Eisenhower State Park
Friday – Sunday, October 2, 2026
The scenery is absolutely beautiful up here. This is the farthest north I’ve been in Texas. We are at the Oklahoma border on the Red River and Lake Texoma reservoir.
Even out in the wilderness, it’s hard to get away from noisy neighbors. Camping at a Texas State Park is always a bit of a gamble, but you always hope for the best. You always hope you’re going to get that quiet recluse who spends the day fishing, goes to bed early in the evening, and really just wants to be left alone. I never seem to get that guy though. For me, it’s always a large group of people who have already conquered the land and established a small community in just one short weekend.
This time, we had a youth group of Vietnamese Buddhists who occupied most of the surrounding campsites. They even had an altar set up for their potbellied idol complete with flowers, candles, and other trinkets. They talked extremely fast and extremely loud, and the karaoke machine played way too many Katy Perry songs. And no, I am not xenophobic, I have no fear of Asians, but I do hate every false way. And to be fair, I don’t think Buddha was all that pleased either, as some of his tone-deaf worshippers came around to our campsite asking for starter fluid for their failed fire. We gave them a handful of our tumbleweed fire starters and wished them luck. They were actually very nice. I’m just so sick of noisy neighbors.
We were sandwiched in between the Buddhists and a group of four or five younger guys who spent the night drinking, smoking weed, and also talking very loudly. We awoke early the next morning to the sound of one of them puking. When I walked by their campsite later that day, I noticed one of their cars had 666 as part of their license plate number. I see those all the time (of course I do), but as you well know, that’s another story.
All in all it was a nice trip though. We stayed two nights and it rained almost the entire weekend, but at least it wasn’t hot. When we needed a break from the rain, we hopped in Gwen’s Subaru and toured the area from the car. We crossed the Denison Dam into Oklahoma (so now I can say I’ve been) and we visited the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge which is free and offers a guided tour.
The Subaru and two cuddly dogs
A cave at the bottom of the cliffs. Unfortunately, it was way too slippery to hike down there. Numerous signs are posted throughout the park warning of caving banks.
We arrived at the Oklahoma Crossroad which is located on the other side of the Denison Dam. Built back in the 1940s by German POWs, the dam’s creation caused the flooding of numerous small towns and communities.
The Hagerman Wildlife Refuge
The burn ban was lifted the day we arrived and the rain stopped long enough for a fire both nights we were there. When the neighbors gave pause (for a few seconds anyway), I took a short video of our campfire. You can hear Gwen zipping and unzipping the tent in the background.
On our way home through Dallas, we drove past the spot where JFK was shot. I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and have never been to Dealey Plaza, so this was a first for me. Driving down Elm Street past the grassy knoll and the book depository was quite sobering to me. They even have two white x’s marking the spot on the street where he was shot. I mean, you drive right over them. The book depository still stands and is now called The Sixth Floor Museum. I’ll have to go back one of these days and take the actual tour.
The time has almost come for the arrival of my wintering eagles.
