headed back to Fort Supply and the safety of our cocoon on wheels. Just a note about Fort Supply. I had to research this one because the name conjured such a wide range of possible derivations. For example, I have shopped at "Tractor Supply" from time to time. Perhaps "Fort Supply" shared a similar lineage. It turns out that's not it. In 1868 the country was tired of fighting but a whole bunch of military men were not. They found new excitement with the support of the Federal government in Washington in places like this. I am reminded of "Dances with Wolves" which was set in that time and a place not far from here. One of those men was General Phil Sheridan who was directed to engage the Indians of the Southern Plains. He needed a resupply post and it was located here. First "Camp Supply" (I'd shop there, for sure) then upgraded to "Fort Supply" served his command. At one point George Armstrong Custer operated from here in his ongoing mission to "educate" the native people. Presumably Fort Supply kept the soldiers supplied to food and materiel while keeping the natives in the area supplied with smallpox infested blankets and hot lead. The fort was decommissioned after about 30 years of use and was later reopened as a mental hospital (which may not have required much alteration given the inclinations of its prior inhabitants).

On Friday it will be 6 weeks since we left Florida and headed west. We are starting to experience road weariness. Photographically, I'm falling into a "post parkin' depression" since I have not had any hoodoos to photograph in weeks. Notice there are no pics in today's blog. Ok, I'll add one. Sunrise over Fort Supply Lake taken from the door of the Airstream this morning. 

We're starting to say things like "why did we think we needed to head south tomorrow to see Quartz Mountain, Oklahoma" and "do you think we could shave a day or three off the trip and not really have missed anything of significance?". As the old expression goes, when the horse smells the barn sometimes he starts to gallop. We'll keep you posted about how we deal with the growing desire to get back to the old homestead and get some sand back in our shoes.

Later,

SC'