Day
8 - Thursday 17th September 2015
Written by Kev
After a good
night’s sleep we get up at 7.30am and pack our suitcases. We
are leaving the Cedar Rock Inn today; it’s been a very
enjoyable stay.
Breakfast is fruit, pancakes, then scrambled eggs with sausage,
biscuit and candied bacon. Once again we are all stuffed.
We pack
everything into the back of the car. Even with the size of The
Beast this is a difficult exercise. Every inch of space has to be
utilised and I think I see The Beast wince a little as we force
the last few things in.
Matt drives to Susan’s house to pick her up for our long
journey to Beaver’s Bend State Park.
Our first stop of the morning is at a sports shop, as Deb wants
to buy a couple of Oklahoma University t-shirts for her
grandsons. I take the opportunity to purchase a long sleeved
Green Bay Packers shirt. I’ve followed The Packers for over
40 years, but never had a shirt before.
Back in the car we drive a couple of miles to Whole Foods to do
the bulk of the shopping. This doesn’t take too long, but
The Beast looks on in alarm as we push the loaded trolley towards
him. We just about squeeze everything in with the areas around
people’s feet being put to good use. The Beast mans up and
we set off on the 200-mile journey to Broken Bow, the nearest
town to Beaver’s Bend State Park.
The trip is uneventful apart from an incident where a lorry in front of us drives over the remains of a shredded tyre in the road and throws it up into our path. It hits The Beast with a heck of a thump. Later we discover a big, black mark covering the offside front wing and a dislodged sidelight. I’m not sure how much other damage has been done, but if we had been lower down in a small car it would have been very dangerous.
We arrive in
Broken Bow and go straight to our cabin, Tumble Down Lodge, which
is at the top of a dirt road. It’s a big place with 4
bedrooms and was primarily chosen because it has two master
bedrooms with en-suite. It’s in a pretty location and is not
overlooked by any other property.
After looking around and unpacking we realise that there are some
things that could be better. There is no phone (not a big issue
in this day and age, but still unusual), the outdoor chairs are
very basic (we thought they would be more comfortable), the
furniture in the living room has certainly seen better days and
the kitchen is lacking some bits and pieces.
Still, we won’t let these things bother us and get on with
the process of having a good time.
We jump back in
The Beast and drive the 10 miles or so to the Walmart in Broken
Bow to get even more stuff for our 4 night stay. Anyone would
think we are staying for a month with all the provisions we have.
We try to find a cocktail shaker with no luck, so a cheap jug
with a lid on it will have to suffice. We are nothing if not
resourceful.
The ladies declare that there are still a few bits and pieces
missing, so we nip next door to Pruett’s Foods to finally
finish off the shopping. The young lady behind the deli counter
is tickled pink by our accent and gets Tam to say ‘Have a
blessed day’ to her. What ever happened to a ‘have nice
day’, I don’t know. I guess ‘blessed’ is
better than ‘nice’?
Back to the
cabin where I have a shower and come down to snacks being
prepared by the ladies – chips, dips etc. I do my bit by
making margaritas all round. One thing that is missing is a
squeezer, so I do this by hand.
Tam has been trying to do a load of washing, but the machine
seems to keep sending it round in a cycle. Her washing has been
in for 2 hours. Deb reckons it’s because our washing is
particularly dirty and I ask if there are a number of settings on
the washing machine – light – medium – heavy
– Kev’s pants.
After a couple
of drinks we think about food. We are going to BBQ the steak we
bought in Hominy Wild Meats. The ladies prepare the
accompaniments – corn on the cob (to be cooked on the BBQ),
tomatoes with avocado, baked potatoes and lettuce.
Nobody wants to BBQ the meat, so I get the task. Our best guess
is 2 minutes per side. Maybe we should have used one minute as
it’s a little overdone, but at least it’s still edible.
Dessert is chocolate cake that Susan has brought from our night
in Jincy’s and this is lovely – gungy and chocolatey.
Plates are cleared off and Tam wants to light a fire outside,
much to the derision of Matt. There is a pit and a stack of
firewood and Tam and I manage to light it fairly easily, even in
the dark. It catches quickly as it is so dry and in no time there
is a nice blaze going. Deb is frightened of all things creepy
crawly, but declares she will give it a go around the fire.
It’s an
entirely pleasant experience. The crickets are creating their own
nighttime symphony and the sky overhead twinkles with hundreds of
stars.
We chat for a while before Deb and Matt create their own
nighttime symphony – stereo snoring. I’d like to say it
adds to the atmosphere, but that’s probably pushing it a bit
too far.
Not the greatest photo, but it gives some idea of the size of our fire.
Bed around 11.00pm.