Looping east and north

The downside of my travel plans for the last two weeks was that there were a lot of places I stayed and a possibly a couple of breweries I stopped at. Factoring in the need to finish my purchases at other breweries and time has gotten away from me. Needless to say, I have now camped in 25 states since the start of my adventure. I have been close many times to spotting Big Foot but so far, no luck. One must never give up hope as hope is very powerful and can sustain us when we fall short of our goals.

I started this installment in Oklahoma. I checked out the only micro brewery in western Oklahoma - Longbell Brewing Company. They have been only open for a month or two so they are pretty new but the have dialed in the proper atmosphere for a brewery. I credit the owner's experience in the hospitality industry plus they have a bartender who spent 4 years in Wisconsin including time in bars in West Allis. One can only appreciate the ambiance of a bar if one has spent time in West Allis. While I didn't see Big Foot I enjoyed sitting at the bar and talking to the locals and bartender so it was a success after all.

I took this picture as I was worried I would forget the name.

Good selection on tap with a solid range of options for all drinkers. That is merely a nonalcoholic beverage and certainly not another beer. 

I liked looking at this tree, until I realized it was dropping some type of sap on my truck. Not too happy about that.

Reservoir near the campground. Love the colors 

First campground in a long time that had a bar. Not much to report about it but I always like a sassy sign. Salad was primarily iceberg but what can you expect from a campground off the interstate in the middle of nowhere.

I then moved to easter Oklahoma. This started getting more tree covered and not just the sap dropping variety but real trees that don't seek to make my car dirty from sap. They chose pollen. I enjoyed the campground as there was a lake nearby along with some goats and chickens. Ozzy is a huge fan of barn yard animals and insists on saying hello as loudly and as often as possible whenever he sees them. While I appreciate his friendliness I am not sure the other campers appreciated him as much. Alas. I headed over to Muskogee Brewing Company while in the area. Beer was quite good and after I had one I took some to go and try later. No sign of Big Foot but the bartender was quite hairy so there was that.

Muskogee Brewing. Conveniently located right next to a police station. I feel that is a form of goal tending and shouldn't be allowed.

After Oklahoma, I was off to Arkansas and Petit Jean State Park for the Easter weekend. Allow me to confess right away. I failed to check out the local brewery. I could blame the steep winding road for my failure but the real issue was I enjoying hanging out and hiking in the woods. The best I could do was check out the lodge for the "Southern sytle" cooking. I had something called Chicken Fried Chicken. I figure repeating the words is a southern thing (like Foghorn Leghorn) but I was disappointed they didn't come with potato mashed potatoes and instead just regular mashed potatoes. I did have a local Arkansas beer and was sufficiently impressed to need to return to the various breweries and see what they all have to offer. I was on a deadline though so I couldn't linger. 

A view of the lake

Siting in my chair and enjoying the sky and trees. I know that sounds odd, but I like to just breathe sometimes and this helps.

The trusty exploring trailer

A closer view of the water. It was quite lovely and peaceful.

Lucy wanted a selfie. 

Ozzy felt he needed equal time. 

Since I didn't do much in Arkansas I felt it was only appropriate to also just enjoy the trees and the trails in Tennessee. Again no sign of Big Foot and I have nearly the entire campground to myself so I could look over the Mississippi River and the enjoy the grounds of Fort Pillow. 

View of Mississippi River from camp ground. 

Next stop was Cape Girardeau in Missouri. The campground was not as nice as other state parks I have been to despite being right on the Mississippi River. I suppose the train horns in the middle of the night detracted from the place although that seems unfair to the park. I did explore Cape Girardeau though and since it is also a college town I was able to find a local micro brewery for lunch and a beverage. Minglewood Brewery had a great selection of food and drink and was a great hangout spot for the day. I waited a few hours but there was no sign of Big Foot so I moved on.

Again great bar seating and plenty of options on tap and good selection of food. I had a Cuban. 

Mississippi River from the MO side. This was the general view from my trailer.

After that I headed north as my travel plans dictated. I still have a few more days in Missouri before heading to Iowa for some minor updates to the trailer. Then onto Wisconsin. I am still on track for being in Wisconsin at the end of April so I can see people and of course, C's graduation from St Norbert College on Mother's Day. I am very proud of both B and C and happy they they both have achieved this milestone in four years and both have jobs upon graduation. 

As I mentioned when I started this blog, I have now camped in 25 states since last May 22nd when I started this nomadic adventure. Some states I have been in longer than others and many of them I have camped in before so this was an opportunity to see different areas. I will write more about this when I celebrate my one year nomadiversary. 

Until next time,

Thor

braxwood.com

New Mexico and headed east

After the excitement of the massive RV gathering it was time to relax and recharge. Unfortunately the job of a cryptozoological explorer is never done so I continued my search. We spent a few days in Deming, NM before moving on. Deming was nicer on my second visit as the first time I was there it was downright cold in the 50s after the 90s of Gulf coast. This time I was greeted with high winds but after they died down, it was actually quite lovely. There are mountain views in nearly every direction and the Low-Hi Ranch was as friendly as ever albeit no communal fire as the winds were wickedly strong that night. 

