 The first time we stayed in Oklahoma in our fifth wheel, we camped on the expansive plains, where we experienced the wind the region is famous for. We were clueless that 28% of the state – accounting for more than 12,000 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture – has something else to offer: trees. Most of Oklahoma’s forest land can be found in the Eastern part of the Sooner State. We had the privilege to spend about a week and a half in Southeastern Oklahoma near Texarkana, Texas, thanks to the gracious hospitality of our friends Norm and Susan, who made sure we had an amazing Oklahoma adventure. Powered parachute flight Norm has had his pilot’s license for years and even owns and flies a powered parachute. What’s a powered parachute? you may be wondering. It’s a small, open-air cart structure with three wheels that resembles a large tricycle. Behind one or two seats sits a large propeller, and a parachute makes up the canopy, or “wing,” to keep the aircraft in the air. Since Bob has both airplane repair and tech skills, Norm had him take a look at the plane. Together, they worked on updating some safety wiring and the electronic flight monitoring system. In exchange, Norm offered to take me for a ride in his contraption. After loading the aircraft onto a trailer behind his side-by-side vehicle, Norm drove it to the cow pasture next to his property. There, he unloaded the plane and pulled out the parachute from its storage bag, carefully checking all the lines attaching the chute to the cart to ensure nothing was tangled, frayed, or ripped. Satisfied that everything appeared in good repair, Norm and I climbed into the cart and strapped ourselves in. He started the engine, and we slowly wheeled across the pasture, picking up speed. A smile plastered across my face. And suddenly, we were airborne.  The aircraft slowly ascended to about 2,000 feet at a speed of about 25 mph, the houses and barns below quickly decreasing in size. Goosebumps erupted on my arms, making me glad I had put on long pants before the flight.  We enjoyed an aerial view of the farms around Norm’s property, where trees had been cleared many years earlier to make room for pastures and hen houses. Norm showed me the house he had built over a five-year span, and we flew over Tagalong. We also buzzed Bob and Susan, who had set up chairs to watch our flight. After about 30 minutes in the air, we began our descent over the cow pasture. Frightened cattle bolted to get out of the way. All three of our tires hit the ground, and we rolled across the uneven countryside, laughter gushing out of me as we slowed to a stop. It was an incredible experience. Celebrity sighting Another extraordinary experience involved a local celebrity. In 2013, a chef who was born and raised in Norm and Susan’s town competed on “Chopped” on the Food Network. When Tabb Singleton appeared on the show, he did so with experience as a sous chef under Emeril Lagasse in New Orleans. Tabb won the competition and returned to his hometown with the hope of fulfilling his dream to start a restaurant there. In 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, he bought an old burger joint and converted it into a barbecue restaurant. Thus was born Phat Tabb’s BBQ, a small-town staple that attracts locals and visitors alike with its aromatic smoked delights. Having watched a number of “Chopped” episodes, we were intrigued. One day for lunch, we ventured to Phat Tabb’s to get a taste for ourselves. As we emerged from the vehicle, the delectable smell of smoked meat wafted into our nostrils, luring us in.  We wanted to try everything, so we ordered the Hog Lot, which features a hefty sampling of prime brisket, spare ribs, pork belly, okie bologna (aka smoked bologna or “Oklahoma steak”), housemade sausage, turkey breast, and three sides. For the sides, we decided on burnt end baked beans, white trash potato salad, and pickled okra salad – a tangy cold salad made of black-eyed peas and pickled okra.
The brisket melted in our mouths. Sounds of “mmm” and “so good” escaped our lips. Everything tasted delicious, as you’d expect from a celebrity chef. Our only regret was that our stomachs weren’t big enough to eat much of the options at the one meal. Fortunately, the food kept, and we enjoyed it the rest of the week. You might also like Rare sightings while full-time RVing.
