That certainly has a whole new meaning for us, especially since this week we have gone through several Oklahoma style severe thunderstorms - in a 27' camper.i can assure you there is not a great deal of comfort being in a trailer when the winds (gusts or not) are 50-70mph and the whole trailer is continually shaking and swaying. That was Monday night at Supply Lake. I laid awake all night (as if there was anything I could do) imagining the worst of course and frightened of it too. Bruce, on the other hand, snored through most of it, waking periodically to ask if the front had passed, safe in the knowledge that if anything important happened I would let him know. Hazel, on the other hand, stayed awake with me, though she showed much more visible signs of the stress. When we left the next morning, there were several trees down in just our little area. I was thankful nothing fell on us. Note to self, make sure no dead or dying trees are around our camp site when we pull in or find a different site.
The drive Tuesday was not too bad, until we reached El Reno west of Oklahoma City and started to see first hand some of the recent tornado devestation. What was left of buildings had been scattered like pick up sticks by a child throwing a tantrum, mangled metal roofing was still on some businesses but additional pieces that had been shredded and tossed haphazardly were visible in many road side farm fields, mixed in with the crops and other detritus. Then we turned south down I-35 and through the west edge of Moore. The little we saw brought tears to my eyes. Even Bruce commented that the tornado did damage different than he expected, everything broken into bits and tossed around. It was like seeing the aftermath of Mt. St. Helen, everything completely smashed, pushed over flat like matchsticks, complete devestation of buildings in swaths. Give me a hurricane any day.
We are currently camped at Buckhorn Area campground (again) in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area near Sulphur, OK. We got here early Tuesday, set up, my sister Terrie came down for an overnight visit and we avoided bad weather until early the next morning when the edge of a storm north of us brushed by. That has not been the case the last two nights. We have had severe thunderstorms with terrible thunder and lightening . Being surrounded by forest seems to dampen the wind sounds but doesn't make me feel any safer. I still lie awake with Hazel seeing the flashes, hearing the rumbles and waiting on the tornado I hope never comes, all while Bruce still sleeps. Today one of the locals said not to worry here that since tornadoes bounce off the hills but travel through flatlands, we were ok since we were in the Arbuckles. The host said you just get used to it. Right, that will certainly help my sleeplessness and ease my tornado anxiety. The forecast does say tonight should be better as should the rest of the weekend, but of course it won't help us as we are leaving tomorrow. Isn't that always the case? We are heading towards home, and they are getting the first tropical storm in the first week of this year's hurricane season. We must be snake bit.
Tomorrow we are off to Minden, LA just outside of Shreveport. Think we may shorten our reservation there and leave Sunday rather than Tuesday, getting us home by Thursday at the latest. We still have a stop or two but I am ready to be home so I can lie awake in my own bed listening to the storms blowing in the wind. Later...
