TravelingMorgansBlog Working our way around the contiguous 48 states in our RV.

Heavener OK has a Runestone. It was apparently carved by Vikings hundreds of years before Columbus sailed. The interpretations vary. The date 11-Nov-1012 was an early interpretation. GLOMEDAL (Valley of Glome) is the more recently accepted interpretation, with an estimated carving date before 900AD. Other Runestones have been found in the area. A book called In Plain Site has other examples.

If you are in Eastern Oklahoma, stop in Heavener and see what may be the oldest carving in the United States that was not carved by a Native American.

One of the best full hook up campsites we have stayed at is a National Forest Service Campground near Heavener OK at Cedar Lake.

The Flint Hills of Kansas are beautiful and have the reputation of being the best preserved prairie in the United States.To my way of thinking, Custer State Park in South Dakota, with its herd of 1500 buffalo (bison) is a better example of preserved high prairie at this time.

Driving a 4WD through a herd is a unique experience, especially when your little dog starts barking at them from the “safety” of her car seat.

The Missouri River cuts South Dakota in two from North to South. South Dakotans refer to themselves as West River or East River. This is as good a definition of where the west begins as it gets. The climate gets drier after you cross the river going west.