Independence Day

July 4, 2007: Lake Ouachita

It was so nice to not have to break down the tent and drive in the car this morning, instead, we decided to go on a hike around the peninsula at Lake Ouachita. The hike was about five miles and the cool morning air was perfect. We walked along shale stone beaches, treaded carefully through patches of poison ivy and scared the daylights out of a few deer. The rocks at Ouachita were really cool as they had quartz interwoven in them and Sara decided to add about ten pounds to her frame by carting them around with her during the hike. The spiders didn’t fair so well as Sara inadvertently destroyed their homes one after another as we meandered down the trail. At one point the sun shone upon her and she had a cape of translucent threads following her. Finally, a stick came to her aid as she swung it feverishly in front of her along the trail. She looked like a little kid deep in imaginative play fighting an evil intruder…ahhhhh the Kodak moments!

After our morning hike, we decided to take a swim in the lake and chill on the “beach” for the afternoon. The water was beautiful, until you got out that is. I think we smelled worse after and there was certainly some sort of filminess that resonated. The evening was approaching and showers were in order because we were pretty rank at that point. A 15-minute shower prevailed and multiple cream rinse applications followed and our hair was still like straw…thanks Lake Ouachita!

Another dinner of chicken kabobs and potatoes was ready to be cooked and tonight I was on fire duty. One starter log…check. Various sizes of sticks…check. Several firewood logs…check. Matches…check. Okay, nothing was going to stop me from getting this fire going, or so I thought. I lighted the fire starter log and prepared the twigs to for ignition when I suddenly had a shadow of a young boy in my midst. I looked up and there he was, Bradley, standing in his prepubescent awkwardness and exhibiting all the lack of manners as has become “acceptable” today. I glanced over at his parent’s fire and saw it blazing and thought that perhaps he had some secret fire knowledge that might help Sara and me to get our puny little smoke pit into a roaring blaze. I asked if he wanted to help and he quickly accepted.

For the next 30-40 minutes, I tried my best to remain calm and collected as Bradley repeatedly snuffed out my baby flames by trying to ignite pinecones and the like, what a pain in my ass. I finally managed to get a few flames going and quickly thanked Bradley for his help while shooing him back to his own campsite. It only took about two hours to prepare dinner that night as the fire was either burning too hot or not enough, another evening of Kelly and Sara versus the fire gods…they won.

Tomorrow we head out to Sequoyah Bay, Oklahoma. “Ooooooooklahoma where the wind goes sweeping down the plains….” Here we come OK, brace yourself, Team Dufus has a new route!