We obligated our time to participate on our second A Year 2 Volunteer project in Oklahoma while we were at the Wisconsin project. So off the Route 66 adventure we went on our way southwest. We drove to Fayetteville, Arkansas to a Harvest Host location – Arkansas Air & Military Museum – for one night on our way. We parked, did a quick leveling & bumped out the sides of the RV in short order. Then we took a tour of the very nicely done museum.
Another museum not too far away had closed permanently in early 2020 & it’s displays & artifacts were absorbed into this one. The curator was working on a couple displays while we were there & was excited about her job. The museum was originally all about planes – thus the location at a small airport. The absorbed artifacts consist of loads of military things from WWI & on. An enthusiastic leader (the curator) will make this place awesome in no time! Here’s some pictures …
And the planes! So well restored & displayed! We loved everything about this place!
The following morning we woke to views of planes taking off & landing gracefully on the airfield.
And off we went to yet another location on our way to the new project … this one in Oklahoma.
I do like to plan our movements as much as possible. Most of our stays are arranged weeks in advance but sometimes we need to make use of one day stays at Harvest Host locations where requests can be made only a day or two in advance. This location was at a Military base that does not take reservations but was a convenient stop for a single day/night. It’s a first come, first serve campground but the person I spoke to on the phone said the campground was never fully utilized so he felt we would get a spot when we showed up on Saturday. And he was right. It was easy to find & navigate into the base. The sites were full hook-ups & we only paid $10.50 (dropped a registration envelope into the designated receptacle). The base & campground were freshly mowed & trash free which gave us the initial impression it was well cared for. However, it was poorly maintained behind closed doors. The shower building & toilet buildings were covered in bugs & webs inside & out. The trash receptacles were full to overflowing & dead bugs covered the fixtures & floors. It was awful – seriously the worst military facility we have ever stayed at. With only three RVs in the campground, this made no sense. It’s a good thing our RV is self contained so we avoided those building after our first look-see.
There were a couple other buildings in the campground that must have been used for gatherings at one point & the exteriors (with the exception of the bugs & webs) were really neat – so someone cared about this place in the past.
There was even a tornado shelter next to our site – that’s a good thing, right?
Just a little way from the campground was what looked like a nice pond with some pedestal displays. But, again, it had been neglected in a big way with heavy algae in the pond & mildew so thick on the pedestal displays one could not see the written materials. There was a nice monument nearby honoring those who had served on the base – it was directly in the sun which was probably why it avoided the mildew buildup.
We drove around the base to see what it was all about. Not many vehicles or people were there on a Saturday but the deer were in abundance. And we got a great shot of a MOAB. Loved that!
We did have a nice, quiet night in this park before we set off to our volunteer project the following day.
We use RV Trip Wizard to plan our stays which also plots our driving route given the size & specifics about our rig. We can’t go down roads that have low bridges or tight turns & RV Trip Wizard keeps us from those areas. Unfortunately, the routing doesn’t equate to what Google GPS says which is what is available in my car – leading the way. So we have to compare programs before we hit the road to make sure we are going to be safe. This trip was WAY off so I had to write down the roads & turns from RV Trip Wizard & use that as I drove the car ahead of the RV. All was good until the very end & the directions to the Healdton RV Park were terribly confusing. A little guessing worked out in the end & we made it without incident.
The park we were to help at belongs to the small city of Healdton, Oklahoma just across the state line north of Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. It was a pretty park & had good bones but not the budget or man-hours to keep it up. A Year 2 Volunteer organizers found out about it so it was put on the schedule & about 11 couples showed up in their RVs to lend a hand. Our mission was to revamp one of the bathhouses, clean up the large pavilion & build a hiking trail. Other improvements were tagged on after we arrived as needs became evident. We got our rig settled into a brand new site with full hook-ups. It was one of several campsites that were recently added so the parking pad made of gravel was way off level & the mud from the utilities installation was abundant. No problem … boards were added under the tires to level the RV & we had the door facing away from the muddy area.
On our first day of work, Perry headed out with the trail group to get that project going – a 1.5 – 2 mile hiking trail that was WAY overgrown/washed away by serious flooding in the past. I stayed in the main part of the park & helped with some pressure washing – the pavilion & a couple green concrete picnic benches that turned a light gray once washed. It’s amazing what a pressure washer can do! Others worked on restoring a volleyball court & horseshoe pit. The improvements would enhance the offerings of the park along with a new disk golf course the crew began to install later in the week- but could not complete by the time we departed due to a supply order snafu, unfortunately. The bathhouse was completely stripped of fixtures & pressure washed. Over the 10 day project, the crew painted it inside & out & installed new fixtures, including two hot water heaters. It was done in the nick of time before the group was scheduled to leave.
