Masters of RVing Adventures

After a wonderful week with our friends in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, it was time to point Jackson southwest and begin making our way toward Oklahoma.

Because we wanted to stay in the UP as long as possible, we knew we had committed ourselves to three consecutive driving days of five-plus hours. Our ultimate destination was Elk City, Oklahoma, where Mark had scheduled several major upgrades for the rig.

A Peaceful Night in Wisconsin

Our first day took us out of the UP and through most of Wisconsin. For the night, we stopped at Rustic Barn Campground and RV Park in Kieler, Wisconsin.

The small campground is run by two women who purchased it after retiring from careers in the healthcare industry. They have created a well-run, neat, tidy, and picturesque little park. After a long day on the road, we thoroughly enjoyed the quiet surroundings and peaceful overnight stay.

Tacos, Beer, and Friendly Faces in Kansas City

The next morning, we settled in for another five-plus-hour drive, this time heading for the Kansas City area and an overnight stay at Transparent Brewing Company in Grandview, Missouri.

They have a fantastic setup for overnight RV travelers, especially those traveling with dogs. There is a fenced dog area, an off-leash outdoor seating area, and a covered patio where fur babies are welcome.

Unfortunately, the temperature was hovering around 102 degrees, so Timber stayed in the rig, snoozing comfortably under the air-conditioning while we chose the climate-controlled comfort of the bar.

The locals were incredibly friendly and chatty, and we even met the brewery’s owner and his wife. They spent some time telling us about the brewery, its history, and how the business has grown.

We also happened to arrive on Taco Tuesday—and those were not your ordinary tacos! We have to give a big shout-out to the person responsible for creating their unique flavor combinations. They were superb! The brewery also serves several other Mexican-inspired dishes and even offers a special Pup’s Bowl.

Timber may have missed Taco Tuesday, but he appreciated knowing they had thought of him.

A Quick Wichita Lunch with Zoey

Our final long driving day was broken up by a stop in Wichita, Kansas, where we met our niece Zoey for lunch.

We only had about an hour before we needed to get back on the road, but it was wonderful to see her again. We grabbed a quick lunch—and some excellent hamburgers—at Graze, located inside Exploration Place.

After saying goodbye, we climbed back into the rig for the final four-hour stretch to Elk City, Oklahoma.

We had reserved a site for the night at the Elk City/Clinton KOA Journey, approximately 20 minutes from Nomad Neal’s, where we had a 9:00 a.m. appointment the following morning.

That was when our carefully arranged plan began to unravel.

Strike One: Nowhere to Put Our Stuff

When we booked the appointment several months ago, our plan was to rent one of the KOA cabins for the week while the work was being completed on Jackson. We would move our belongings into the cabin around 8:00 a.m., take the rig to Nomad Neal’s, and return afterward.

Simple enough.

Except that morning, we were informed that the cabin would not be ready until sometime after 11:00 a.m.

That meant we had to pack everything—and I do mean EVERYTHING—we might need for the week into the Bronco before taking Jackson to the shop.

Clothes. Toiletries. Linens. Laptops. Snacks. Food. Drinks. Coolers. Pots and pans. An induction cooktop. Kitchen utensils. Dish towels. Soap. Potholders. Timber’s food, toys, and bedding.

All of it had to fit inside the Bronco while still leaving enough room for two adults and one very large dog to make the return trip.

Strike one.

Strike Two: Our 200-Square-Foot Tin Furnace

Once the cabin was finally ready, we returned to the KOA and began unloading our lives from the Bronco.

It did not take long to notice a few things.

The refrigerator was dorm-sized. There was nowhere to sit other than the bed. The cabin had only one window, and that window was being used to support an undersized air-conditioning unit. The tin roof radiated heat into the cabin, two of the four lights did not work, and the hot- and cold-water lines were reversed.

In fairness, there was a high-top table with two stools, which technically provided another place to sit. Unfortunately, it was positioned directly in front of the air conditioner, and there was nowhere else to move it. If one of us stood or sat at the table to work, we blocked the cool air from reaching the rest of the room.

If you counted the toilet, however, we did have one additional seating option.

Daytime temperatures were ranging from 102 to 108 degrees, with overnight lows only dropping into the upper 80s or low 90s. We spent more time sweating inside our approximately 200-square-foot tin box than sleeping.

Strike two.

Spending an Afternoon Away from the KOA

Looking for an excuse to escape our little tin furnace for a while, we decided to explore the area around Elk City.

We had repeatedly noticed signs for the National Route 66 Museum and thought it would be worth a visit. Unfortunately, the museum was closed by the time we arrived. We still poked around outside, explored what we could, and took a few photos before moving on.

Since our sightseeing plans had been cut short, we turned our attention to another pressing matter: finding somewhere to give Cheeto a much-needed bath. It may not have been the Route 66 afternoon we envisioned, but at least we ended it with a clean Bronco!

Strike Three: The Pool Is Closed

Before I go any further, let me explain that KOA has three primary campground designations: Journey, Holiday, and Resort. Journey is the most basic level, and I fully understood that we were not booking a resort-style experience with elaborate amenities.

I did, however, expect the basics to be covered.

Many KOAs are independently owned franchises, which means the experience can vary considerably from one location to another. Unfortunately, this particular stay fell far below what we expected. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend booking this KOA—especially during extreme summer temperatures.

