Elk Mountain Trail, Fitness, & The Rally - (Indiahoma, OK)

The turkeys woke me up this morning.  An old Tom turkey struttin' with his harem just couldn't resist some daybreak gobbling.

But it sure beat being awakened by the sounds of traffic or a construction site or a train or some other harsh noise.  :)

Elk Mountain Trail

Temps were supposed to stay in the low 80s today, so we wanted to do some hiking.  We planned to do a couple of short trails, but that didn't happen.

We spent too much time hiking the Elk Mountain Trail, the one trail with the biggest change in elevation at 590 feet.

It is only a little over a mile one-way, but we had a particular birding quest - the endangered Black-capped Vireo.  Here is a great close-up I borrowed from Flickr.com.  (Here is the link to give proper credit.)

This species exists only in three counties in Oklahoma, a few counties in Texas and in parts of Mexico.  It is on the Federal Endangered Species List.

We read that the largest breeding population is right here in the refuge and the best place to see them is on the Elk Mountain Trail.  So that became our starting point for the day.

Before we got to the rocky, scrub oak habitat of the Black-cappeds, we found another colorful Collared Lizard.

Linda had practiced the call of the vireo so that we might be able to identify it if we heard it.  Soon, we did hear a distinct call common to vireos.  With a little more concentration on the song, we were pretty sure we were in the right place.

We sat ourselves down on some rocks to see if we could get our binoculars on a bird.  Wow.  There were lots of Painted Buntings around.  You know there were a lot when we started saying "It's just another Painted".  :)

Scouring the trees, Linda spotted a vireo!

But it was from quite a distance and she just wanted to get a better look to be sure it was a Black-capped.  So we sat with this view ...

for a half hour to forty-five minutes waiting for another opportunity.  We could hear two of them in the trees in front of us.

This time we both got our binoculars on one.  Still we wanted to see one a little closer.  We were almost positive from the song and the black cap, but there's always that chance your mind is just seeing what it wants to see.

Patience paid off as one flew into a tree about 30 feet away.  We both got him in sight and positively confirmed it was a Black-capped Vireo.  Cool!

We continued on up the trail where we heard several more and got to see a few.  I just never could get a good clear picture.  Elusive little suckers.  :)

So I settled for wildflowers, butterflies, and more lizards.  :)

Blooming Barrel Cactus with butterfly.

American Lady Butterfly.

Pair of Collared Lizards sunning.

Linda says he looks like someone grabbed him, painted him and turned him back out into the wild.  :)

On top of Elk Mountain, we could have scrambled a little higher, but we were content with the view of French Lake and beyond.

We descended and I took more flower shots.  More Barrel Cactus.

The wildflowers are just beautiful right now.  Here we have Indian Blanket mixed in with others.

As we continued down, we both decided we were not up for the other trail.  The Elk Mountain Trail is very rocky.  So in addition to the climb, it's a potential ankle-breaker.  You really have to concentrate on your steps and the hardness of the trail is tough on knees and ankles.

Once back at the trailhead, we just drove on to the campground.

Along the way a couple of buffalo were in the road.  We stopped to let them get out of the way and I snapped this shot of a calf as we drove by.

I also took this quick photo of Oklahoma's state bird, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.

I hope to get a couple better shots of that bird before we leave here.  They have a lovely peach color in the right lighting.

As we passed the prairie dog town, we noticed the buffalo were all lying around in it.  Linda wanted to stop to see the how the prairie dogs acted with the buffalo there.

According to the Great Plains Restoration Council, buffalo and prairie dogs, along with fire, were the reason the plains were so abundant with wildlife because of their "ecosystem creating habits".

So these two species with their vast differences go hand in hand in the plains.

We eventually made it back to the campsite, but we were hungry.  Linda suggested we go back to Meers for an early dinner.

We arrived in the middle of the afternoon to find lots of others doing the same.  So here is a shot of the "world famous Meers store".