Another volunteer (Terri) & I had painted signs at the last project & we wanted to do the same – sort of the icing on the cake – at Healdton. But the organizers said they didn’t want that as part of the project this time. The next day, it was back on … then off … then on but different. Confusing & a tad frustrating. But it was their call so we went with the flow.
That evening Perry & I drove over to Ardmore, a larger city nearby, for dinner & groceries. I thought the name of the restaurant was cute – it was called Two Frogs. I’m not sure what the logo meant as frog was not on the menu but it was cute, all the same.
During the night, Spice had a serious stomach ailment, meaning she got me up at least 8 times to go out. Poor baby. The issue continued through the day with me staying at the RV to let her in & out frequently. Perry did go to the trails to work more – started at 8am & came back for lunch at 11:30. It was HOT & he was soaked with perspiration – another shirt, a couple sandwiches & a fresh tumbler of water & he was back at it again.
Perry & I did escape to a small town nearby (Ringling) for dinner that evening & enjoyed some mouthwatering BBQ at a place called MudCreek BBQ. Think TINY little hole in the wall place. But it served some really good food!
Spice seemed to feel better during the night so I returned to work on signs the next day & Perry hit the trails again. But, by bedtime, Spice was back to her “crappy” self – ALL NIGHT LONG. I stayed with her all of the next day & she seemed to be stabilized by late afternoon.
We went into town for a dinner the community put together for our group as a token of appreciation. Good BBQ, potato salad & peach cobbler.
We stopped at the grocery (Dilbert’s) in the little town of Healdton on our way back to the park. I do believe all the Y2V volunteers did the same & our business was probably really good for the small town’s economy. The citizens were so warm & friendly it made our hearts feel good to help them with their park.
Unfortunately, Spice had another episode of tummy issues while we were out & it continued for yet another night. The first time I let Spice out, a large brown dog was sniffing at her through the fence. I yelled at it & it left. The next time she went out a small black & white dog was nearby & then a large jet black dog charged at the fence. Scared us both! I reported these encounters to the group organizer who passed the word to the city people. The next evening, animal control was out to pick up the strays. I don’t think they got them all but during later “capture” attempts they picked up a total of five strays.
I stayed with Spice at the RV all of Thursday & Friday. Perry worked the trails one day & then helped prepare areas for Disk Golf the next. He was hot & soaked with sweat when he got in each day. The temp was staying in the high 90s all of our first week – YIKES! Oh, & there was poison ivy on the trails. Perry got it on his arm & side but my Muscle Balm ointment stopped the spread to other areas.
Spice was feeling better & had a good night Friday night but I wasn’t about to leave her home on Saturday so she & Sugar got to ride with us as we went site seeing. (Saturday’s & Sunday’s are mandatory “off” days so no one gets burnt out.) We stopped in the city of Duncan to find a wall mural listed on our Roadside America app we love to refer to on our travels. The info on the app said the building below was an old hotel & Elvis Presley actually wrote the song “Heartbreak Hotel” while staying there. It was a cool mural …
We also found a statue of one of the oil industry leaders at Duncan’s Memorial Park. Have I mentioned I love statues?
We drove on over to Fort Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma to visit Geranimo’s grave as we had done when we stayed at the base FamCamp back in the Spring. The dogs didn’t like walking in the cemetery very much as it was full of burrs! That took some work to get out those painful things!
A couple of the graves had these interesting crosses at the headstones. They were not there when we visited before so maybe there was a special ceremony at some point over the Summer?
We moved on over to the Medicine Bluffs location on the base. It was a beautiful sunny day with just a few puffy clouds. And we looked up to see “Stairways to Heaven” going up into the clouds – an unusual site at mid-day! I hope those warriors that jumped to their deaths those many years ago have peace & eternal life.
On our way back to Healdton, we picked up a few groceries. Here’s a picture of some cool boots with spurs a cowboy was wearing while in line. Dressed for work!
We stopped at the park entrance so I could get a picture of the park sign & a carved fish sculpture nearby. I do believe the sign at the base of the fish was missing the right half. But the carved tree trunk was awesome!
