Headed East: Highway 40, Here I Come!

When my flight to London was canceled, I wasn’t sure what to think about the summer to come. Packing my backpack and heading across the pond to explore England and Scotland had been my agenda since I had booked my early cheap tickets back in October. This was the first time in 11 years of my learned ninja skills in regards to saving money to travel, that it truly bit me in the butt to book early. Something called Covid-19 had had her way with me. This edging to travel teacher, officially on summer break, had no where to go.

So what now? Flying just didn’t seem intelligent. So maybe a road trip? I mean, I had done it before. Back in 2010, I had packed my car and headed west. That had turned into an unplanned month of awesome; from the jaw dropping views of the west coast, to the memorable hikes of Yosemite, Sedona, Zion, and The Grand Canyon. But, where to this time? HMMM.

That’s when I got an invite to a friend’s birthday celebration at a lake house in Oklahoma. I looked at the map. Saw it was close to HWY 40. Then it hit me! Yes!

6/12

The lake house, propped up perfectly alongside the shoreline of Eufaula Lake, with the beautiful views of the Oklahoma hills, a lush canvas of forest green, was divine. The deck became my morning retreat.

The hammock my evening sanctuary.

6/13

I even spent a day at Eufaula State Park, hiking, taking in the quaint cuteness of it's nature center, and even getting in some beach time to cool off from the heat of the day.

6/14

As the weekend celebration came to an end, I packed up my car once more with giddy anticipation. I knew what lay ahead. Those Oklahoma hills I had looked at all weekend, would slowly transform into Arkansas and The Ozark Mountains. Those mountains await! Highway 40, here I come!

I set my map quest two hours North East and hit the road to awesome. As I crossed the state line, just the drive into Arkansas put my solo soul at ease. As my car pushed up and down the highway into the Ozark Mountains, the view before me became lush, a never ending green canopy, clashing beautifully with the blue skies above. I couldn't wait to hit my first state park!

Devil’s Den was a perfect way to start what had now officially become my summer hiking road trip. After a quick lunch in the shade of a beautiful camping area, I hit the trails. From creek side views, to waterfalls, to lookout points along mountainous vistas, I was in hiker heaven. The diversity made me keep longing for more, but after exploring 3 trails, the sun began to start hiding behind the mountain side. I stretched my tired but happy soul and hit the road to my first Airbnb in Ozark.