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 The highest suspension bridge in the world stands at 1,627 feet, spanning the Sidu River in Hubei, China, according to Guinness World Records. Before it was built in 2009, the Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon City, Colorado, held that title, at 956 feet high. It’s still the highest suspension bridge in North America and the tallest bridge in the United States. Since we camped about a half hour away from Canon City while trekking across Southern Colorado, we had to go see this marvel, held in place by 4,100 steel cables.  Once-in-a-lifetime ride The $35 per-person admission includes access to the bridge, a gondola ride across the gorge, and a children’s playland. Having worked up our courage, we paid the fee and headed straight to the gondola, joining a couple in the first of three cars hanging from a heavy cable.  In no time, our compartment left the loading station, slowly starting its 2,200-foot trajectory across the gorge before picking up speed. As our car dangled, we looked way down to the Arkansas River, noting a train track running adjacent to it and seeing rafters in the water. We snapped panoramic photos of the 1,260-foot bridge, a true wonder indeed, before spotting climbers on the rock face as we neared the other side of the gorge. Treacherous walk to remember After pulling into the gondola station, we unloaded and meandered toward the bridge for our chance to walk across the 1,257 wooden planks spanning its length. Flags from each of the 50 states lined both sides.  A golf cart entered before us, giving us reassurance the bridge could support our weight. It was actually designed to hold more than 2 million pounds at one time. We started our crossing, one foot in front of the other. I made a conscious effort not to look down through the gaps between planks. Bob, on the other hand, eagerly peeked through, encouraging me to do the same. I finally gave in and gaped through a crack, quickly realizing how long it would take for a dropped item to reach the ground. We stopped in the middle of the bridge to admire the views on either side. Posted signs warned us not to attempt fishing from the bridge. (Someone must have tried that at some point to warrant such a sign.) Thrilling adventures As we lingered, brave souls seemingly floating through the air caught our attention. These people paid an additional $52 each for the thrilling 2,350-foot zipline — America’s highest. The park also offers a $41 skycoaster ride, where passengers don flight suits and are harnessed to a tower near the edge of the gorge. They’re lifted off the ground and then swung 1,200 feet out over the gorge, at up to 50 mph.  A conception in time
The idea of a bridge across the Royal Gorge dates back to 1900, when a man named T.C. Johnson envisioned the Brooklyn Bridge there. It wasn’t until 29 years later that the bridge became a reality. Built in seven months, it was designed to provide a place for people to admire the scenic landscape, not to build a road across — although cars were permitted on the structure, for a toll, until 2013, when a wildfire damaged it. The bridge reopened in 2015 and returned to vehicle-only traffic for a short time during the COVID pandemic. The gondola became part of the experience in the 1950s.Today the bridge is limited to pedestrians and work vehicles and attracts half a million visitors annually, according to highestbridges.com. You might also like Riding the Durango-Silverton train.  One warm May day in Larkspur, Colorado, I turned on the fan in the kitchen ceiling of our fifth wheel and opened the roof vent and some windows to bring in cool air and push out heat. When it came time to turn off the fan and close the vent, the blades kept spinning and the vent remained ajar. No matter which button I pushed on the wall controller, the fan didn’t get the message that it was supposed to stop revolving. Bob identified the fuse that controlled the fan and removed it from the RV’s circuit panel. The fan went off…and so did the refrigerator. Clearly, that was not a long-term or even short-term solution.  Troubleshooting Bob got out his tools, climbed onto the kitchen island counter, and removed the screen over the fan blades, as well the shroud in the ceiling, to expose the motor and wiring. He disconnected the wires powering the unit, put the other parts back in place, carefully got down, and reinserted the fuse to run the fridge. We’d have to function without the vent until we could fix it.  Internet research revealed we stood to risk the least by ordering a replacement wall controller for $40. If that corrected the issue, we’d save about $200. The part arrived, Bob replaced it, but the fan still wouldn’t turn off. He took apart the unit again and, using his multimeter tool, determined the circuit board was bad. We could replace it for around $170, or we could change out the entire roof vent fan for about $200. We opted for the latter. We liked the roof fan the factory had installed in our rig. It featured a rain sensor that signaled the vent door to close when wet. So we ordered the same thing from etrailer.com, a Maxxair MaxxFan Plus 4-speed roof vent, and had it sent to an upcoming stop. Removal Before we could install the new unit, we had to remove the old one. That meant pulling up existing self-leveling caulk from around the exterior of the vent. Early on a June morning in the middle of Louisiana, Bob climbed onto the roof and put his oscillating multitool to work to break apart the gummy caulk.  The buzzing overhead pulled me from my dreamy slumber. I rolled out of bed and went to help Bob, serving as his apprentice. Once he cut through enough caulk, we were able to lift the old vent out of place, exposing a large hole in the roof. More caulk clung to the rubber membrane surrounding the hole and had to be removed to create a level surface for the new unit.  The oscillating tool helped clear away the outer portion of sticky substance from the rubber roofing while I used my fingers to painstakingly pry the tacky residue from the inner square, where the vent had been attached. We swept away any remaining debris, and Bob added a fresh layer of non-leveling caulk around the inner square, in preparation for attaching the replacement vent. Installation With that done, we put the new unit into place. It fit perfectly. Bob reinserted the original screws to secure the vent to the roof. Using a caulking gun, he covered each of the 16 screws with a dollop of self-leveling caulk. Then he traced the edge of the vent unit with caulk and continued adding the substance until every portion around the vent cover was concealed.  Inside the fifth wheel, Bob removed the fan screen and shroud to expose the wires, connected them to the circuit board, and turned on the fan. The test proved successful. We could turn the fan both on and off with the wall controller. Bob put the shroud and screen back into place, and we have an operative roof vent fan once again.  In hindsight, we should have verified that the new unit worked before we sealed it to the RV roof. Thankfully, it functioned as intended, with no issues. You might also like Removing an RV TV antenna.  |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
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