How many times have Dear Husband and I driven to Grand Lake's Langley/Disney area and traipsed across the dam on Highway 28, never knowing that a whole subculture teemed just below us? And, no, I am not speaking of the fish.
I have a really good friend I'll call Shannon, because her name really is Shannon. Actually, Shannon is my guardian angel, because she spiffs up my home every two weeks...and, because I allow her into my inner sanctum, she's family. We "get" each other. Kindred spirits, you might say.
Shannon is married to Joe, who is an awesome mechanic and car body repairman. He owns Collinsville Collision Center, and although this blog was never conceived as a commercial venture, I just have to give Joe a shout out, because he's an honest and hardworking guy, and Dear Husband and I love those kind of people.
One afternoon, while Shannon was mopping my amazingly sticky kitchen floor, Dear Husband was home changing his clothes after a meeting in our fair hamlet. He and Shannon got to talking about a heretofore unknown passion of hers: rock-climbing.
Rocks, jeeps, rednecks, beer - Shannon uttered DH's favorite four words. He just had to see for himself.
So, last Saturday, DH woke up early and did his chores and then he and Bubba-Bear (our son) set out for Disney. Oklahoma...not the place in Florida. They had so much fun, they decided to bring me and Bug (our daughter) back the next day, under the guise that I needed to blog about this experience.
Those who know me will attest to the fact that I am not the least bit outdoorsy. At DH's mention of the concept, I wasn't altogether thrilled with the idea of hanging out on an active spillway. But, seeing as Oklahoma is in a major drought and the chances were fairly low of the dam experiencing an epic fail while everything precious to me was beneath it, I consented to go.
First thing when we got there, we ran into Joe, who was fixing someone's rig. See what I mean? The guy is really, really nice.
Then, we headed down to Shannon and Joe's "Palace on Wheels," which was parked at Hogan's Off-Road, a very cool place owned by Russ Hogan. It's part RV-park (with 100 hook-ups), part off-road repair shop, part mercantile and hot dog stand. The weekend in question is called "Hogan's Big Meat Run" and signals the start of the rock-climbing, off-roading season.
A shout out to Russ as well...as he is super-nice and welcoming, particularly of blogging housewives with perfectly applied makeup who appear to have no business in his particular neck of the woods.
A fish out of water. That was me. And this lady. She's looking way too pretty for rock-climbing:
Shannon insisted on taking me for a ride in her very cool Jeep. It wasn't all souped up and banged up like some of the other rigs I saw hanging around that weekend. Shannon likes to have fun, but doesn't go out there with the intent of tearing her rig up. She said that Jeep stands for "just empty every pocket."
We climbed some very harmless looking rocks and then headed over to another area called Little Blue, where the rocks were much more intimidating. At one point, I felt that I was lying on my side in the Jeep, but it wasn't any more scary than the roller-coasters I've ridden with my crazy sister and cousin.
You come away from the experience with a renewed sense of awe for nature, having seen some beautiful landscape you wouldn't otherwise see if you stayed on the highway. And, you have a sense of wonder at what these vehicles and their drivers are able to do with technology and a little bit of ingenuity.
Yes, there are people out there who qualify for the moniker "redneck." One of the first rigs we watched climb was all tricked out, with Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" blasting out the speakers while it's driver held a beer in one hand, steering wheel in the other, and cigarette hanging from his lip. His neck was officially red.
But, he and his friends weren't hurting anybody. They were hanging out and having fun. And, isn't that what the weekend is all about? Our world would be a much nicer place if people would quit rushing around on the weekends and have more fun. Myself included.
Russ said that there were more than 3,000 people at the Big Meat Run on Saturday. Although they obviously had a good time, the trash was contained in the receptacles, campsites were cleaned up and left better than they were found, and nobody did anything disrespectful. It's a family atmosphere at Hogan's.
Will I run out and get myself a jeep? No. Will I go back to Hogan's with my friends Joe and Shannon? Definitely!
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