Spring break! Oh what a trip. It was such a trip it’s going to take me a few posts to get through it all. We traveled through Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas on the longest trip we’ve taken in our own rig, Patty (our first trip in a rented trailer was the furthest). I hope you’ll read along about our 9-day, 1700+ mile search for paradise.

Day 1 – 09 March 2019; Kansas City to Oklahoma City

We set out for Oklahoma City early on a cold, rainy Kansas morning. Our trip was uneventful. Just some interstate driving in alternating rain and it looks like it’s going to rain coupled with some huge crosswinds. We arrived to Roadrunner RV Park mid-afternoon. We spent a nice evening catching up with relatives and letting the second cousins wear each other out.

Day 2 – 10 March 2019; Oklahoma City to Chickasaw National Recreation Area

The cold chased us in Oklahoma. The wind was unrelenting as we stepped out of the truck at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

“The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us…” -Billy Graham

The Oklahoma City bombing occurred when I was 11 and it was difficult for me to comprehend as it unfolded on live TV. Trying to explain politics, domestic terror, and the significance of such a large loss of life in an event that occurred 24 years ago to a 7 and a 9 year old proved a bit difficult.

Jr Rangering in 40 degrees and 15-20 mph wind. Despite our trouble explaining how or why someone would do this, the memorial beautifully honors the victims, survivors, and responders affected by this event. It was a good reminder that we can come together as a country and overcome anything. I wish we could figure out how to do that without tragedy.

I really appreciate the National Park Service units that don’t shy away from the uncomfortable topics. This one, Brown v. Board of Education, George Washington Carver, and more units have enabled some good discussions with the kids about some of the less glamorous parts of our history that we can’t forget so we don’t repeat them. Hopefully these lessons will stick with them for many years.

Day 2 Continued – Packing up at OKC and heading to Chickasaw

Back at the RV park, we finished packing up Patty and got moving. We arrived to Chickasaw National Recreation Area right a lunch time, but too early to check-in to our campsite, so we found the Travertine Creek picnic area just inside the park and grabbed a quick lunch.

We drove to the Travertine Nature Center to grab our Jr Ranger books (beware at the time of writing, there is a duplicate on Google Maps that Google won’t move based on my suggested edits. Use this location). Whoever designed that building, wow.

After grabbing our books it was time to head over to our campsite at The Point Campground, which is inside of Chickasaw NRA. We retreated from the rain and did some Junior Ranger book in the camper. In the late afternoon, the rain subsided and we took advantage to explore. We drove around for a few hours. The daylight dwindled and the rain came back, so we headed back to Patty for dinner and a good night’s rest.

Day 3 – 11 March 2019; Chickasaw National Recreation Area

In the morning, we hitched up and headed over to the nature center to get the kids’ badges.

We had planned on 2 nights at Chickasaw, but more rain in the forecast for 11 March. Instead of dodging rain and bundling up, we changed our plans to keep pushing south towards what we hoped would be Spring Break weather (a bit of foreshadowing…). It’s a shame. We were looking forward to really exploring and enjoying more of Chickasaw on our bikes, on the trails, and hanging around the campfire. I guess we’ll just have to come back, rats!

This is where we’re going to leave you. Please keep reading for our next week’s post. We’ll leave Chickasaw NRA and head to Austin, TX.

-See you out there,

Part-Time Paradise