Oklahoma - Day 8 - 11 - Tulsa KOA

Tulsa NE/Will Rogers Downs KOA, Claremore

Saturday, 8 through Tuesday, 11 August 2020

It wasn’t my original plan, but I ended up spending 4 full days here.  Most of the time was spent trying to catch up my blog.  When I drive all day, I just don’t have the energy – either physical or mental – to make coherent sentences about what I did and saw that day.  And what I just did was drive for 5 days straight, meaning I had 5 days to catch up on.

I also spent some time figuring out where I was going to go next.  There’s still so much of the state to see, and it’s not easy figuring out what to include and what’ll have to get left out.   All that’s compounded by lots of places being closed because of the virus, so I have to look everything up and can’t take anything for granted.

I was lucky and found that Claremore not only has a recycling center, it’s one that takes glass!  My bathroom was gradually being engulfed with recyclables so I was pretty happy with that news.  So Monday I left the campground to go first to the recycling place (staffed by two very overweight guys – one cheerful and the other grumpy), then to a laundromat, and a quick stop back at the grocery store before heading back to the campground.  That laundromat turned out to be a good find, because it had staff who were helpful and very modern and efficient machines – a little overpriced, but they were clean and worked well.

I ended up giving myself another sponge bath, rather than using the campground’s bathhouse.  With so many people not being careful about this virus, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  So my water was only as warm as it got in my sun-baked water hose.  But it was so incredibly hot outside I didn’t even mind a cold shampoo in the sink and cold water to wash my body.  Nice to have clean clothes and clean me again.  I sure will be happy when this virus is under control, though that goal seems to be continually receding into the future sometimes.

And it has been hot here.  We’ve had a heat advisory for all 4 of the days I was here, with the heat index above 105° daily.

I heard that Missouri is second only to Oklahoma in the number of new positive tests for the virus in the last 2 weeks.  Interestingly, I heard that on national news - the local news didn't mention it.

This KOA is sandwiched between the Cherokee Casino and the Will Rogers Downs, a horseracing track.  Horses exercised on the track most mornings, making both dogs pretty excited.  I had to time our walks carefully. 

My campsite is right next to the parking lot for the casino, which is extremely well lighted.  In fact, those lights light up the entire campground, which doesn't even bother to have any lights of its own.  Which means my RV is also lit up during the night - inside as well as out.  It wasn't so much of a problem for me because I went to sleep before sunset and didn't notice the transition, but when I got up I found so much light in the cabin it must have bothered the dogs.  So I strung up a towel to block the only non-curtained window - the one in the door.  Since that side faced west, it turned out to be useful during the daytime, too.

blocking nighttime light

blocking mid-day sun

I deliberately chose as isolated a campsite as I could, but it turned out not to be isolated enough.  My nearest neighbor had 4 dogs, which he tended to walk at about the same times I walked my dogs.  Once I got that figured out, I varied my times enough to accommodate him and we never had to clash.  He was in a large Class A motorhome with graphics completely covering it - top to bottom, front to back, even covering the windows and door - that promoted the Honor Network.  I think I've run across this before but can't remember what I thought it was.  

According to the graphics on this guy's RV, I figured it was some sort of military organization, because military guys were in every photo splashed around this thing.  But that's not what their website says.  It doesn't even mention the military but instead says they "encourage you to be the GOOD in your neighborhood."  They want you to perform random acts of kindness.  Nothing wrong with that, of course.  It was started by someone who was appalled by the Las Vegas shooting and set out to perform random acts of kindness in the hometowns of each of the 58 victims.  Laudable, but the website said he's the father of 3 yet doesn't say what he did with his kids while he was traveling around.  Oh well.  

I'm all in favor of random acts of kindness, having been on both ends of that transaction.  For the rest of my life I'll remember an old man coming up to me in the grocery store and thanking me for smiling at him.  I didn't even remember doing it, to be honest, I just smile at people because I'd heard it might cheer someone up, and boy it sure did in this case.  He said he couldn't remember how long it had been since a random stranger had smiled at him and it really brightened his day.  You just never know.

Before I first left home, I found a list of foods and/or eateries that are supposed to embody the culture or character of each state.  In Oklahoma, top of that list would be chicken-fried steak which is, after all a key part of the Official State Meal.  And apparently the best place in the state to get one is Big J's in Idabel.  I only discovered this this weekend and at first was considering doubling back down south to try one.  But I learned online that Big J's is temporarily closed - that stupid virus has a lot to answer for.