“Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain”

Remember the musical Oklahoma? Well this line from the song Oklahoma is a great description of our time here in Fort Supply, Oklahoma. We have had wind at least a portion of every day we have been here. One of the first days it was sustained winds of about 35mph with gusts to 50 and it sounds like that is how we will end our time here as that is the forcast for today, and tomorrow we head out again.

Our site

What have we done while we are here? We have taken long walks, worked out daily, read, and I have worked on my cross stitch. We haven’t even moved the truck since we have been here (got here on Tuesday). We could have used a trip to the grocery store but decided to use up what we have instead. Even though the refrigerator is looking bare there is probably enough in the cupboards and freezer that we could eat for a couple weeks yet. The plan is to go to Wichita to get the water heater fixed (appointment at 1 tomorrow) then drive and find a Walmart for the night somewhere on I-35. That is when we will do our shopping. Then on to the Kansas City area for a couple days until we do the last leg “home”. 

View from our site

Fort Supply Lake is a COE reservoir and park. We almost came here on the way out to the SW but ended up taking a more southerly route. It got good reviews online and friends in Tucson, Ralph and Cheryl, recommended it. We really like the COE parks in general so here we are. It is a nice park and if you like parking right next to the lake, they can accommodate you. We chose a site that was not on the water but close enough to have a good view. We are in the furthest loop and for the first few days we were the only ones in this area. Kind of cool to have a campground to yourself.  There isn’t a lot to do here unless you like to boat and fish but it is a nice quiet spot away from the city. Our site selection had a lot to do with the wind, it has been fierce and where we are is a little more protected from the wind whipping across the water. The wind here has probably been the worst we have experienced since we started on this journey, makes us glad the Excel is a heavy beast.

That is John on the peninsula 

The other night they had some severe storms east of here and we had a great view of the clouds that caused that storm. I put the panoramic photo of it as the header of the post today. I also sent that one to the ABC station in Oklahoma City (we actually have good reception from the antenna here). Didn’t see it on the news but thought it was good enough to share.

 I had some questions about what I was going home to teach. For the last eight (almost nine) I have taught in the Dental Hygiene program at Kirkwood Community College. I started out as a clinical instructor and then about 5 years ago I took on teaching the Oral Pathology class. This is an area I have always enjoyed, partly because I had an amazing instructor in college. In the 70s there was a bachelors degree program at the U of Iowa and the hygiene students took several classes with the dental students, one of which was Oral Pathology taught by Dr.Gil Lilly. He was an amazing instructor and made you want to learn the material. I use (with permission) some of his materials in my class today. I really enjoy teaching and when we decided to do this journey instead of retiring completely we decided I would return at least one more year to teach this class. This summer we will decide financially if I should keep doing this or if it will be my last. Summer is the hardest time to travel because everyone is out there and that may play into our decision too. Lots to think about and lots of prep work when we arrive.

My youngest son is graduating from Luther College in May which is another reason to be back in the area this summer. He is working on getting a job and we figure we will have to help with moving and such as well. It will be a busy summer and I am looking forward to it. 

Campground wildlife - our first Armadilo!

Happy Trails..........................