On Sunday, the Y2V crew had a potluck dinner under the freshly painted pavilion. I made a big pan of my baked beans – no straight out of the can for me – I “doctored” it up with all sorts of stuff like fresh mushrooms & bacon! Good food & good conversation. Although the warm vibes we felt at our last Y2V project were not as strong, we still felt the effort put forth in getting this local campground back in top shape was worth the effort. So we soldiered on …
On Monday, the temperature was predicted to be 100 degree by the afternoon so the leaders decided we’d get to work at 7am & knock off at noon before the heat got fully charged. For two retired folks that like to putter slowly until 9am, the “start” time was cause for great effort. But we were out there & participating with all the other volunteers before the sun came up. Perry returned to the trails to work some more on clearing brush & briars while I got to work on painting signs. The park has two boat ramps, fishing pier, camping spots, a dump station, a pavilion, volleyball court, horseshoe area, a bathhouse, trails & a primitive camping area. And the team began the installation of a frizby golf course, as well. (Not all materials arrived before our eventual departure so the city folks would have to complete the project later.) I worked alongside two other volunteers (Terri & Sherry) in making signs & they turned out great. We also made No Swimming signs – best not to ask why. Terri had a solid plan for all the signs needed & I was most happy to just follow her lead. She was apparently convincing with her plans to the organizers who initially squelched our idea on Day #1 – good for her! We stopped work at noon because it was getting a bit warm & also because the wind was picking up – a storm was a brewing! No rain, just wind as a “cold front” arrived to drop the temperature down to a refreshing 98 degrees.
I took a picture of one of the volunteers (Dave) who managed a tractor expertly. He was one of our favorites. He smoothed out the deep sand in the newly revamped volleyball court which took some serious skill & time. Then he moved on to other projects needing a backhoe.
And then there was Kristi on top of the newly renovated bathhouse painting the tin roof. She finished the job by noon or she would have baked up there!
The group went over to the Masonic Lodge for a fish fry dinner that evening, put on by the city. Such lovely, appreciative people in Healdton!
On Tuesday we didn’t report to work until 8am. The wind was strong so I brought signs into our rig to paint while Terri worked more on stenciling them. That worked well … until the organizers had a change of direction (again) & nixed any additional sign making. The sign project was on & off several times during the project duration which was most frustrating.
Out on the trails, the team was to put out mulch – tons of mulch on the new trails. This snake greeted the group one morning when they opened the tailgate of the trailer. YIKES! So the group needed to watch closely for snakes & poison ivy. Several people got it so I sent small bottles of ointment to help out a few.
I took this picture of just one of the many sunsets – Oklahoma is beautiful!
The city sign below was one of my favorites!
On Friday, the high school had a parade for Homecoming & most of the Y2V group went to town to cheer them on. We LOVE any & all opportunities to celebrate young people!
After the signs were painted, Perry, Mike & Dave got them mounted to poles & installed for us. Here they are having long discussions on just how they would accomplish the task.
The Chamber of Commerce provided a special BBQ dinner for our group under the freshly done pavilion on Friday night. The appreciation from the citizens of the community was heartwarming. One woman had even shown up at one of our 8am meeting with a big pan of homemade cookies & a sweet card expressing her thanks. It gave us all the feels!
As we were leaving the park on Saturday morning, each of us going in different directions, the sign below was set out for all of us to see. Incredible community! So glad we were able to be a part of the project!
We headed a little south & then west in Texas for a two night stay at a retired Army base before we got on with our travels into & across Arkansas.
The next morning we got up & out for a day of site seeing since we would only be at this location for a day & two nights. The old base was just outside Texarkana which pretty much straddled the state line. Lots to see there on a Sunday without traffic!
Then there were the awesome wall murals!
The below statue was of James Bowie – a Texas hero who died defending The Alamo. He was also the creator of the well known Bowie knife.
I took the picture of the cannon, displayed at the old Army base entrance, just because it was cool. I mentioned several times this base was closed. It was once a thriving supply base but is now operated by civil servants. We aren’t clear as to the current mission there but found a LOT (thousands) of Army vehicles used in the Middle East conflicts were stored there. Some will be used as parts while others will be revamped for future military use. It was a virtual graveyard for Jeep’s, trucks, med-vans, tanks, & so much more. An amazing site everywhere we looked!
And finally, we spotted the alligator sign as we were leaving for our next stop. No wonder no one was swimming there! Off we went to Little Rock, Arkansas!
Not All Who Wander Are Lost! #whereswaldocamping