A long weekend with the Birds

We are actually out in the motorhome this week. Our first time out since the last week of June when we went to Branson. We left home last Wednesday morning and headed northeast to Claremore, Oklahoma, (just to the east of Tulsa) and are at the Will Rogers Downs Racetrack/Casino and RV Park. This is the monthly meeting of the Birds of a Feather RV Club.

We were the only ones to arrive on Wednesday. Arrived here around 2:00 pm and got all set up: Coach slides out, leveled, hooked up to electric and water plus getting the car unhooked from the towbar. Spent a little time down at the casino (actually won $9.00 on a penny machine), before heading into Tulsa to check out the new Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. We had a good time and had dinner there at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill. (Also lost $10.00 in a penny slot machine.) On the way back to Claremore it started to rain and by the time we arrived it was raining so hard I could hardly see to drive. The drainage ditch by the road into the park was running over with water. We thought about sitting in the car and waiting it out but little Buddy Joe was in the coach by himself and he is deathly afraid of storms. When we stepped out of the car the water was ankle deep. (Jo was smart enough to slip her shoes off and tread through barefooted.)

By Thursday morning the weather had cleared and we had a nice but overcast day. Around 11:00 am the first of the other coaches pulled in and by 4:00 pm they were all here. Due to weather and family illnesses we only had five coaches here this weekend. Since we were the only ones who had ever been here before it was left to us to decide where we would dine. We knew of a great bar-b-que place over in town so that's where we all trekked for dinner.

Normally, during the meetings of this RV Club whoever is designated as "host" for the weekend gets up early Friday and Saturday morning, puts on the coffee in the recreation building the park provides and then heads to the nearest donut shop. I had told everyone that the casino had a great breakfast of two eggs, a large slab of ham and hashbrowns for $2.99 and the normal trip to the donut shop was waived. Most of us spent the day Friday visiting, catching up or just relaxing. The women did play several games of cards. For dinner we led everyone into town to the Hammitt House. This is a place we have been to several times before and it was enjoyed by everyone.

On Saturday we started off with the $2.99 breakfast down at the casino. They were expressing concern on the local TV news that we were to get another "gully washer" rain storm again tonight and through tomorrow morning. Some of our folks were getting antsy about either getting stuck (the RV sites where we are parked are on grass) or having to drive back to Oklahoma City tomorrow in a heavy rain. After breakfast one couple did pack up and head out. The rest of us decided to just stay put. As it turns out the storm is tracking far to the south of us so we decided to venture out to see the area.

This afternoon we went to the Will Rogers Memorial and Museum. Claremore was the boyhood home of Will Rogers. His parents farm is just northwest of here and the home where he was born, which his dad, Clem Rogers, named "The White House on the Verdigri's", referring to the river that runs next to it. Although we did not get over to tour the farm house we did have a good time in the Memorial and Museum here in Claremore. It has been several years since Jo and I had been there and we were surprised on how much it had been enlarged. Will, his wife Betty and three of his four children are buried on the grounds of the Memorial. (Will Jr., who died in 1993, is buried near his home in Arizona.)

Saturday evening is when we normally have our pot-luck dinner. Tonight we had chili, followed up with pies and ice cream. The meal was great and the freezer of homemade ice cream was fantastic.

We'll get up tomorrow and head home. Just in case it does rain I have already hooked up the car to the towbar and dumped my holding tanks. All we'll have to do before leaving is pull up the leveling jacks, raise the air level to traveling height, pull in the slides, and unhook the electric and water. We hope to be on the road by 9:00 am. This has been a fun weekend visiting with some of our RV friends.

Sorry there are no pictures with this post. Although I brought my camera I've forgotten to take it with me each time we've gone out. Really wish I had taken it to the Will Rogers Memorial.

Addendum: Just heard a really loud explosion from somewhere near and behind the coach. Jo had already gone to bed but it brought her up in a hurry. I went out and looked all around, along with several other RVer's who are staying in the park, but did not find anything. The coach and car seem fine and could not see anything out of the ordinary in the area.