Beechcraft and Cessna!

 Durant, Oklahoma, and the Choctaw Casino Resort, were extraordinarily nice, and very much appreciated, but it’s time to move on. Three hundred miles north on Interstate 35 we have found ourselves in Wichita, Kansas. We’re staying at an rv park named Air Capital RV a mile or so off of I35. I wondered about the name, and soon discovered why.

Our route today took us across Lake Texoma and then on to the infamous cities of Norman and Moore, Oklahoma (no signs of tornadoes, thank you very much), and on into Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City was a breeze to navigate through.

Oke City is understandably a large, busy city, but I’ve got to say it was cake to drive through. Nice!

Just inside the Kansas border, I 35 becomes a toll road, the Kansas Turnpike. Immediately, the road conditions improved immensely, and we were happy to pay the toll. On our last trip through here, toll booths slowed traffic at entrances and exit. That has been automated now, and camera systems track road usage. No muss, no fuss!

Our site at Air Capital RV is a nice end site with a patch of grass for Sasha. We plan to stay for a day or two so we can find out more about the aircraft manufacturers Beechcraft and Cessna, who have a large presence in the area. Wichita was the location of a huge aircraft manufacturers during World War Two, and the flying fascination has been held over. We’ll see.

Sadly, The Stars Didn’t Align

 Our last day in Durant was a mixed bag for a number of reasons. We got up to warm, humid weather, with a clear sky and 15 mph wind. Not insufferable, but not pleasant either. Dew point of 74 degrees. We set up the emergency generator start so that the air conditioners would keep Sasha cool if the power went off, and took refuge in the Choctaw Resort Casino.

The resort is a huge. There are seven casinos in the Choctaw Nation, but the original location in Durant has 218,844 sq ft of gaming floor, over 7,600 slot machines, and 1,616 hotel rooms. The resort has three casinos and three hotels within the complex. The South Casino was completed in 2006 with 108,844 sq ft of floor space, and the North Casino was completed in 2010 with 110,000 sq ft more floor space. Choctaw Inn has 101 hotel rooms, the Grand Tower has 204,000 sq ft of floor space, 330 rooms and suites, and is 12 floors tall. The Spa Tower was opened in 2015 as another expansion for the resort adding 286 rooms and suites. The latest Sky Tower adds 1,000 hotel rooms and suites to the property and is part of the latest expansion opened in 2021. The $860 million resort is the flagship of the Choctaw Nation gaming enterprise.

Our interest was in the South Tower, where the non smoking gaming is located. We were surprised that the casino wasn’t packed with people on a Saturday, but it wasn’t, and we were able to wander comfortably, looking for the perfect, smiling, and welcoming slot machine! I can only say that I contributed all of my resources to funding Choctaw business interests, while Donna nearly doubled her money at one point, but walked out with exactly the same amount as when she went in! We’ll count that as a win!

We were able to enjoy a few hours of cool air and bright lights, along with a nice chicken dinner. I wish I could say “winner, winner” but it’s only “winner.” That the way it goes….

The clouds began to build and we soon got some rain. The wind has been gusting to 50 mph this afternoon, so we were forced to stay inside the trailer this evening.

Weather radar shows a line of storms tickling us most of the night.

We will leave Durant in the morning, Lord willing, with a memory of last nights sunset.

This has been a good stop!

Smokin’ Joes!

 There are many restaurants in the Choctaw Resort in Durant, and we may try them, but today’s destination was Smokin’ Joes Rib Ranch in Davis, Oklahoma! We’d been hankering after this place for years, but just couldn’t make it happen!

Davis is about an hour and a half drive from our location, 80-odd miles, so we saddled up and took a  backcountry road so we could enjoy Oklahoma. US 70 got us to 77 and we paralled Interstate 35, through Marietta, Ardmore, and Turners Falls. Generally quiet, wooded countryside with areas of pasture scattered about, on a good two lane road.

