It was very windy again yesterday and it made the flagpoles bang all night. With the rocking camper and clanking halyards it felt like we were on a boat and we slept very well.
When we were young and rushed to drive long distances, I often drove two short shifts a day. After we lowered our daily mileage and stayed on back roads, Dean preferred to drive and I amused myself taking photos, crocheting and doing beadwork.
I was waiting for the perfect conditions to drive the truck: no rain or snow, little wind, little traffic, and a road with wide shoulders. When that didn’t happen after weeks on the road, I decided it was time for me to get behind the wheel.
We partly chose our RAM2500 because I could adjust the seat and mirrors to see well which was not the case in other trucks. So we programmed the driver seat to fit me and off I went on a two lane road with narrow shoulders, high winds, and oncoming oversized loads. I even drove through a small city that required negotiating in some traffic. After two hours, my limit of focus in any vehicle, I pulled into a parking place at a gas station for a pit stop and driver change.
Our route was US 64 east from Guyman followed by a short stint on US 81 to US 60 which roughly paralleled the Salt Fork Arkansas River until the river turned southeast. Rest stops along the way were a picnic table and trash can under an oak tree. Apparently finding the cemetery was important enough for most towns to put up a sign and the only place to shop was often a dollar store.
Our destination for the night was Osage Hills State Park. The park was filled with steep sided flat topped hills covered with dwarf post oak and black oak trees that were dropping tiny acorns. There was just enough rainfall there to sustain the trees in the thin sand layer atop sandstone hills. The tent loop of the campground had the best level sites, many widely spaced and others close together. The campground had drinking water and bathrooms with showers that were also full of lady bugs and daddy long legs.
Today’s Lesson: Our truck is pretty easy to drive but requires a lot of concentration on smaller roads.
