Oklahoma: The Trip! Day Two...

Day Two has arrived! We woke up and decided today was the day to head to Arbuckle Wilderness to visit some relatives. (see above picture)

Ha. See what I did there?! I said our family was a bunch of camels! Big, sloppy, in-your-face, drooling, snotty camels! Ha!

Not sure why I thought that was so funny though because doesn't that mean I'm calling myself a camel? Or at least part camel.

Anyway....

...see!! Here's Josh posing with the in-laws! Ok, enough camel jokes.

We still have camel snot/slime on our windows. It's pretty yucky.


Joseph really wanted to see some zebras and giraffes, so I'm glad they had some. These guys were so cool! I've always enjoyed checking out the zebras.

The drive around the park was really nice. I've heard it's not much compared to Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, but it's been so long since I've been there that this seemed fantastic. We were a little nervous starting out because they run for your car, hoping to get fed, and walk any which direction when trying to drive off....especially right in front of the truck.

No animals were harmed in the Arbuckle Wilderness adventure. And, by the way, we drove with our windows rolled up the whole way. I've seen those America's Funniest Home Videos where an ostrich wreaks havoc on the passengers whose window was down. No thank you. I would like my child to grow up with all 10 fingers, eyes and ears intact.

And this sweet little guy was too cute for words. There were a few of them and I really wanted to take one home. Doesn't he just make you want to dig out your pancho and go for a ride?!


Most of the scenery was beautiful and although I know this isn't the wilds of Africa...it was still super cool to see the animals in a natural habitat. Those horns were pretty darn impressive too.


I wish they had more signs along the way telling us what we were seeing. Sometimes there would be a sign but it might be rusted or faded and wasn't readable. Looks like they might be having a problem with funding.


These guys are Josh's favorite. He says if he were a rancher he would raise buffalo. We could train up Joseph to be a buffalo wrangler!




And of course we had to act a fool with the animal cut-outs! That ostrich is pretty darn funny with that grin smeared on his face. The monkey looks pretty funny too. But that gal petting the ostrich is darn crazy!


Ha! It looks like the monkey is getting Joseph!

Run, son!! That monkey is up to no good!


Arbuckle Wilderness also has a small walk-through zoo area. See, here's the deal with Arbuckle Wilderness; it's like the land that time forgot. It's a really cool place, but only because of the animals. The rest of it is kinda dilapidated-looking. It kinda makes me feel like everything is hanging on with one screw. It's dirty, warped, and most of the light bulbs were flickering or turned off. It was kinda creepy...but in a good way! Hahaha...this might be the first time I've ever said "creepy in a good way". Still, we had a nice time and I'm guessing that it's backwoods appearance is what allowed the three of us to be the only crowd. We had the place to ourselves!

We wandered around for a bit and checked out a huge tortoise, some birds, the reptile house, peacocks and some lemur type looking guys (again, would have loved some signage here). With nap time quickly approaching we headed back to the cabin.


After Joseph woke up we went to check out the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Originally known as Sulphur Springs Reservation, and later renamed Platt National Park, the park was established in 1902 through an agreement with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and the federal government. The Chickasaw Nation sold the land to the government in order to protect the unique freshwater and mineral springs along Travertine and Rock Creeks.


It was incredibly beautiful and by far our favorite place of the trip. The park was meticulously maintained and small enough that we could hit all the hot spots before we had to leave Friday.

The geography and history is amazing. This area is in the Arbuckle Mountains which are an ancient mountain range. At their biggest they are thought to have been larger than any present day mountain range (including the Rockies and Mount Everest, etc). That is incredible! Now these mountains have been eroded to 300-500 feet at the highest! We are now seeing deep into the heart of the range and some say this area is one of three true gateways into our geological history, along with the Grand Canyon. Josh and I are really into checking out rock formations and this was a super cool treat for us!

We couldn't wait to get back to hang out longer, but planned to hit Turner Falls the next morning. But it was dinner time and time to get back to the cabin.

Josh even had a little friend that wanted to join us, but we figured in that position he probably wouldn't make it past the car ride...