Low-Hi Ranch. I like trees, like my tattoo

I made a return visit to Happy Camper Clubhouse, and had the Sons of Scotland again (which I could not recall after my last visit). It was quite delicious and oddly enough paired well with the homemade salsa and chips.  Despite my best efforts I was unable to locate Big Foot at the clubhouse and sadly departed.

First growler fill in a while. I love Scottish ales. 

We did run into this hater in Deming and it was quite disturbing. Not sure what they have against Wisconsin but at least they used the proper postal abbreviation.

End WI? What did Wisconsin do to this person?

We moved onto Elephant Butte Lake State park. We had a lovely view from our campsite of the lake and buttes. I would like to make several juvenile jokes at this time about elephant butts, but I will take the high ground much like the elevation in that area which was about 4500 ft.  

Well, I had a good view but it was so sunny I had to move for the dogs. You can still see the lake. 

Pretty. Really not much more to say.  

Sunrise. It was like 7:30am.  Small dogs, small bladders. 

I explored the nearby town of Truth or Consequences (T or C to the locals) and had a pizza for the first time in months which was a nice treat. 

I also visited TorC Brewing Company over the course of several days for several tasty beverages.  I also met many nice people there (and at the campground) including a couple who have been traveling for months in a van. They claimed they were in their 30s but they looked younger than B and C to me so who knows. The bartender, Lee, was also very nice and a pleasure to talk to. The brewery is well worth a stop as it was refreshing to be able to talk to other patrons and the bartender. Despite the excellent vibe of the brewery, Big Foot was not found but I will be back.

Plenty of options on tap

Tasty stout. Perfectly poured. Had to take a picture. 

Another perfect pour. Different day, so stop judging. 

I also took advantage of the nearby hot springs and had a private hour session. They had a special for singles so it was half priced which was awesome. I soaked and looked over the Rio Grande and really mentally focused on my hunt for Big Foot. As I said, the work never ends but I am willing to suffer for science and your entertainment.

View as I soaked in the medium hot water. 

Next stop was Sierra Blanca Brewing for a one night stay with Harvest Hosts. I ran into several people utilizing the Harvest Host from Wisconsin which was statistically interesting to me (4 RVs: 2 from WI  and me from SD but formerly from WI).  I also met a couple from Washington state who invited me to their fifth wheel for dinner. They were very nice hosts and had not seen Big Foot on their adventures but would let me know if they did. The chili was delicious as was the Jameson. 

NM has some interesting drinking laws. I ordered a stout that limited any further ordering due to ABV despite not having to drive. Fascists!!

Come morning and the winds started blowing again and would not quit for the next few days. It made the drive more interesting and I appreciated the new truck a lot. My next night was spent in Amarillo, TX. The Texas Route 66 Visitor Center was another Harvest Host site and in easy walking distance of the historical district. I enjoyed a burger from the Golden Light Cafe and Cantina which has been in business since 1946. The ambiance was classic and the burger was incredible. It was my only meal of the day and it more than satisfied my hunger. 

Tourist sign, but hey I’m a tourist. 

The wind was brutal. Consistently 30 mph, gusting to 60 mph. 

The next day was a drive on the historic Route 66 across Texas and Oklahoma. It was super peaceful on the road but the blowing dust and tumbleweeds added some visual interest. I was unable to take any photos and forgot to tell the dashcam to save the video otherwise you could have experienced the drive. Imagine a tumbleweed blowing across the road followed up by a giant red cloud of dust which was visually impenetrable. Finally got to my camp spot for the next few days and eventually the winds died down. I am off exploring Oklahoma this week and already have several locations identified as potential Big Foot spots, but first I must do my laundry.

Lucy and Ozzy chillin

Since the ides of March, I have driven about 2000 miles with the trailer. Normally I would not recommend such a pace as it is quite tiring. Interestingly it is also the same distance to Alaska so as I work out in my head how to do that trip, I know I should probably plan at least four weeks for the drive if I intend to see anything along the way. 

Oklahoma makes the 22st state I have camped in since I started this adventure. This was the first time I have actually slept in Oklahoma which leaves four eastern states and Alaska on my lifetime list of states I have not slept in. As I mentioned previously I intend to visit New England and the east coast this fall which will leave Alaska as the only state I have not slept in as it is also the only state I have not visited. I keep debating the drive but I am sure that is the only way to really experience the vastness and remoteness. Thankfully I have the right truck should I decide to make that trip.

Once I have finished Oklahoma this week I'll continue my eastern advance to Arkansas and Tennessee before turning north. Hopefully spring will arrive in Wisconsin by late April as I am not looking forward to having to wear long pants again as shoes are bad enough. 

Until next time,

Thor

braxwood.com

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