We ordered up hamburgers as that seems to be the thing you are supposed to do ... at least your first time.  And I have to be honest.  I wasn't impressed.  I didn't taste anything at all special about their "world famous Meers burger".

There is nothing I like better than a good burger, good ribs, and good lasagna.  And that burger didn't come close to making a top ten list.

Take some basic ground beef, mix in a little Lipton onion soup packet, patty 'em up, and throw 'em on the grill and you'll have a better burger than the one I ate today.  :)

Now, they did make up for it a little bit with their HUGE bowl of cherry cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream.

As hard as it is to believe, the two of us couldn't finish off one bowl.  :)

If we try the Meers Store again, we'll give their Big Bar-B-Q Special listed on their Menu page a shot.  If their barbecue is any good, that sounds a lot better and is certainly a lot better deal.  :)

With the meal we had today and the brats we like so much from yesterday, now you know why we need to hike so much.  :)

Fitness On The Road

We are sometimes asked about fitness on the road.  Well, let's see.  We constantly struggle with that.

We've done Weight Watchers twice (once with an RV-Dreams support group that eventually fizzled out), we've promised to eat healthier (which is expensive and just doesn't taste as good), we've promised to follow the instructions in the Dr. Oz "YOU" books, we've gotten into exercise patterns a couple of times, and then we always revert back to our old habits.  :)

It's simply about will-power and discipline and we just can't seem to sustain either for more than a few months (sometimes a few days).  If not for hiking, canoeing, and a little bike riding, we might be in terrible condition.  We should at least walk some each day, but we don't even do that.  It's not like we don't have time to exercise or that we are not physically capable.  :)

And as an RVer, it gets even tougher when you start meeting a bunch of people and spending time at RV parks with parties and potlucks and nights out with friends.  There is a lot of peer pressure to eat.

Now with all that said, overall, we still eat healthier than we did when we were working.  The splurges on fattening stuff are less often and we almost never eat fast food or huge, rich meals out.  AND we don't "stress eat" anymore.  :)

We do eat more salads and vegetables.  And we eat more grilled foods.  We eat more fish and nuts which are good for keeping our joints lubricated.

We drink lots of water, almost exclusively water (except Linda has her morning coffee).  Lots of water may be the best thing you can do as it keeps hunger down and flushes your system.  We never did drink much alcohol and even less now (maybe not enough according to some sources).

I can't speak for Linda, but my body always tells me when enough is enough.  If I wake up and my back hurts, it means I've put on too much weight.  If I can't climb a little hill without huffing and puffing, it means I'm not getting enough cardio exercise.  My body usually tells me when I need to kick it in gear and then I do so ... for awhile.

Sure, a consistent regimen is much better than the up-and-down system so many of us are used to.  But I figure small improvements and not letting things get too out of hand are better than nothing.

I wish I could wave a magic wand that makes us all want to eat better and exercise more.  But most of us have developed tastes and habits living in a society that told us we could have whatever we wanted and encouraged us to "feel better now" regardless of the longer-term health consequences.  :)

It's tough.  Self-control, self-discipline, and will-power are what it takes, but there are very few of us that find those things "fun".  :)

So we have empathy with those that struggle on the road with health and fitness.  But when it comes right down to it, none of us has any good excuse for not being healthier.  :)

Rally Update

Late cancellations

Well, we let late rally cancellations slide past the May 10 deadline.  We have refunded full payments less deposits up until now.

But as of today, we can't do that anymore.  All rally payments are now final and no more refunds can be issued.  If you have a special emergency, we'll see what we can do, but the campground, the caterers, the seminar speakers, and everyone else involved has planned based on the final numbers and we are only two weeks away.  :)

Rig Weighing Services

Now, we are pleased to announce that we will be having Stacey & Gail Frank from Weigh-It available to weigh rigs.  This is the wheel-by-wheel weighing we all need.