The scenery was nice, but this was better:

The idea of putting a nice rv park within walking distance of a rib joint is genious! The park was filled with RVs and the restaurant was filled with with patrons!

The routine is counter order, leave your name, and a bit later someone yells your name. It’s incumbent upon you to wave your hand or you’ll go hungry! Another plus is that you get to talk to the people at the next table, because you’re embarrassing them with your waving antics! In our case, the couple lives in Durant and were returning from a trip to Yellowstone, so we exchanged travel stories for a short while. We were reminded that a smile, a hello, and a door held open for someone can be so fantastically wonderful!

But back to the food:

Donna and her backup Friar Tuck were here to EAT!

And the wind-blown sidekick was enjoying the prospect as well!

Donna ordered ribs and brisket, with black eyed peas and coleslaw:

And again the sidekick surprised himself by ordering ribs, smoked bologna (?), deep fried okra (??) and coleslaw:

At the 1/3 mark, we were already stuffed, so three to-go boxes and two soda refills and we were back on the road, declaring that once again we have had the best meal we’ve ever eaten!

Again, the goal was to not, under any circumstances, retrace our previous route, so this time we skimmed through Gene Autry (town of), Mannsville and Kingston before riding a tired horse back to Durant.

A long drive, but a peaceful recuperative time and a great lunch! And dinner, maybe another lunch….

We’re Gonna Win!

 Thursday. We left Frisco this morning in a clear, hot, humid day. Sasha and I took our morning constitutional and she pooped out about halfway through our trip. Bad choice of words, I know, but you get the idea…..

As we know, the amount of road construction in the Dallas metro is staggering, so we had to deviate from the suggested gps routes since we were towing a 15,000 pound whale. Leaving our site of the last eight days near the border between the towns of Aubrey and Little Elm, we headed east toward US Highway 75. This route, 18 miles of intermittent construction and suburban traffic jams was stressing, but eventually we turned north and cruised through Howe, Sherman, and Denison before we crossed the Red River into Oklahoma.

I will comment that US 75 is undoubtedly the worst highway we’ve driven this trip, and maybe ever! Construction (of course) is apparent, but only contributes to the roughness of the highway. So, for about a third of our trip today we cussed, cursed, and swore at TXDOT, while bouncing and vibrating like some sort of insane dervish. 

75 miles after we left DFW Metro, we pulled into the Choctaw Casino and Resort in Durant, Oklahoma. There’s a reason that Oklahoma was once called “Indian Territory.” And to this day, thousands of acres of the state are held by Native American nations. Choctaw, Chikasaw, Apache, Kiowa, and Kickapoo, among others have established cultures that provide opportunities for all peoples. This casino resort is one of several first class establishments in Oklahoma. 

The resort property includes a top notch rv park and we have secured site 37 for three nights.

All of the sites include a concrete pad to park on, grass, and a privacy hedge between RVs. Our site is on the end of a row!

When we arrived this afternoon, the temperature was 92, with a realfeel of 106! We stayed inside for a long while, but finally ventured out to “walk the dog”. The green areas visible from our windows is very, very pleasant!

As we finished our day under the light of the first full moon of summer, the Buck Moon, a look at the resort tantalized us! We’ve gotta get over there!

Saddle Up

 We’ve been in Frisco, TX for just over a week and it’s time to continue the OAS tour. Our friends, Roger and Mary have entertained us very well during our time here. Typical Texas July HH (hot and humid) has curtailed any outside activities but provided some awesome photos.

One of the most interesting stores we visited was the Lone Star Mercantile. This collection of independent vendors is in a huge building, 30,000 square feet and 200 or so venders at last count!

We understand that there are several Lone Star Mercantile stores across Texas, but the one in Allen, Texas, was all we could afford! Tens of thousands of antiques and almost antiques and even more hand crafted treasures kept us and the credit card busy for several hours.

It had become evident the some personal attention was necessary, so Donna and Mary disappeared for an afternoon of manicures and pedicures. The results were so striking that Roger and I decided to test the waters, so to speak.

