July 3, 2009 by Rick and Tinka.

Have a wonderful Independence Day.

The US flag has never looked better.

Be sure you display your patriotic colors properly today.

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July 2, 2009 by Rick and Tinka.

A day of crossing state lines.  We started in Louisiana then went to Arkansas, Texas and finally Oklahoma.

The transition from Louisiana through Arkansas and into Texas took about 10 minutes around the Texarkana area.

Our final destination was Crowder Point Family Campground on Lake Eufaula.

The exit off of US69 onto Rock Creek Road is easy to find.   The problem lies in finding the park.  The sign for camping points in both directions.  We called and were told to head east.  It turns out that the name of the place is clearly marked on the gate, but you can’t see it when the gate is opened.

We had made our reservations online at their website. Check in went smoothly.  Our campsite is right on the shore with 50 AMP electric and water.  Unfortunately there is no sewer hookup this close to the water. But the trade-off is that we are situated on one of the many branches of the lake and have this view out our rear window.  (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE)

One warning, the water pressure is extreme.  I gauged the pressure spiking at over 200 PSI and sustained at 140 PSI.  It was enough to kill our pressure regulator, which quit letting water pass.

We spent our one full day at Lake Eufaula just driving around and exploring the nearby towns.  If we were going to be in the area much longer we would certainly want to tour the lake by boat.

We were impressed with the old town of  Eufaula, OK.  Apparently there was a town in place as early as 1800.  Here is a picture of an old 1935 armory that is still being used by the city.

With a close look at the building it doesn’t look like the place was overrun by qualified masons.

Everything is not as it seems.  From a distance this bank is a wonderful landmark.  A closer look and you find that it is now a jewelry store.

A few miles north of Eufaula we drove into the town of  Checotah, OK, the hometown of American Idol winner Carrie Underwood.  The town is named after Samuel Checote, first elected Chief of the Creek Nation.  The town isn’t much more than a wide spot in the road.

And here is Carrie’s high school.

Lake Eufaula itself is the largest lake in Oklahoma, covering 102,000 acres with a shoreline exceeding 600 miles (1000 KM). The lake stretches for miles along the Canadian River.

Coves provide safe harbor for marinas.

We’re off to Kansas tomorrow.  Why? Because we need to add it to our map.

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July 1, 2009 by Rick and Tinka.

After spending the last couple of weeks at temperatures above 100 degrees, we decided to go somewhere that we could guarantee cooler temperatures.  That must mean the casinos at Bossier City, Louisiana.  Bossier City is located in the northwestern portion of Louisiana near Shreveport.

We looked up RV spots and found the Isle of Capri Hotel and Casino was supposed to have a park.  Oops, not any more, the Isle is now Diamond Jacks.  They have about 30 roomy sites just outside of the casino. We pulled in at about 5:30 PM.  What a treat to have real 50 AMP electrical service. We are currently running both TV’s, both AC units, hot water heater, refrigerator, ice maker, and Tinka’s hair dryer without a hitch.

The RV park is right on the Red River.  It turns out that a railroad bridge crosses the river next door.  The trains came rumbling through on a regular basis.  Thank goodness that they don’t seem to run at night.

Train bridges are everywhere along the river.

Shreveport is on the western banks of the Red River and Bossier City is on the east side.  The casinos are all on the Bossier City side.  There is a rule that the casino must be on the water, therefore, each one has a boat like this dock beside the hotel.

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June 30, 2009 by Rick and Tinka.

A week or so ago, we asked for some help identifying the beetle pictured below.

We had a few humerous entries like Sherri’s “Dalmation Beetle”.  But the first correct response came from our friends Dan and Myra with the identification of the Ironclad Beetle.   Thanks for the help.

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June 29, 2009 by Rick and Tinka.

One day in Austin, we decided to run a few errands.  We went to Pep Boys to try to get our power steering fluid changed and take a look at battery connections.  Failed on both counts.  Their machine for the fluid change was not working and their lift wasn’t strong enough to lift our truck.

I decided to try out Sears.  Sears, like Penny’s, is building new “stand-alone” stores.  I really like this trend.  I think it was back in the 60’s and 70’s when they started moving to the malls, but, with this “new” design,  you don’t have to fight the mall traffic.

The folks at the Sears Grand took care of our issues and had us back on the road in about 30 minutes.

Luckily, it was now time for lunch.  We headed down to the river for a nice lunch at Landry’s.  Once again, things change.  It is now a Joe’s  Crab Shack.  We grabbed a table near the window overlooking the river.  In downtown Austin, the river has been dammed up to form a lake once known as Town Lake.  More changes, it is now Lady Bird Johnson Lake.

From our table, the view of downtown was beautiful with your typical Texas blue sky. The building slump has not hit the Texas Capital as badly as some portions of the nation as indicated by the one building crane that you can see in this picture.

A few ducks –

and several turtles –

The crawfish combo was fantastic. We would certainly recommend this Joe’s anytime.

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