I spoke with Stacey yesterday.  We will be sharing them with the Heartland Owners Rally going on at the same time.

Stacey tells me he needs a really level spot and we are still working out a location in Branson where we might find that level area.  It might be at ABC (a longshot), it might be at the KOA where the Heartland Rally will be, or it might be somewhere else.  But without a completely level spot, the readings will not be as accurate as we all need.

As soon as we know more, we will let you know so that you may visit them on your way into or on your way out of the rally.  Most folks won't want to leave the campground, go weigh and then come back, but that may be the only option for some.

This service is hard to come by these days, so you'll want to be sure to take advantage of it for the low price of $50 for trailers and tow vehicles or $35 for motorhomes ($50 for motorhomes with tag axles).

We are also going to find a seminar time for Stacey & Gail to come in and give a half hour presentation on weight safety.

Mor-Ryde

We also got word yesterday that representatives from Mor-Ryde (suspensions, pin boxes, trailer brakes) are going to be attending the Heartland Rally and are interested in doing a presentation (and maybe more) at our rally.

We will let you know more on that as well when we work out the details.

Miscellaneous 

We had an RV dealership contact us about bringing some full-timing rigs to the rally to display.  We were excited about that.  But the owner nixed the deal before we got very far due to economic reasons.  Bummer.

We are still working on other last-minute surprises.  :)

Can't wait to see everyone!!!!

 

 

Whew!!  Okay, that's a lot of different stuff for today.  Time to sign off and see what tomorrow holds.  :)

 

Comments

[Sonia]

Cool lizard, Howard. I sure do get a kick out of their amazing colors. And I like the prairie dog/bison photo: quite a pair!

[foxriverguy]

Well, the sight of Linda grinning at that Meers cobbler made me smile in return. Too bad the burgers were not as good as hyped. It is SO easy to make a good burger.

[Judy]

Loved the pics today Howard as always. We had the opportunity of meeting Stacy & Gail this winter while in Casa Granda area. Got together with them at some casual Doubletree RV owners lunches...great people.
southwestjudy

[Bob and Lynda]

Thanks for showing me places I've never been in my home state! We were in Sulphur last weekend but didn't take our rig - 50th reunion planning time and attended an all-school reunion. Anyone else already here in Branson for the rally? We're in site 63.

[A Howeth]

I am sorry to hear that you didn't like the burgers at Meers. I guess it is an acquired taste.

Having camped at he Wichita Mtns wildlife refuge for many years I am overjoyed to read your reviews of a little known part of and Oklahoma. It is a really unique place and one that is well worth visiting. Since you enjoy hiking you might try the hike to Pennington's mine. It is a seldom visited place where the Pennington Brothers had their gold mine during the short gold rush that occurred in the Wichita Mountains. You will have to do a little hunting to find it but it is a nice hike and a very interesting and unique place!

[Tom W]

I'm not surprised at the unimpressive burger. In my opinion, 97% fat free would not only make it rather tasteless but also dry. I'm not advocating fat but once the fat content is down to a certain point the meat needs some additive such as onion soup or steak sauce to give some decent flavor.

[Cindy T]

Hi Howard,
You mentioned that Linda practiced the call of the Vireo, so you'd know it. Where do you learn the differnt bird calls? Are there websites where bird calls can be played? I'd love to know the calls of birds in Colorado, as sometimes I hear them but can't see them, so I don't know what I'm listening to.

[Howard]

Cindy,

There are two websites that we use a lot for birding. Both have sample calls of birds.

The first is All About Birds at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/.

And the second is WhatBird at http://www.whatbird.com/.

We use both sites quite a bit. Hope they help! :)

[Cindy T]

Howard, thank you SO MUCH for these websites! I turned up my speakers & started playing bird sounds - Gaby's going crazy trying to find those birds in the house!

[Bill Beach]

Hey, just wanted to let you know that "world famous" does not mean it taste good, only that people from around the world know about them.