Saturday, October 30, 2021

Cedar Lake Equestrian Campground - Heavener, Oklahoma

 


Finding the entrance to the campground was a bit of a challenge. I had read on-line that there was a signage getting you into the campground, but the only signage was right at the campground entrance.
To add to the confusion, there was a New Cedar Lake Road that wasn't even on the Google maps.
You take Holson Valley Road to Cedar Lake Road, then at the four way intersection, turn left, go about a quarter mile and the campground entrance is on the left.

We were delayed a day arriving as we had to wait to get our truck back. Seven thousand dollars later, we have our truck and were ready to get to this campground.


The horses had 10 ft by 10 ft pipe corrals.


The campsites were pretty nice with fire pits, BBQ, picnic table, and lantern holders.
The campground was HUGE - one of the biggest equestrian campgrounds we have been in.
A camp host greeted us as we drove in and provided us with trail maps and guidance.


We had a pull through site - which felt luxurious after all the back-in sites we have had.
Electric and water hook-up.

The trails were a bit rocky, but it was very pretty. We were in the Ouachita National Forest, the ancestral home of the Choctaw Nation.
My horse has been behaving himself on the trail.
It has been a relief to see him settling back down.


Ari took one morning to get a new hair cut. He got a buzz cut similar to Bruce Willis.


Before we left the campground, we took a short field trip to the Heavener Runestone. It's about 20 minutes from the campground.



The runes are carved in a stone face. There is plexiglass installed around the runes to protect them from vandalism. The runes were discovered in the early 1920's. Initially, they thought a Swedish immigrant had carved the symbol. They brought in an expert who determined that the symbols date back to a Scandinavian alphabet used between 800 and 1200 AD. 
The theory is that Vikings traveled from Norway all the way to Oklahoma and explored the area. There are two other runestone carvings in the area. 
They believe the symbols roughly translate to "Valley of Glome". They think they are meant to be a land claim by a Viking named Glome.

Regardless, it was really cool to see ancient symbols carved by a random Viking some 500 years before Columbus even landed in North America.


We stopped at the RV dump outside the campground on our way to the next destination.
















Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Devil's Den State Park - Winslow, Arkansas

 


You have to be paying attention getting into Devil's Den State Park. On the park website, they advise not to come in through Winslow. Instead come in through West Fork, Arkansas to avoid narrow windy roads that are not good for long trailers.
The website also says to check into the visitor center - BUT the visitor center parking lot is too small for trailers. Instead, go straight to the horse camp, unhook, and then drive back to the visitor center to check in.

We did stop at the RV dump which is located in the main campground. Plenty of space for large rigs.


No corrals provided, but they do have high lines you can tie your horses.


You are also allowed to set up your portable corrals or electric fences, so we set up our corrals.
We arrived on a Saturday. As we were driving in, we noticed loud squeaking from the rear of the truck. We suspected our truck suspension was going, so first thing Monday morning Ari took the truck into a repair shop in West Fork, about 15 minutes away.
Turned out the truck needed new suspension, new brakes, new struts, and a bunch more items...all told a little over five thousand dollars worth of work.
The repair shop had our truck until Thursday morning. This meant we had to spend an extra day. It was raining on and off Tuesday and Wednesday, so we spent those days hanging inside the trailer.
Being without a truck meant we were basically stranded at the campground. 
No Uber or Lyft in the area and DoorDash doesn't have any drivers in the area, either.
Luckily, I had gone grocery shopping on Sunday before Ari took the truck in, so we were pretty well stocked.
I will have to restock again when we get the truck back.


Mercy getting ready to go out on the trail.
We have water and electric hook-up.
There are public restrooms with indoor plumbing and a shower in each restroom.






We rode the Gorley King Trail (red trail) and the Vista Trail (blue diamond). The Gorley King trail was fairly easy, although it was a bit technical - some rocks, some water crossings, and some downed trees. The Vista Trail was challenging. There were steep sections, areas where downed trees meant we had to go off the trail to find a way around, eroded sections where we had to dismount and walk, and a lot of overgrown brush. The trails are marked with symbols nailed to the trees every quarter mile which was helpful.
The local Back Country Horsemen plan some major improvements for this park this winter and spring, so people should consider this place as a possible stop if they are in the area.








