Cherokee Nation: Sequoyah State Park, OK 6/18/08

Well, we were both exhausted and slept in until 10:00 this morning! By the time we left the campsite and moseyed on out it was close to 11:30. Mmm, this meant a slight adjustment in plans, most likely picking a different destination for the night. We also decided to drive some scenic back roads and possibly do a side trip to the Cherokee Heritage Museum. Driving thru the Ouachita National Forest (slightly lower than the Ozarks) was beautiful. I caught some really gorgeous photos, but decided not to post it tonight on account of something else that came up. (Keep reading). At about 3ish we entered Oklahoma, made a quick stop to the Visitors Center, and decided to definitely take the side trip to Tahlequah, which is pretty much the seat of the Cherokee Nation. I really wanted to see the detailed exhibit and learn about the “Trail of Tears.” We took an absolutely gorgeous road through rolling hills that followed creeks, rivers and lakes. I had no idea that Eastern Oklahoma was this gorgeous. We got to the museum at about 4:00. The host let us in for free (on account of it being only open for another hour) as long as we promised not to take any photos. I loved this museum and learned so much! For example, the written Cherokee language is based on a syllabary and not an alphabet; it was developed by Sequoyah in the early 1800’s; the forced migration involved 16,000 people of which more than 4,000 died; and the beloved Will Rogers is Cherokee and from this area. The individual stories of the migration were so sad, but what really brought tears to my eyes is the resilience of the Cherokee people. The museum also focused on the aftermath of the migration and how the different tribes assimilated and rebuilt their nation. I was also impressed with the emphasis on education, especially among the women. Very inspiring. My friend Julia Bushyhead is from this area and suggested we visit a Braum’s to get an almond chocolate shake and be sure to try out the local chicken fried steak. (Julia, if you’re reading this, duly noted – both were accomplished. Ned especially loved the shake). We drove to a nearby campground (Sequoyah State Park), which is about 30 minutes from Tahlequah and right on Gibson Lake. We pulled in around 6:30 or so and much to our surprise almost every campground was flooded! Apparently, there has been a lot of rain in Kansas, which has put a strain on the rivers in Oklahoma. (We’ve been blessed with great weather so far. I know the floods have hit other areas, but we only saw rain in the Great Smokey’s and a few drops at Balmorhea, Tx). This lake is based on a series of upstream dams and they are overloaded. We spoke with the local ranger and for every foot of water they let out of the first dam it translates to 10 extra feet here. They are now 24 feet above normal. Check out the picture of the campground sign. Needless to say ALL the camping sites were under water (completely submerged), including picnic tables, electric boxes, and grills. The ranger took us to an alternate campground, which is totally empty except for us - and about 200 Canada geese. Most of the campsites are underwater, but there were 1 or 2 where the electrical boxes still worked. Tomorrow we connect up with Route 66 out of Tulsa. (We are about an hour from there). Tonight, we are pouring over several maps and tourist books to figure out just what to see – so many road stops and options! We are anticipating a long 7-8 hours in the car so hopefully we’ll get up a little earlier tomorrow!