Drive North Spring 2019

While in Tucson, I had decided I would try for the second time to qualify for the US Senior Women's Open tournament, now in its second edition. Hypothetically there would be more spots for qualifiers, because for the inaugural event last year many retired LPGA players received exemptions. Those that didn't play well last year were expected to decline to attend this year freeing up some space for younger seniors. The tournament was going to be played earlier this year, than last, so qualifying also had to be held earlier. After evaluating all the possible qualifying sites and dates, I decided to go to Columbus,Ohio, again, though unfortunately it was not going to be at the same course as last year. 

I had a pretty tight schedule planned in order to make it there in time for a practice round prior to the tournament after wanting to stay in Tucson for the Golf Tracks Fun Day. 

My first day on the road, Tuesday, April 16th, the longest one I had scheduled, figuring while I was fresh, I may as well put some miles behind m. I made it to Albuquerque, New Mexico and stayed at the Cracker Barrel, enjoying dinner and breakfast there. I was the only camper there overnight. 

The following day I stopped at The Big Texan in Amarillo, Texas for lunch. The truck/trailer parking lot was pretty full. I had enjoyed my meal on a previous visit so decided to return. They did not disappoint me. I had planned on trying to make it to Oklahoma City, but there was severe weather in Oklahoma that day and I was a bit afraid of the storm, which could have included large hail. Listening to the radio and being unfamiliar with the various counties in the state, I wasn't sure where it was in relation to me. I looked at some weather radar as well, both on my phone and on the television at a truck stop. It seemed to be following me and somewhat to the north. Along the way my check engine light came on, never really a good thing. I stopped at a couple extra gas stations to inquire with the locals about the weather and to see if turning off the truck and starting it again would clear the light, but it didn't. No one wanted to advise me one way or the other on the weather. Given the unpredictable nature of storms I can't blame them. I found a nice campground that was listed in Passport America called Bobcat Creek RV Park in Sayre, Oklahoma and pulled in for the night. It just so happened that a short way down the road from the campground was a Ford dealership. The following morning I took Ann, my truck, in there and in a couple hours and for a couple hundred dollars the light was off. They said a sensor and the process got stuck while the exhaust filter was being cleaned and if I hadn't had it fixed there I could have run into some quite serious problems in the near future further down the road. While the work was being done I was driven to the nearby Denny's restaurant, where I had a nice leisurely brunch. At the next table were a couple who I learned were travelling by motor home and generally frequented KOA campgrounds (they had the directory with them and were making reservations for that evening). We had a nice chat. I was able to alert them to some money saving options for camping that they were not aware of. 

Dealing with the truck problem caused me to set out for the day a little later than planned. Thankfully I didn't have a very long drive ahead of me as I was heading to Springfield, Missouri to visit with my coach/friend Lisa Tinkler from Loyola. Upon my departure I let her know I would be later arriving and that was fine with her. When I got there they had already gone out to dinner and were home again, but I hadn't. We ended up going to get some groceries she needed for a staff party the following day, so I picked up some frozen "Steamers" and used her microwave to cook them and eat, while she prepared her food (deviled eggs and such) for the party. We had a nice visit and caught up on things. I had asked her to pick me up three custard concretes (sort of like a Dairy Queen Blizzard but with frozen custard instead of soft serve ice cream) so I had part of one for dessert and put the rest in my freezer for later. I had also shipped some items I had wanted to purchase, but had procrastinated about, so sending them to her place allowed more time for delivery. I was happy to get to pick those items up. 

The following morning I headed out for Effingham, Ilinoise. On the way there I remembered that I had been trying to make contact with the Jewish community in Columbus, because Saturday night was the second Passover Seder. I called Jewish Columbus and the director there was able to get me invited to a nice Jewish home for the Seder.  I stayed at another Cracker Barrel. The truck and trailer were both running well. 

RV Parking at Cracker Barrel, close enough to the hotel to connect to their WiFi!

Saturday morning I headed to Columbus, Ohio. I was going to camp at the fairgrounds as I had last year. Getting in there and setting up went easily. On the way to the Seder I stopped by the golf course to make sure I knew where it was and to see how the greens were running. 

The family I visited made me feel very welcome. There were 13 of us around the table, Mom (a bit younger than I am), Dad, their three grown children with their spouses/significant others, one grandson, one mother and an aunt with her husband. The Seder ceremony and meal was very much similar to what I had grown up with. I was interested in learning about them and they were as well about me. They had some wait staff on hand to help out. The appetizers and soup were served at the table. The main course and dessert were served buffet style.

Sunday was the practice round. I played with the other Canadians. Both of them had their spouses caddying for them.

In the year of my birth, nearly 55 years ago
they hosted a prestigious tournament. 

The clubhouse was large and stately.

Monday, I wasn't thinking very smartly on the first hole of the qualifying round and tried to hit the green on the long up hill par 4 in two, rather than laying up. Unfortunately my shot, which was pin high missed the green a bit to the right, took a really bad bounce into the green side bunker and came to rest in a terrible lie near the back edge of the bunker. I ended up taking a big number on the hole, from which I couldn't recover. I'll remember to play more conservatively on the first few holes at the next qualifier or multi day tournament I play. All that was going through my head when I found myself in a relatively good position after my drive was, "G-d hates a coward."

The golf was done by mid afternoon, so I was able to play tourist and decided to visit the Ohio Statehouse, which was built from 1838-1861. Admission is free and they have a self guided audio tour. I didn't have much time before they closed, but I was able to see it all and take a few photos. 

Intricate vaulted ceiling with stain glass window.

State Crest in stained glass. 

Outdoors they have quiet a few gardens and monuments of varying ages on the grounds. This one was the most meaningful for me. 

Holocaust Memorial.

The following day I returned to my summer seasonal campsite in Dunnville, Ontario. It was nice to get back to my own country. I didn't have any trouble crossing the border. The campground was quite wet and soft. The weather forecast was for more rain.