Another New Year is upon us, and that’s around the time I decide to head out into freezing cold weather and go camping. Chilly Willy ’24 was a cold one, and I had some things break. Back in ’23, I broke some more stuff, and it wasn’t that cold. Yeah, I think we’re all seeing a pattern here, but let me tell you: This year was totally different!

First of all, I didn’t even take the LJ! That’s right, there’s nothing to break on this adventure because it’s already broken. Boom! It’s a new curve ball. Next up, we were supposed to get 2.5 to 3 inches of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, but that didn’t happen. It was over 4 inches! So the place that we planned to camp looked like this on Wednesday:

But it looked like this Thursday morning:

So there ya go, Chilly Willy. ’25 is off to an awesome start, and I haven’t even left the house in a vehicle I’m not supposed to take off-road! But that’s all right. This is just part of another adventure waiting to be discovered! So, Thursday morning I’m heading out west toward Oklahoma and watching all the ditches filling up and all the bridges over raging water in amazement. The good news is that Jackson made it out of the Ouachitas and over to Beaver’s Bend State Park. We decided that getting on the trail and camping dry was the most important aspect of this trip now.

I have to say that I was really impressed with the state park even with the water high enough to cover some of the lakeside camp sites. There are ample parking per site, all the fire pits are well maintained, the restrooms were clean, and all in all I’d recommend any of the Beaver’s Bend sites. The only way to rent sites here is via the web, so you will need to get the URL off one of the many signs telling you this info. However, it can be a little frustrating trying to book a camp site when cell coverage is a little spotty. That’s a small price to pay for an otherwise wonderful camping experience.

Before all the rain came into the picture we decided that we’d make the first day cruising the Honobia Creek Scenic Route just to check it out. It’s a fun little trail and nothing really technical, but just a really nice, laid back adventure. I would highly recommend it if you want to just get out in the wilderness for a couple of hours and relax. I will say that I don’t necessarily recommend it after 4 or more inches of rain, but it’s just mud and a lot of it. The other thing to look out for is that there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of “Private Roads” in this area. That was a new thing for me. I’m use to running a forrest service road and there being driveway offshoots that are marked with signs and what not, but this was just surrounded buy what looks like a regular dirt road. So, always check your Motor Vehicle Use Map! Always.

All these years later and after countless adventures, I can’t really recall the last time I got to ride shotgun on a trail and just relax. Come to think about it I don’t know if I ever have. I think I’ve spent most of the time worried that I’m going to get people lost or that someone in the group isn’t having as much fun as I hope they are. So, this was a welcome break to start a new year and relaxing was a welcome change. Well, relax and watch the gps to make sure we weren’t hitting private roads out there in the National Forrest. Pretty sure all the people who’ve ridden with me in the past are chuckling because it’s not really a “Matty Adventure” unless I screw up the GPS at least once. Maybe twice. Or more…

Friday turned out to be a beautiful day and I am grateful that I was able to be out there exploring. Didn’t find as many camp sites as I thought we might, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Found a lot of neat places to stop and rest near water, which under normal conditions would have been amazing. For this adventure it was just nice to see the water running and to wonder where it would all end up. I can only assume that the Ouachitas back in Arkansas look very close to what we saw out here.

Another Chilly Willy in the books and it was a great trip. Nothing went according to plan, other than “Drinking Beer & Burning S&%$” which has sort of become a moniker for my camping trips. Sitting around the camp fire and catching up or just sharing solitude, either way it’s a magical time. I believe that is what most people seeking adventures via camping, hiking, day trips, etc. are really after. Just a moment of connection to reflect or to look forward where you can just breathe. Perhaps it’s being 40-something and nostalgic or my father’s passing a few years ago, but I find myself wanting the feeling of calm connectedness. That’s not an easy thing to make time for when you have responsibilities and I think that is what makes the time precious when you do get it.

Thanks for reading the rambles and I’ll see you on the next adventure!