Lake McClallen National Grasslands, Texas to Eufaula, Oklahoma
Woke up to the wind swishing through the trees, ate some breakfast and hit the road for Oooooooooooklahoma, where the wind blows swiftly down the plains. Stopped at the information center on the OK border and talked with the quirky attendant siping on a flask of apple cider vinegar, he recommended camping near lake Eufaula in eastern OK. We took his advice and cruised through Oklahoma City on our way to this lake and tree oasis. To this day I have never seen a live armadillo, but man have I seen enough of them as road kill to last a lifetime, poor things must be slow. We were pleasantly surprised to actually find water in this lake, and lots of it! As the rainy season continued to rush the rivers, bringing all sorts of sediment along, it began to overflow the lake with water the color of red clay. I have never seen a red tinted lake, it was something. Found a cozy place to camp along the lake. Talked with the camp host, Dee an older gentlemen, with a potbelly and a huge grin, who was just as quirky as the information attendant. He told us his life’s history in a matter of minutes and how he has caught 65 lb Mississippi Blues and Whites while “noodling” out in the lake. The friendliness here in the south is palpable, they arn’t kidding about southern hospitality. Strolled down to the river’s edge to catch the sunset with Mitch’s harmonica as a sound track. Tucked into bed we pulled up a movie on the iPad. About twenty minutes in we hear a strange crumpling crackling sound not coming from the movie, Mitch quickly muted it to find its source, but it stopped just as quickly. After a thorough search we decided it was coming from the roof rack outside the canvas window, Dee had warned us about “those damn (ra)coons”. Finished the movie and went to bed after a long driving day through the state of Oklahoma!
