And people say I am full of **** when I say that place is in the middle of the sticks.

No, people said you where full of it because you said it was "crap land" not because it's out in the middle of the sticks. I guess it's crap land for farming, but Chicot isn't a farm it's a state park and a lovely one at that.

I wasn't complaining. I was just reporting. I plan on going back next year if finances allow.

When I was there last year, I did see several wild hogs in the Park, and a few deer.
Where there are hogs, deer, cattle, or coyotes, there will be ticks.
They are just part of the outdoor landscape over many parts of the US.
They can even infest your backyard if you have pets and dont't keep the yard sprayed.
Unfortunately, some of them can carry some nasty microbes.
Sorry that you had to pick up a bug from a bug, Jude.
Glad you are well now.

JB

What disease did you pick up from the tick, Jude?

Don't know. They're doing blood cultures. It doesn't seem like either Lyme or Rocky Mt. but Lyme can be deceptive. We won't know for sure for about a week. It's probably just a bad-ass generic bacterial infection.

Back when I was a kid working on ranches, then in the Rockies working for the US Forest Service, and even when I was on active duty with the National Guard, if I found a tick on my bod I would hold a lit cigarette close enough to warm up the tick but not burn a hole in JB. The tick would eventually let go; head, mouth-parts and all, not leaving anything behind under the skin to cause an infection. A trick taught me by Grandpa. Of course, you had to be smoking the cigarette. So which is worse?
JB