Roger allowed, after a bit of persuasion, as to how a manicure might be fun.

I was encouraged to have a pedicure, and it was great! We may have to do this again!

The area north of Dallas is growing exponentially. Large companies have headquarters here, housing is booming, and the supporting businesses are scrambling to keep up with the demand for everything from hamburgers to hamsters. Unfortunately, the highway infrastructure is scrambling as well, with road closures and detours commonplace. As an example, it has been requiring just over 20 minutes to drive to our friends house, 6 miles away. If we take away a memory of Texas urban traffic, it will look something like this:

Our stay here has been bittersweet, but has been fulfilling as well. If we have provided a bit of diversion and support, the visit has been successful. We look forward to a future visit.

Tomorrow, the Old Age Sucks tour has retained a venue in Oklahoma! 

Pay It Forward

 We’re in Aubrey, Texas, an hour or so north of Dallas. We’re here to see friends that we have known for years, and who are running into some serious health issues. We cannot offer much more than support and good wishes, but sometimes that’s what is needed. One day we will need a helping hand and a kind word, so we’re more than happy to check in for a few days.

We’re staying at Shady Creek RV Park and Storage. 260 sites in a 10/10/10 rated park provide a comfortable place to settle in for a few days. There are amenities galore, a huge grass dog park, a swimming pool and social center. We’ve been assigned a site in an area with long term residents, and it’s great; a site with a lot of grass that backs up to a fence on the property’s edge. Perfect!

As I write this, we’ve been here two days, and it’s the Fourth of July, the 250th birthday of America! It’s also Sasha’s 11th birthday, so she had a treat. She has developed a liking for Pup Cups, so here we go!

Since it’s Independence Day, we’re enjoying second hand fireworks from around the area. It has been said that Fourth of July celebrations in Texas are spectacular, and if Sasha’s reaction to the loud noises is any indicator, that’s true! Hang on, Sasha, it will be over soon!

White we wait for calm to return to Texas, I must tell you about a lunch to be remembered! Perry’s in Frisco is world renowned as a steak and chop house. Our friend Mary made reservations for lunch at this very popular restaurant so we put on our best duds and checked in.

Let’s start with a photo of their famous pork chop:

Three ribs thick, 12 hours in preparation, with a brown sugar glaze, this chop arrives with signature mashed potatoes. We added an order of smoked brussels sprouts (gotta try to be healthy, you know), and carved away.

It was impossible to eat slowly when the food is prepared so well, but we tried! 

As you can tell, we enjoyed our Perry’s experience!

We’re going to have a special time with our friends, so I’ll report back from time to time as we have new experiences. This is a sad, melancholy, but wonderful time. Stay with us.

On The Way

The temperature in San Angelo was expected to be a very comfortable 78 degrees today, so we needed to leave! Our destination for the next week is a little town north of Dallas, Texas, but mileage and time constraints dictated that we stop overnight somewhere along the way. That’s why we’re enjoying some quiet country time in Santo, Texas.

We’re only going to stay at Coffee Creek RV Resort for one night, but looking around, we’ve decided that many people have decided to skip it altogether! The park is located 3/4 mile north of Interstate 20 and a couple of hours west of Fort Worth, so maybe it’s not remote enough to be attractive. The pool here is very nice, but we haven’t found any other things to do. The nearest town is Santo, about 7 miles away, with a population of 314, and to the north is Mineral Wells, about 14 miles away, and with a population of 15,000. Mineral Wells was the spring training camp for the Chicago White Sox in 1919, the year of the “Black Sox” scandal involving “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Oh.

US highway 277 took us out of San Angelo this morning, and put us on I20 at Abilene, Texas, where it was a smooth ride into Santo. 

We were interested in how the landscape has changed between Odessa/Midland and here! From sand, dirt and wind, to small scrub bushes, and wind, in SA, to green trees, grass, lakes and wind here in mid state. We’re liking the green stuff alot better!