Westward Bound Take II

After the tire was repaired, we continued our journey Westward. We made it on into Oklahoma. We were following a little 2 lane road that came to a stop. As we turned right, this hand painted sign caught our attention.

As we proceeded, Johnny asked if I had seen that sign. "Yes, what was that about?" "I don't know, but I think it might be worth turning around to check out." Did I mention we were on a little 2 lane road...we are pulling a camper...It didn't matter-Johnny still found a way to turn around. So off we go, following the hand painted sign. And not too far down the path, the road turned to dirt-but we kept pressing forward wondering what kind of adventure this was going to be. Eventually, we see this:

We pulled into the parking area (a dirt and grass lot) and joined one other vehicle. Hmmm... We all got out and sheepishly walked toward a building. Around the corner popped a man-gray haired, wearing overalls and holding a few cans of spray paint. We initiated a conversation asking about the place. Turns out, Mr. Johnny worked on a movie set years ago that John Wayne built. He always loved it. Later, he opened an upholstery business on his property and built the outside to mimic an old West theme. He kept adding to the property as the years passed, and it has evolved into a full set. Many movies have used the set over the years. In the next few months one of the Air Bud movies is going to be filmed in part there. Mr. Johnny didn't want a dime, he said he just wanted our family to enjoy his place. He impressed us all with his humbleness and simple acts of kindness. He even walked around a little with us and staged some pictures!

Here are a few examples.

The buildings and structures were so neat. Inside, they were filled with all kinds of antiques and oddities.

 The preacher and his church...

 The teacher and her students...

We really loved this place so much and wanted to support Mr. Johnny's efforts. We made a few purchases in the gift shop and decided to have dinner in the cafe. It turns out, during the entire 19 days, this was our only dinner out! Food is a necessity, not something we travel for! On a side note-for what the average American family pays for a dinner meal while vacationing, we can travel and have adventures for 2-3 days! 

While having dinner in the cafe, Mr. Johnny's wife proceeded to tell us about the "Ten Acre Rock" down the road. Before we left, Mr. Johnny even drew us a map on our to-go box!

So we struck out, further down the dirt path in search of the "Ten Acre Rock." 

And before we knew it, we were pretty sure we had reached our destination. There were no markers or anything pointing the way, we were just trusting our trusty styrofoam box. Johnny managed to get the camper pulled out of the road enough that we could go explore. It was impressive-one rock--ten acres large. We explored the rock as the sun went down. The open sky was so beautiful-indeed a perfect picture of the handiwork of our Creator!

Turns out, following the hand painted sign was a great success. Mr. Johnny made a lasting impression on us all. Again, we just felt like God was directing our path and allowing us to find the coolest places! We drove a little further and stayed the night at a truck stop in Davis, Oklahoma. We just cranked the generator to run the a.c. and rested well. We woke up early and at 7:15 the next morning we headed for our next adventure. Would it meet our expectations or be a huge let down? I'll tell you tomorrow!

Live a Meaningful Life!