Sunday, October 24, 2021

Branson, MO - Day 4

 



Our last day spent playing tourist we went to Silver Dollar City  - or, as the locals call it "Steal Your Dollar City".
When you enter the park, you are confronted with a cave tour for Marvel Caverns. I remembered doing this tour with Isaiah on our first trip to Missouri, but Ari didn't remember it all.
The cave tour is definitely worthwhile. It takes about an hour and involves a lot of stairs and walking.




A couple of videos of the waterfalls inside the cave.


Tons of pumpkin decorations as we are in Halloween season. There was a demo on how to carve a pumpkin and a booth where you could order a foam pumpkin with a custom design. They were pricey, though.

We weren't that interested in the rides, although Ari did go on the Outlaw Run roller coaster and said it was the best ever.  
There was supposed to be a crafts fair with local artisans, but it was maybe a dozen kiosks and not that great. I have seen better at Farmers Markets.

One guy preached how Christians were under attack in this country - which annoyed me. White Christians are the ones in power in this country. They are not the victims. They are playing the injured party because their power is being threatened by minorities demanding equality. Demanding equal rights is not the same as "cancel culture" or taking away anybody's power. 
It's not a pie where if someone gets equality, it diminishes the next guy. Everybody benefits when everyone has an equal shot. We are short of workers and we are neglecting a great resource. If we put people in jobs instead of prisons, we would all benefit. 
Rising tides lift all boats.


One of the M Double O's boarders gave us some persimmon cookies. They are tasty. I have been having them for breakfast and as a small snack here and there. She says the persimmons in Missouri are about the size of a kumquat as opposed to the ones in California which are about the size of a grapefruit. 

California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri...eighteen states means thirty states to go. 
Heading into Arkansas...

So, while we were playing tourist in Branson, we stayed at the M Double O Ranch - that's MOO for those of you a little slow on the uptake.


The M Double O is about 20 minutes outside of Branson, so the location is perfect. Sheryl & Jeff are awesome hosts. Sheryl picked up six bales of hay for us so we could restock our stores. 
She also gave the horses their evening meal as we would pre-load their hay bags and leave them in front of their stalls.
We had water and electric hook-up. 


The horses had large 20' x 12' paddocks with cover, so they were in good accomodations.
Sheryl even took Ari out for a trail ride on their property and they had a fine time.



Sheryl arranged for Brian, her farrier, to come out and give our horses a trim. He also takes care of the horses that perform in Dolly Parton's Stampede.
He did an excellent job balancing their feet and taking care of our boys.
He said he could do horses like ours all day long as our horses basically take a nap during their manicure time.
The M Double O is listed on horsemotel.com, if you want a layover place near Branson with your horses.












Thursday, October 21, 2021

Branson, MO - Days 2 & 3

Our second day was a little low key. Ari went for a ride with our host, Sheryl and had a great time in the morning.

We had lunch at Guy Fieri's restaurant at Branson Landing. Once again, the food and service was outstanding. We are getting a bit spoiled. 

We spent a little time walking around Historical Downtown Branson mostly window shopping.


We did end up buying a quilt from a quilt shop.
Next up, was the Country Comedy Jamboree at the Grand Music Hall. 
We were in a really good mood walking into the theatre.
Unfortunately, we were so disappointed in the show we left during intermission.
The show was really dated. We were expecting a comedy stand-up show, but it was really more of a variety show, similar to the shows done in the 1960's. The jokes were stale, the wigs were ill-fitting and awful looking. A lot of the humor was just mean.
I was actually depressed after attending the show.

