The worst part about not having Internet access during a four-day vacation is by the time I finally get around to blogging about the trip, I tend to skim over the details and just hit the highlights. Of course the way I ramble on, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. With that, here are the highlights, with a link to pictures at the end.
Thursday
Departed for Broken Bow, Oklahoma around noon. Original plan called for three vehicles to make the trip: our van (with me, Susan, and our kids), the sister-in-law’s Isuzu Rodeo (with Susan’s sister, Susan’s mom, and our nephew), and the neice’s car (with both neices and a boyfriend or two). When we arrived at my sister-in-law’s house we discovered that the neices wouldn’t be coming until the following day. So, the other two cars hit the highway/turnpike headed for Broken Bow, Oklahoma, some 272 miles southeast.
Arrived at the cabin mid-afternoon; different cabin than we had last time. The old cabin seemed more geared toward indoor entertaining while this one seems more set up for outdoor activities. Don’t get me wrong, we’re still talking four bedrooms and three bathrooms, but the living, kitchen and dining areas were much smaller than last time. Morgan, Susan and I claimed one downstairs bedroom, Liz and Becky claimed the other, while the boys claimed both upstairs bedrooms as their own.
It didn’t take long for everyone to settle in. Within an hour Mason and Dylan were soaking in the hot tub out on the rear deck. Once they were done with that I hooked the Nintendo Wii up in the living room and the boys had a good time beating each other up (virtually).
Friday
Friday morning Mason, Morgan, Susan and myself headed off to Antlers, Oklahoma to visit my Uncle Kenny. Our first official point of business was lunch. We picked up BBQ brisket sandwiches at the Way Station in Snow, Oklahoma. To give you an idea of just how small Snow, Oklahoma is (population 292), my Uncle didn’t pay for lunch. He just put it on his tab. Of course, I wouldn’t try that if I were you; the Way Station is decorated in stuffed animal heads and hides and I suspect if you tried to walk the tab yours might be hanging there next! All kidding aside, the sandwiches were EXCELLENT and although very few of you reading this may ever find yourself in that next of the woods, I highly recommend trying Jim’s brisket sandwiches (with onions and jalapenos) if you do.
With full bellies and tanks of gas we headed back to Uncle Kenny’s in order to see “his backyard” which is a couple hundred acres. The five of us piled into Kenny’s off-road Blazer and hit the trails, climbing rocks, crossing streams and hopping logs where necessary. By the time we had made a lap around his property, Morgan was cranky and ready for a nap. After the women-folk (I’m a cowboy now) went inside for a nap, Mason, Kenny and I hopped on two four-wheelers and set out to see more of his property. Mason started out sitting in front of my on my four-wheeler, but moved to the back after he tired of getting hit in the face by bugs and branches.
After a long day of driving and riding we went back to my Uncle’s house where we hung out for an hour or so. Mason and Morgan napped while the three adults chatted. Eventually we parted ways and went back to the cabin to meet back up with Susan’s family.
Friday night our neices called to inform us that they had changed their mind and weren’t coming to the cabin. This upsetting everyone on a few levels. First of all we were a little upset because we had paid more money this time for a bigger cabin since more people were coming. Personally I was disappointed because the girls like playing cards and I was looking forward to a good poker game this weekend. I guess the biggest reason everyone was disappointed is that I think everyone kind of wanted one last big family vacation before the girls grew up and found other interests.
Saturday
Saturday morning, everybody but me set out once again in search of diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. I did what I normally do; I stayed back, guarded the cabin, soaked in the hot tub, watched the OU game on television, and napped. At one point I drove into Broken Bow and stopped by the casino where I won around $85. I also found as many diamonds as everyone else did who went to the diamond dig so, there ya go.
Saturday night the kids spent more time in the hot tub, playing Wii and watching movies. At some point Becky and Liz drove back into town to check out the casino while Susan and I watched the kids. I went to bed around 9pm, exhausted.
Sunday
We got up, we had breakfast, we cleaned up the cabin, we came home. The end.