The city of Pauls Valley in Oklahoma runs a campground at Longmire Lake. It is the cheapest full hookup site we have been to yet. For $20 a night we had electric, water and sewer. Wow! We have paid $20 a night for no hookups what so ever. The fee also included fishing and boating permits. What a deal! We decided two weeks here was a good idea. The actual campsite we had wasn’t the prettiest we have ever stayed at, but it also wasn’t the worst. The lake itself was really pretty. Murphy and I spent a lot of time at the lake during the first week of our stay. There were catfish galore, and bass jumping out of the water every morning. Too bad Aaron and I do not have fishing pole with us. We decided it would get very expensive to get a fishing license for each of us in every state we visit.
The campground was never full, for most of the week it was just us and the camp manager. That was really nice. Murphy got wet and dirty every day and loved it.
The second week, Aaron and Murphy brought me to the airport so that I could spend a week in Iowa with my mom, brother, and his family, visit my dad, and take him to his doctor’s appointment. My flight was so delayed in Chicago, that my brother decided driving the 2 hours from where the flight was going and then the 3 hour drive back to Iowa was going to be faster and easier than waiting for hours upon end for my flight to finally take off. So he and I had some bonus brother-sister time in the car.
Things went well at my dad’s appointment. Mom and I went on a few adventures. The highlight of this trip (besides seeing my family) was our trip to Pella, Iowa. Pella is a Dutch settlement and has a tulip festival every year. We went on the tail end of the tulip bloom and festival, so we missed some of the flowers, but there were still plenty of beauties for us to enjoy. We also took a nice break in a local soda shop/restaurant and a a real cherry Coke. They got my name spelled completely wrong, but the drink was delicious!
We also went to a Mennonite owned nursery to buy some flowers for Mom’s beautiful gardens. It was the week before Mother’s Day, and although I wasn’t going to be there on Mother’s Day, we decided to celebrate a little early together. I honestly do not remember the last time she and I were able to celebrate Mother’s Day together. I took her out for a wonderful steak dinner with a beautiful view of the Mississippi River and decedent chocolate cake for desert. It was very, very special for us to celebrate being mothers together. We also really enjoyed watching a mam bird take care of her hatchlings in a nest that she built on the side of Mom’s house.
While I was in Iowa having a great time, Aaron was not having such a great time. Week two at Longmire Lake was not as fun as week one. There is a component on our AC unit called a soft start. It helps keep the energy consumption down when the AC initially kicks on. Well, Aaron and Murphy were sitting on the couch when Aaron heard a loud pop, and the camper started to fill with smoke. The fire alarm was screeching, the dog was freaked out. Aaron kept his head, hit the battery disconnect button, grabbed the fire extinguisher, ran outside and unplugged the trailer. The soft start had caught on fire. The fire also melted the AC cover enough to misshape it. I am so grateful that he kept a cool head and was able to put the fire out before ut damaged anything besides the AC unit.
Airstream was great about resolving the issue. They rush shipped a new unit to the closest Airstream dealership to us, which happened to be the one in Dallas-Fort Worth. They set up an appointment for us to get it replaced, and it was all covered under warranty. Poor Aaron and Murphy did have to go without AC for almost a week. I got back two days before the repair, so I didn’t have to deal with it as long as they did. Luckily, in a way, it was rainy and overcast, so the heat was not too bad. I got home that Saturday, and Sunday was Mother’s Day and moving day. Luckily, our next spot was about an hour and a half from the Airstream dealership, so we wouldn’t have to drive far to get a new AC put on.
On Mother’s Day, we arrived at Chisholm Trail Ridge in a downpour of rain. It was OK, we weren’t going to unhook the trailer anyway since we ere going to have to hook it again in a day to head to Dallas for the repair. Aaron and I had very different experiences this time around. I am grateful for mine, and grateful for Aaron being safe, and our home on wheels not burning to the ground.
Wandering Cindi 
Go Aaron go! How scary! So did he have to get on the roof with the fire extinguisher? If so do you carry a ladder? And did you have any smoke damage inside? So relieved that everyone and Murphy’s Law are okay. Amelia
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We do carry a collapsible ladder. He did get up on the roof, but didn’t have to use the fire extinguisher. Once the electricity was off, the fire stopped, luckily. No smoke damage inside. Just a funky burnt electrical smell, that is mostly gone now.
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