The next day, we decided to return to Top of the Rock and see the museum. We were worried we would be charged the $10 vehicle fee again, but we showed our receipt and they let us through. We showed the museum receipt and we were allowed into the museum, so we were happy that we were able to get the full value on the tickets we bought.
We had lunch at Arnie's Barn - the restaurant next to the museum. Once again, the food and service was excellent. I feel like we are on a roll.
The museum is extensive and well curated. It starts with fossils from the Ice Age and takes you through local history of the Ozarks area up through the Civil War.

Statue of a Crow warrior.

Pictures below are from different museum exhibits...


The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me.
The strength of the fire, the taste of the salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me.
And my heart soars.
-Chief Dan George

Children of the Middle Waters
The Osage
Long ago, before the French and Americans settled the prairies and woodlands that would later be known as Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, Wakondah (the creative force) sent the Sky People (Tzi-sho) to the Earth, to meet the Earth people (Hun-kah) to form  Ni-u-ko;n-ska, the Osage. Each village consisted of the Sky clan, the north side of the village, and the Earth clan, the south side of the village, following rules set forth by the elders, known as The Little Old Men.


What is life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is in the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself at sunset.

 - Chief Crowfoot


Blackfoot Man's War Shirt
A painted man's shirt with seed beaded, decorative panels and small weasel fur drp[s. The shirt is made with native tanned hide, sinew, and seed beads.
Great Plains war shirts are widely considered the ultimate example of Native American art. 

To create the war shirt, the warrior would fast in order to receive spiritual power and inspiration. He would then consult a highly skilled female beadworker to execute his specific design. For example, this shirt uses ermine fur and the ermine is considered ferocious and tenacious.
This shirt was probably created sometime around 1850.

"The idea of full dress in preparation for a battle comes not from a belief that it will add to the fighting ability. The preparation is for death, in case that should be the result of the conflict. 
Every Indian wants to look his best when he goes to meet the Great Spirit, so dressing up is done whether in imminent danger in an oncoming battle, or a sickness or injury in times of peace."
- Wooden Leg, Northern Cheyenne



This painting depicts Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer, meeting the indigenous people in the Missouri area. His group was the first Europeans to see the Mississippi River.  de Soto continued into Arkansas in search of gold. He contracted a fever and died May 21, 1542. Because the natives had been told that he was an immortal sun god, his men concealed his death. In the dark of night, they wrapped his body in blankets, weighted it down with sand, and buried him in the middle of the Mississippi River.




Geronimo, the Apache chief. This is an actual photograph taken before he rode with Theodor Roosevelt at the 1905 inauguration.


All beings are to be respected, for all have souls.
In truth, we depend on all the creatures in this world.
For in order to survive, we humans much consume plants and animals - life must be taken so that we may live.
It is only with this awareness that we learn humility and find balance. Our lives need to be in a circle, not in a square, nor a straight line.

- Black Elk


I had thought paintings like these were basically the imagination of the artist. This artist, Ed Copley, would only use Native Americans as models and he would consult with them so that everything in the painting was authentic.
He also would not allow other artists to see how he worked because he put so much time and research into each painting. 
These are two Cheyenne warriors from the northern part of Montana. 
The warrior on the left looks through a bundle of fresh cut arrow rods and selects the straightest rod, then hands that to the other warrior, who adds feathers on one end and inserts an arrowhead into the other end.
Once the arrowhead is in place, he ties and wraps it using sinew. After that, he applies hot glue from a glue pot to seal the sinew and make it waterproof.
An arrow maker would spend most of a day just to make a few arrows. The straighter the arrow, the better the chances it would find the target.


Photograph of Annie Oakley along with a story.
"I was eight years old when I made my first shot, and I'll still consider it one of my best shots I ever made. I saw a squirrel run down over the grass of the front house through the orchard and stop on the fence to get a hickory nut. I decided to shoot it and ran into the house to get a gun which was hanging on the wall and which I knew to be loaded. I was so little, I had to jump up on a chair and slide it down the mantel and then to the ground. I laid the gun on the railing of the front porch and then recalled that I had heard my brother say about shooting: 'It is a disgrace to shoot a squirrel anywhere but in the head because it spoils the meat to hit him elsewhere.' I took the remark literally and decided, in a flash, that I must hit that squirrel in the head or be disgraced. It was a wonderful shot, right through the head from side to side. My mother was so frightened when she learned that I had taken down a loaded gun and shot it that I was forbidden to touch it again for eight months."

