A windy day here in Oklahoma....

Our Location: Walmart, Weatherford, Oklahoma

Hello again from our favourite overnight spots, a front yard belonging to Sam Walton, also known as Walmart. ~laugh~ The time change last night helped us to arrive here early than we expected since we were up and at ‘em earlier than we would normally be. I’m sure you were all in the same boat as us. Up early according to the clock.

Picnic area at the Oklahoma Welcome Center

The overnight temps in Checotah stayed in the upper 60’s all night and we slept with windows as well as the vents open. It was a bit warm to start the night but by morning it was starting to get cool enough to need a blanket. So I can tell you that it was a fantastic temp wise. I found the place a bit noisy and of course very bright with the windows open and the blinds up to let in the breeze. Yes, yes I know, we could have closed the blinds but we find they block the breeze and make the Igloo stifling in short order. We have used our AC once and don’t usually use it. We didn’t use it that much in our sticks ’n bricks either. We prefer the natural temps unless they are extremely hot and sticky. 

Vast flat lands here in mid western Oklahoma.

We were the only RV sleep overs in the Checotah lot last night. A couple of trucks but no other travellers. I found that to be a bit odd but I’m not complaining. It gave us the whole side of the lot without generators running all night, but there was the sound of a big diesel all night as the trucker in the next lane seemed to find it necessary. Lucky he was some distance ahead of us or it would have made for a very loud night.

Amazing sky!

We woke to sunny skies and warm temps. The sky is very deceiving out here, what appears to be blue sky is in fact not always blue, but  is high wispy white clouds that seem to fade into the blue of the sky. You can’t see any definition of where each one starts or stops. The sky is vast out here, or appears to be to me anyway. It’s hard to describe the ‘bigness’ of it.

No this isn't in Canada, it's just outside Oklahoma City. 

Pheobe our RV GPS did her usual cranky morning thing and took us along some back roads before letting us get back onto the Interstate. We took US Rte 266 from Checotah to Henryetta, while a nice drive the road was pretty narrow in some places with little or no shoulder, lots of bumps, humps and uneven lanes but we made it anyway. She passed right by 2 on ramps to the interstate and I didn’t see them until it was too late to get on them. I have no idea why she does that other than she’s having a bad day. ~laugh~ 

Coming into Oklahoma City.

After getting onto the interstate we hustled along looking for a rest stop but none were open. So far the only one we’ve seen open was the welcome center. Someone told me once that they are closing the rest stops in hopes the people will travel into the small towns and spend some money instead of using the rest stops where only the vending companies make money. 

Riley liked his parking job!!

We passed thru Oklahoma City around 10:30 am or so. It’s a big city, but much more spread out than our Canadian cities I think. We had light traffic and some complaints from HRH in the back seat due to rough roads, she let us know she wasn’t impressed, not even a little bit. ~laugh~  An interesting sky line with only a few tall buildings, a water park literally right beside the interstate. If you flew off the water slide you could catch a ride on a passing vehicle. ~laugh~ I would imagine it doesn’t smell very nice in the summer 

heat!!

Me and the white Buffalo. I had to hang on it was so windy!!!!

After realizing we weren’t going to find any rest areas open we stopped at the Cherokee exit. Leaving HRH in the Igloo to do some of her business (no we don’t leave her in the truck if we are going to be more than 10 minutes), Riley and I walked around for a bit finding a painted buffalo, a white buffalo and some real buffalo. Although the real ones were pretty skinny looking. A mural depicting the history of the Cherokee people was pretty impressive, a statue of a Cherokee chief, complete with headdress riding a horse, a couple of totem poles and a trading post, as well as a gas bar and restaurant, plus a KOA camp ground finished off the amenities in that one little spot. We however didn’t buy a thing, not even fuel. So the ‘spend money’ idea didn’t work on us. ~laugh~ 

North Canadian River

We debated about going on to a campground in Amarillo, TX but decided we’d stick with our original plan and stop early in Weatherford, Oklahoma. This will be our last day on the road for a few days and so we figured we’ll hit Amarillo around noon tomorrow with plenty of time to find our campground, set up and enjoy ourselves before the day gets too old. We want to have some repairs tended too while there as I’ve read some good reviews for an RV repair shop in the area. 

Somewhere Oklahoma. Along I-40.

After deciding it better to stay in Weatherford tonight we quickly found Sam’s front yard again for the night. Windy here but nice, much cooler than this morning though. The temps have dropped about 10 degrees over the course of the day. We now need a light sweater or jacket when outside. After we had a big lunch and settled in to do our own thing for a while, I managed to get all of the photo’s I wanted to use for the two posts, (yesterday and today) edited and ready to go. After I post them Riley and I are off to walk around the store and see what catches our fancy and just get some exercise.

Along US RTE 266 between Checotah and Henryetta, Oklahoma

A quick note, we travelled approx 200 miles today, took us about 41/2 hours with only one stop. A good day’s drive with lightish traffic and lots of wind. Mostly from the right front corner which when added to the drag from big trucks seemed to make us almost stand still at times. Fuel consumption was about the same as yesterday so I have no complaints. 

Some very skinny live buffalo. 

Thanks for following along, and I know you don’t believe me but this isn’t the Walmart Trail. ~laugh~ We just find it convenient for overnight stops, we feel safe in the lots, we drop a little money in each one, and leave it as we found it.

On that note, I will sign off. Have a great night. Until next time…be safe, take care….