Friday, May 8
The Coronavirus Pandemic is still going strong, but we decided that a camping trip would not put us in additional peril as long as we physical-distanced and took precautions around people.
Tire Pressure Worries
When we hooked up the trailer, I noticed the wheels looked mushy. After taking tire pressure readings, I discovered they only had about 56 psi, while they were supposed to have 65 psi. I connected my air compressor to fill the tires, but it took about 10-15 minutes per tire to reach the necessary pressure, and the compressor died after inflating just three tires.
We decided to continue our journey and stop at the nearest gas station. It took about 20 miles to find a station with an air pump. It costs $1.25 for 5 minutes of use, which would have been fine if it had worked properly. Unfortunately, the pressure nozzle didn’t fit well over the tire’s air valve, causing most of the air to leak as I tried to inflate the tire. I had to pay another $1.25 to get the tire up to 65 psi.
This little adventure taught us the importance of regularly checking tire pressure and ensuring we have a reliable air compressor on hand.
Cedar Oaks RV Park
The roads to the Cedar Oaks RV Park in Grove, OK, were excellent. We made a quick stop about 25 minutes from the campground to fill up with gas and use the bathrooms. Gas was only $1.31 per gallon! When we arrived, we quickly set up camp.
The campground was soggy, and our site had a lot of standing water, but it offered an excellent view of the Grand Lake of the Cherokees. After setting up, Lisa and Savanna explored the campground while I flushed the tank sanitizer out of the system, turned off the water heater bypass, and made some modifications to the trailer. I also made a run to Walmart.
Later that night, Lisa cooked dinner on the grill. Afterward, we roasted marshmallows on our propane Fire Dancer. While it was able to cook the marshmallows, it was difficult to get them to brown properly, unlike with a wood fire.
Sunset
Lisa and Savannah went to the lakeshore that evening to watch the sunset.
Saturday, May 9
Road Trip Around the Lake
We decided to take a drive around the lake and check out a house on Monkey Island that belonged to one of Lisa’s friends.
Grand Lake Dam
After leaving Monkey Island, we drove over to the dam. The one-mile-long Pensacola Dam, also known as the Grand River Dam, is a multiple-arch buttress dam on the Grand River. Constructed between 1938 and 1940, it serves purposes of hydroelectric power generation, flood control, and recreation. It is Oklahoma’s first hydroelectric power plant and is reputed to be the longest multiple-arch dam in the world.
There were dozens of ATVs driving around the dam area, especially in the washout area below the dam. When we crossed the dam, I drove down a road that took us closer to the washout area for a better look. The paved road turned into a dirt road, where we saw dozens of trucks with trailers parked everywhere and even more ATVs. Large groups were gathered, and no one appeared to be social distancing or wearing masks, which was very disconcerting.
The town of Disney, unrelated to Walt Disney, is on the east side of the dam. We drove around two small parks: Recreation Area Number 2 of the Cherokee Area of Grand Lake State Park and the Disney Area of Grand Lake State Park. The parks were quaint and offered a serene contrast to the busy dam area, adding a relaxing end to our exploration.
Zena Suri Alpaca Farm
After leaving Disney, we continued our loop around the lake, venturing deep into the countryside. While driving, we spotted a sign for Zena Suri Alpacas. Curious, we pulled over, and Lisa checked their website, discovering that they offered tours. We called and inquired about visiting, and they asked if we had masks before directing us to meet them in front of their ranch house.
We were greeted by the owner, who informed us that they had been closed and we were the first tourists they had allowed in since March. She walked us over to the pens, where we were allowed to feed the alpacas. She mentioned that the alpacas were excited to see people again. She told us all about the alpacas and their operations there. They also had an incredibly friendly llama. We had a blast!
Return Trip
When we left the alpaca farm, we continued around the lake, where we drove through the country some more until we got to the city of Grove and, eventually, our campground.
When we got back, we walked around the campground.
Sunset
That evening, we took some chairs down to the lakeshore to watch the sunset. Savannah chose to sit on the gravel beach.
Sunday, May 10
Har-Ber Village
After lunch, we drove over to Har-Ber Village. This was a popular pioneer-era village and though I knew it was closed because of COVID, their popular nature trail was open.
We walked the two-mile trail, which had a nice paved section and a dirt path that took us down by the lake.
Bernice Area of Grand Lake State Park
When we were done, we were still in the mood to do some more hiking, so we headed over to Bernice Area of Grand Lake State Park which had another popular trail. This was a nice wooded trail, though we spent most of the time walking along the waterfront.
We headed back to the campsite afterward.
Sunset
After dinner, we again took our chairs down to the shore around 8 pm to watch the sunset.
Monday, May 11
We headed home around 9 am and arrived back at the trailer storage lot by 12:30 pm.