Wild Bill Hickock, Deadwood, South Dakota, 1876
"Union Army officer, army scout, lightning fast gunfighter, feared lawman, stage coach driver...gambler, actor, marksman, buffalo hunter, showman, gold miner...toughest man west...or any place east...even his dog chews tobacco, drinks whiskey, and gets drunk!"

As you can see, we enjoyed our visit to the museum. I enjoyed collecting more stories and learning more history. We easily spent a couple of hours viewing the exhibits.










 















Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Branson, MO - Day One

 Well, our first day playing tourist in Branson was wildly successful. In the morning, Ari did a short ride off the property where we are staying and helped a young rider learn how to do a gait with her Missouri Fox Trotter (see previous post). Then shortly before lunch, we headed into town.



Our first stop was Branson Landing - a river front shopping district. We ate lunch at the Fish House on the water.
We were seated right by the water so we could watch the sea birds. It was a wonderful lunch with great service.


This couple were fishing right outside the restaurant on a very nice boat. I loved that they had put a life vest on their little dog. Should they have been wearing life vests as well, though? 
There was a free shuttle in the parking lot outside the restaurant and the driver picked us up and drove us to the end of the parking lot. I asked the driver for recommendations for things to do in the area and she recommended the Lost Canyon Cave Tour.

There is a fountain show at Branson Landing similar to the one in Las Vegas on the strip. It is pretty wonderful. Click on the link to see a portion of the show.


There is a Magic Mushroom pizza place on the Landing. There are several restaurants. Too bad I only have one stomach as there are so many places to eat.


We headed to the Top of the Rock/Cedar Lodge resort to do the Lost Canyon Cave tour. It is $10 per vehicle just to get into the property. We kind of balked at that, but it is totally worth it.

There are some cool statues on the property.

You spend around $20 per person for the tour. It includes the golf cart tour of the preserve and entrance into the museum. The museum takes a couple of hours to get through and we didn't have time for the museum, but one of the staff told us we can come back tomorrow to do the museum, so we will probably do that. 
Ari says this golf tour is one of the highlights of the ENTIRE trip, so you know it is pretty amazing.

This is a bridge constructed by the local Amish - built entirely without the use of power tools. You ride the golf cart through a preserve with waterfalls and beautiful scenery. 


The highlight of the tour is driving through a cave.

As you drive into the cave, you see the Bat Bar - where you can order drinks. Ari ordered a Strawberry Lemonade with vodka. I ordered a virgin Strawberry Lemonade. The drinks were good and it was definitely unique.

Inside the cave was a small pool and waterfall. It was beautiful and intense.


I lost count on the number of waterfalls we saw, but it was lovely.

There are several vista areas along the trail where you can park the golf cart and then walk out to admire the view.

Next on the day's agenda was the Dolly Parton Stampede dinner show. Sadly, Dolly Parton is not in the show and none of her songs are featured. I am guessing she is an investor and that is the whole of her participation in the show.

The seating is like most dinner shows, where you sit facing a central stage with a small table top in front of you for your food. They added plastic partitions between each family group to help with COVID.

The show featured some horse trick riding, some magic, and a couple of dance numbers.
Click on the link to see a small portion of the show.

We didn't think the show was as good as Medora - the Musical show we saw back in North Dakota. But the food was excellent and our server was really wonderful. We had been told by some locals that the servers at these shows rely heavily on tips. Our server, Dave, told us he gets paid $4 an hour, so tips are definitely important. Ari and I cleaned out both our wallets to give him a decent tip. 
Now, we will have to hit the bank sometime tomorrow in order to replenish our cash for the next show.


There is something distinctly southern about drinking sweet tea from mason jars while watching a western show.