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May 25, 2003
Start: COE New Mannford Ramp, Lake Keystone, OK
End: FAMCAMP, Altus AFB, Altus OK
Miles: 2xx
Hi Temp: unknown (forgot to reset the thermometer)
Lo Temp: unknown
The day started a little slowly. We finally straggled out about 8:00am to see what was happening.
Sandy and Raneesa were cutting up about 20 more pounds of potatoes for hashbrowns for breakfast. We were still full from the fish pig-out last night, so we hooked up, made our apologies for leaving early and promised to come back, then left.
We wandered down to the turnpike, then through Oklahoma City. We got off I-44 south of the city and followed US-62 (remember that from MO and AR?) south and west to Altus.
The country went from gently rolling hills around Oklahoma City to flat-with-mini-mountains between Lawton and Altus. The road between those two towns is straighter than an arrow for about 50 miles with few grades. There's nothing with a capital "N" between them. Squat. Zilch. Lonely.
We turned into the base, found the bowling alley and checked in for the FAMCAMP. Then we went to the FAMCAMP and set up. The guy in an adjacent site said they'd had storms last night, severe enough that the base went to a storm alert condition and they went to find the base shelter. They returned to their trailer about 2am when the alert was called off. There was some standing water around the place, so we believed him.
Then we called Annamarie and Randy; we were told the way to the house and went there. We renewed our aquaintance with Samantha, their daughter, before she scurried off on a class trip to Washington DC. She's twelve, and appears to be very intelligent and poised.
We all looked at the pictures of Richard's wedding on our PC and then talked about Panama City and other places. They remember Panama City from the time they cruised the US for a year in a motorhome (62,000 miles!!).
Randy cooked the kabobs Annamarie made up, and we all ate while telling stories and catching up on family happenings. The food was just great. We discussed traveling by RV and places we'd both been, with the appropriate stories of disasters and fortunate happenings. Then we broke off to return to the little home in the FAMCAMP with an agreement to meet tomorrow morning.
They have a beautiful home and seem very happy with their situation here in Altus. It's great to see them happy and comfortable.
Open new window with today’s pictures.
May 26, 2003
Start: FAMCAMP, Altus AFB, Altus OK (site 3a)
End: FAMCAMP, Altus AFB, Altus OK (site 4)
Miles: 0.009
Hi Temp: 73
Lo Temp: 59
It was a cool, cloudy, day in this corner of Oklahoma today - a great day for running around.
Annamarie and Randy fed us a delicious breakfast at their beautiful home. We started taking pictures with the digital camera here; by the end of the day we'd taken 108. We all hopped into their car and headed east on the back roads. They showed us a couple of outlying "towns" and gave us details on them and on the area we were driving through.
After some time, we entered the Wichita Falls Wildlife Refuge, overseen by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. It is intended to provide living space for elk, buffalo, and longhorn cattle. We saw a few individual buffalo on the way in, then a whole herd. The herd contained a number of baby buffalo - they're really cute.
We moved on to a "prairie dog village", several acres of prairie dog habitat. They were doing their usual stuff, popping up and running to other holes and disappearing again. Some would stay up a whistle to warn the other dogs of danger. These animals, too, had babies. Small prairie dogs were following mommy around and learning from her. Again, very cute.
We drove to the top of Mt. Scott, a spiral drive up a cone-shaped mountain that overlooks a lot of territory. We walked around on the top of it looking at the scenes and taking pictures of flowers.
Later, we came to another buffalo herd close to the visitor center. We went there next to see the exhibits on the wildlife of the area. They were very well done. Dolores bought a souvenir pin.
We went on to a crossroads known as Meers, and joined the waiting line at the eating establishment of the same name. It's an old building, National Register, over a hundred years old, western atmosphere that won't end. The front of it looks like it could be used in a western movie if they'd only paint over a few signs. Randy says it's always busy. Dolores & I had Meersburgers (large, quartered, served in pie tins). D had french-fried corn-on-the-cob and peach cobbler, I had onion rings and cherry cobbler. Randy and Annamarie had equivalent meals. All the food was good.
After that, we went to a place called the Holy City. This attraction has sets for a passion play presented annually at
Easter time, taking up about 200 yards left to right. All these sets are made of native stone. Randy and Annamarie say it's quite spectacular, but long. Here we also found a great variety of flowers for Dolores to shoot. Annamarie started finding lizards; not dull green ones, but really beautifully colored lizards with bright green and yellow designs. We took pictures of those that we could get close to. When you get too close, they get up on their hind legs and run five or ten yards to a new position.
We hiked around this place shooting the flowers and looking at the sets. It's fairly easy to guess each individual set's purpose. There's also a statue of Christ on a small hill; we walked all over the hill taking pictures of flowers and lizards.
Then we drove south to US-62 and back to their home; we agreed to meet tomorrow and returned to the FAMCAMP.
There, we found site four unoccupied. We're supposed to be in it, so we moved the trailer to it (full hookups).
Then we started taking the pictures from the camera into the computer, making CD's, and doing the other computer chores.
20030527
May 27, 2003
Start: FAMCAMP, Altus AFB, Altus OK
End: FAMCAMP, Altus AFB, Altus OK
Miles: 0
Hi Temp: 82.6
Lo Temp: 62.8
This was a workday (Tuesday after Memorial Day) for our hosts, but Annamarie works days and Randy works evenings.
We made a quick trip to the commissary (across the street) to load up on food, then took the laundry to their house. Randy and I chatted while Dolores did most of the laundry. I used their phone line and the AT&T 800 number to send and receive the e-mails.
Annamarie came home early. Then Randy ate lunch to go to work a little early, and left. The three of us went out for pizza. Then she gave us a tour of the town of 30,000, including the area of the millionaire's homes. Then we did an hour in the Museum of the Western Plains until they closed and threw us out. It's a nice little museum - we should have gone earlier.
We went back to the house and finished the laundry. I took the truck out to fill it with fuel for tomorrow. Randy came home for dinner (they live very close to the base); after dinner the three of us chatted some more until we grew tired. Dolores & I thanked them and they thanked us for coming.
Then we went back to the little house in the FAMCAMP to take it easy and leave early tomorrow. A nice, quiet day.
