Weekend Refuge

Michael has been itching for a road trip (an off-road trip to be exact) to take his new 4Runner and get the heck out of town. We did just that on Saturday, driving a couple of hours away to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.

This is one of my favorite places in Oklahoma, not only for it's understated beauty, but also because it's near Medicine Park, a tiny little town with tons of charm where someday I will own a hand-built cobblestone cabin.

But this trip wasn't for daydreaming about vacation homes, it was about eating a famous Meers hamburger, getting up-close-and-personal with a herd of buffalo, and taking Gray on his first hike. Here are some of the highlights:

Locked and loaded...ready for adventure! 

We drove the backroads instead of the interstate and had a great view of an awesome windfarm that went on as far as you could see. Grayson couldn't get over the "big fans making batteries." 

Michael so desperately wanted to go off-roading, but since the national refuge doesn't really allow that, he had to settle for this nicely manicured gravel road somewhere outside of Meers, OK. It wasn't much, but it made him happy.

Getting ready to eat one of the best burgers of my life. If you're ever in Meers, OK, this former gold mine turned burger joint doesn't look like much, but is a must-eat, I mean see.  

Next, we stopped at the Parallel Forest (aka a Cedar Plantation on the edge of the refuge). These trees were originally planted to provide wood for fence posts, but were never harvested and have grown to create a cedar forest in perfect rows with six-foot spaces in-between.  

Doing a little rock hoppin' 

Grayson learned about Prairie Dogs at the refuge nature center. He thought they looked like bunny rabbits, perhaps mixed with some squirrel.  

Daddy and Gray outside the nature center 

We hiked about a mile to an area called 40-foot hole. Gray did really well considering the terrain. He eventually had to ditch the apple so he could navigate some rocks. 

Takin' a break at the 40-foot hole. 

This was part of the trail we hiked. Michael had to carry Gray up and down this section since it was pretty difficult for him to climb. I couldn't bear to watch (since I worried Gray would fall or Michael would break an ankle), so I just stayed in front of them and ignored the whole situation.

The trail ran next to a river for most of the way and Grayson asked if we could stop and "watch the water." That's my boy. It was a nice place to relax and enjoy the beautiful day. Gray also got to use the collapsible drinking cup that daddy packed, which was a highlight of the hike for him.  

Some of many buffalo we encountered. And no, there isn't a fence between the herd and the road where we're standing (about 30 feet away). 

Finally, we drove to the top of Mount Scott. Here's the view from one side.  

King of the Mountain! This is the tallest point on Mount Scott, elevation 2464 ft.)