If I Were Going...: Florida Circle: Oklahoma

Downtown Oklahoma City

We had one more destination on our trip and this was an important one. We were stopping in Oklahoma to see our youngest daughter, Becca, and her boyfriend, Aaron. Because of the pandemic, it had been almost 18 months since we had seen her.

Aaron and Becca

Since we moved from Texas, we never drive the stretch of highway from Dallas to Oklahoma City. So, because Becca had morning plans, we took a leisurely trip.

First, of course, we stopped to look at those beautiful Indian paintbrushes I referenced in my last post.

Roadside wildflowers

Chickasaw National Recreation Area

Then, we did a very quick drive-through of the Travertine District of Chickasaw National Recreation Area, which sits in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains in south-central Oklahoma. We were blown away by how beautiful the Park was.

Chickasaw National Recreation Area

It's a combination of 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps rustic National Park Service style architecture, forests, hills, springs, streams and lakes.

Chickasaw

The name comes from the Chickasaw Nation, which along with the Choctaw, were moved from the southeast to Oklahoma. In their new home, they found an area that contained natural fresh and mineral springs that they believed had healing powers.

Fearing that developers would turn the springs into a private resort, as had happened earlier at Hot Springs, Arkansas, the Chickasaw sold a 640-acre parcel to the U. S. Government.

Part of the agreement was that admission would never be charged.

Green and cool

The Travertine District, where we were, is like a large city park, three miles long and less than one mile wide. It has swimming holes, springs and a bison pasture. Antelope Springs and Buffalo Springs at the eastern end of the park produce 5 million gallons per day of cool, crystal clear-water and form Travertine Creek which is joined by Rock Creek about 2 miles from its source.

Crystal clear water

Another part of the Park that we didn't visit comprises Lake of the Arbuckles and the prairie and woodland along its shores.

As I mentioned, our drive-through was quick. We stopped at the Visitor Center to ask where we might find some good wildlife to be rewarded with a Barred Owl resting in a tree right in from of the Visitor Center entrance.

A Barred Owl in great light (without twigs)! Magic!

Wow!

Posing in the trees

Sure, we didn't see any of the rest of the Park. But, it was a spectacular Owl.

Barred Owl

This is the same kind of Owl I have photographed at the Colleyville Nature Center and have written about before.

Becca and Aaron

Then, we got to have a brief visit with my lovely daughter.

Becca and Scott

Scott and Aaron played golf and Becca and I walked around downtown Oklahoma City.

Downtown Oklahoma City

We visited Myriad Garden ...

Flowers in the outdoor gardens

... and then walked over to the brand-new Scissortail Park. FYI, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, after which the Park is named, is the state bird of Oklahoma.

Scissortail Park

It was a perfect morning: sunny for the first day in a week, warm, breezy ...

Baby Mallards in Scissortail Park

... and I was with my baby girl ...

Becca and me at Scissortail Park

You couldn't ask for a better day.

Following up with lots of conversation and a nice dinner at Cheever's Café (Quinoa and Avocado Salad -- yum!), it was a great visit.

Home

Then, it was a day's drive back to Colorado that was generally without anything interesting except when we stopped to look at a Coyote (that I didn't get a photo of), only to turn around to see a pair of Swainson's Hawks building a nest ...