I also understand that when outside temperatures reach well over 100 degrees, water coming from a “cold” faucet may not actually feel cold. I did, however, expect the water from the “hot” faucet to be warmer than the water from the “cold” one.

On our second day in the cabin, I walked to the bathhouse to take a shower. That was also the day we learned that the campground pool had been closed and would not reopen during our stay.

Strike three.

After three nights in our little furnace, I finally came to my senses and realized something important: We did not have to live this way for the rest of the week.

Actually, what happened was that I had a complete hissy fit and informed Mark that I was taking the Bronco and checking us into a hotel in Oklahoma City.

It was Sunday, and Jackson was not expected to be ready until Thursday evening or possibly Friday around midday. Thankfully, we had no trouble receiving a refund for the remainder of our cabin reservation.

Oklahoma City—and Relief!

This was our first time trying to find a hotel that could accommodate a dog Timber’s size.

There are plenty of pet-friendly hotels in and around Oklahoma City, but many accept only smaller dogs. I finally found one that permitted dogs weighing up to 80 pounds—which is Timber’s size.

Well…close enough.

Best of all, the room had a full-size refrigerator, a kitchenette stocked with appliances and kitchenware, a desk where we could work, a large bathroom, and plenty of hot water for a very long, cleansing shower.

We had found relief!

Discovering Oklahoma City

I have to say, Oklahoma City is a great place!

We easily found dog-friendly lunch and dinner spots, and one of our favorites was the Deep Deuce Grill. Between our work hours, the heat, and Timber’s schedule, we squeezed in as much sightseeing as possible.

One of our most meaningful stops was the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. More than 30 years after the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the museum remains a powerful reminder of the day our nation was forever changed—and of the remarkable courage, compassion, and resilience shown by Oklahomans in its aftermath.

Cattle, Cowboys, and Stockyards City

We devoted part of another day to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oklahoma National Stockyards. Although live auctions are held on Mondays and Tuesdays, the auction had already concluded by the time our tour began. Instead, we explored the facility after the sale and learned how this enormous operation works.

The Oklahoma National Stockyards is the world’s largest stocker and feeder cattle auction. Before this tour, I had never really considered the distinction between those two terms. “Stocker” and “feeder” refer to different stages in an animal’s life.

Stocker cattle are typically purchased while they are still small and thin. They are placed on forage—often wheat pasture—where they graze and gain weight before returning to the stockyards to be sold again. Feeder cattle are purchased by feedlots, where they make their final weight gain before going to harvest.

The numbers involved are staggering. Last year alone, more than 465,000 head of cattle were sold through the stockyards, with cattle shipped to or from 46 states and Canada. We were told that for every 1,000 head sold, approximately $1 million changes hands. On a sale day, anywhere from 700 to 1,000 people may leave the stockyards with a check.

The stockyards date to 1910, and much of what we saw reflects that history. The brick covering the grounds was laid by hand when the facility was built, and the original configuration of the cattle pens remains in use. Much of our tour took place from the elevated catwalks, which allowed us to look across the sprawling network of brick walkways, gates, alleys, and pens.

It was fascinating to see a historic facility that is not simply being preserved as a museum but is still functioning as an active part of the cattle industry more than a century later. As an interesting comparison, the famous Fort Worth Stockyards no longer hosts live cattle auctions.

Of course, you cannot visit Stockyards City without eating at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse and browsing Shorty’s Caboy Hattery and Langston’s Western Wear.

Yes, I know “Caboy” looks misspelled—but that is the store’s name!

While we explored Stockyards City, Timber was living his best life and playing hard at doggie daycare.

A Museum That Deserves Much More Time

We also managed a brief visit to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The exhibits were extremely well designed and covered Western history, art, Native cultures, ranching, rodeo, and the many stories that have shaped the American West.

Unfortunately, we barely scratched the surface. This is not a museum you should try to rush through, and it is already on our list for a much longer return visit.

Oklahoma City is divided into more than 20 distinct districts, and between our work hours and Jackson’s repair schedule, we managed to explore portions of four of them.

We missed far more than we saw—additional museums, the zoo, botanical gardens, parks, canal rides, shops, and plenty of restaurants.

Oklahoma City will definitely be on next year’s travel schedule. I have already found a nice RV park for our return!

Jackson Gets an Upgrade

Nomad Neal had Jackson ready by late Thursday afternoon, so we packed everything—again—checked out of the hotel, and drove approximately two hours west to review the completed work.

Our eight old lead-acid batteries had been replaced with four lithium iron phosphate batteries. We also had two new inverters installed, along with a control system that provides Wi-Fi and Bluetooth access and a new touchscreen display mounted inside the rig.

And then there are the infamous Boogey Lights!

The new underglow lighting illuminates the area around Jack when he is parked at a campsite. It may not be the most essential of the upgrades, but it is certainly the most fun.

After ten days of long drives, brewery tacos, family time, extreme heat, a three-strike cabin stay, an Oklahoma City rescue, Western history, cattle auctions, and major rig upgrades, we are finally ready to move on.

Today, we pull out and point Jack toward Colorado Springs, where another visit with Dirk and Brie awaits.

Hopefully, the next leg of this trip will involve considerably less sweating and aggravation!