Star-Kissed

I had been driving for almost six hours and already had been pulled over for speeding, driven through a small blizzard, and now was in the middle of the blackest night and was afraid I might not ever find the Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast.  But, there it was.  Two small wooden signs pointed the way, and there was light in the middle of the mesa silhouettes on the star-speckled sky.

Two resident dogs and one familiar one greeted me as I pulled in the gravel drive.  Several cats scrambled for cover as my dogs bounded out of the car, ready for solid ground after the long journey.  Loving arms of my Rocky Mountain Man welcomed me.  This was the start of a three-day weekend where we would learn what it means when your feet stink, how to take a lesson from a duck, and what life is like where the stars reach down and kiss your nose.

Loco (above)  and Star (below)

We chose to stay at the Black Mesa Bed and Breakfast because they were dog-friendly.  Between my sweetheart and I, we brought three dogs to join the two resident dogs and eight resident cats.  Star and Loco announced my late-night arrival and were eager to meet their new guests.  We stayed in one of the bunkhouses, that we later discovered used to be the chicken coop.  There was a cozy outhouse and beautiful views of the surrounding mesas on all sides.  A fair warning was given at the time of the reservation to fill up the gas tanks at the last town - about 30 miles away, depending on your approach.  This truly was the middle of nowhere.

backyard of the B&B

Trail to the summit of Black Mesa

Vicki and Monty Joe are the owners of the B&B.  They decided to open up their home for guests 17 years ago because they needed the extra income.  Between the family portraits on the wall of the bunkhouse, the colorful and mismatched towels in the outhouse, and the insistence upon gentlemanly manners at the breakfast table - I could have sworn we were staying at a great-aunt's house.  We unknowingly made the mistake of eating our breakfast outside on the first morning, but I promise we won't make that mistake twice.  Breakfast was a family affair, preceded by a brief blessing from Monty Joe. 

The weather was as gorgeous as a February weekend in Oklahoma could be.  We hiked with the pups to the top of Black Mesa to reach the highest point in Oklahoma at 4,973 feet above sea-level.  It was my first high-point summit.  Once we reached the top of the plateau, we spent the rest of the afternoon taking pictures, lounging on the rocks at the edge, watching the Chihuahuan ravens, and reading the journal entries in the log book by the high-point monument.  Apparently, last summer was very "grasshoppery", according to the hikers' notes.  It was a holiday weekend, but the only people we saw was a couple that we passed as we were almost back to the car at the end of the 8-mile out-and-back trail.  Otherwise, it was just the two of us, the dogs, and an abundance of mountain bluebirds.

View from the front porch of the B&B

My sweetheart and I sat in the homemade swing on the front porch of the B&B that evening, sharing Oklahoma wine, Colorado cheese, and dark chocolate and reflecting upon an incredible day.  As the swing gently swayed, the sky competed with the landscape, showing off her brilliant colors.  We watched until the mesas swallowed the sun and the cholla cacti faded from a temporary pink back to olive then black.

Looking over the edge of Black Mesa

That weekend, we got to spend many hours being entertained by our hosts.  They regaled us with stores of their brief courtship and Monty Joe's unwaivering tolerance.  Monty Joe was born without a temper.  He told us that when his kids were young, he would tell them to "take a lesson from a duck" - let it roll off their backs.  His father was the same way.  When his mother had pushed him far enough, all he would say is, "Your feet stink," and she knew to back off.  They owned 700 acres and now lease some of the land to cattle ranchers.  They shared stories about the cowboys that were always polite, but Vicki warned that they weren't the best men to date.  Monty Joe said that the cowboys always have a beer in one hand and a girl in the other.  "Well, one out of two ain't bad," Vicki retorted. 

We could have stayed another week, just listening to their stories and enjoying the solitude of the panhandle.  Between spotting juvenile golden eagles and walking in dinosaur tracks, the memories from that weekend create a happy place for my mind to drift.  I didn't even mind when Vicki hollered for me like she was calling the pigs to slop when I was late for breakfast one morning because I was chasing my dog that was chasing her cats.  "Nan-CYYYYY!"  Maybe it was the company I was with, our hosts, the weather, the bluebirds, or the homemade prickly-pear jelly, but I can't wait to go back.

Pronghorn elk

100 Adventures - Part 2

The challenge to experience 100 Adventures in 2012 culminated with one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever experienced.  The combination of terrain, time of year, and weather were the perfect recipe.  Long overdue, here is Part 2 of the 100 Adventures:

We started our journey when the moon was still a bright sliver in the early morning blackness.  Our little group was headed to SE Oklahoma to hike Horsethief Springs in the Ouachita Forest.  The trail is an 11-mile loop, which was ambitious for our meandering ways on a short, November day.  Plus, our adventures almost always include detours, and this one would be no exception.

2nd Largest Pine Tree in Oklahoma

The scenic drive took us though Wilburton, so we decided to swing by Robbers Cave State Park to visit the 2nd Largest Pine Tree in Oklahoma.  I've done a bit of online research since then, trying to find the 1st largest pine tree in Oklahoma, but with no success.  There were some shaggy mane mushrooms in various stages of autodigestion there.  If I would have known what they were at the time, we could have eaten them.  Since my foraging skills are a bit lacking, we left them alone.

Robbers Cave State Park

Our route continued along the Talimena Drive.  We had driven the entire 54-mile scenic drive two weeks earlier to catch the fall foliage, and the color was even more brilliant now, although some of the trees had already dropped their leaves on this blustery day.  We turned off the drive and stopped at Cedar Lake where we could pick up the trail.  There, we ran into friends who were camping and backpacking for the weekend.  We were invited to share lunch with them, but we now had about five hours of daylight remaining, despite our early start.  That tends to happen often when you take the scenic routes and stop for photographic opportunities along the way.  The journey is definitely at least as important as our destination on these adventures.

October 27, 2012

November 10th, 2012

December 29th, 2012

Talimena Scenic Drive

Horsethief Springs Trail took us through tall pine trees and red and gold deciduous trees.  We crossed a few semi-dry creek beds and climbed uphill to join up with the Ouachita Trail for a mile or so.  We passed through areas recovering from recent fires and dense new-growth pine groves.  One section of trail turned lush green with healthy grasses among rockslides.

Along the top ridge of the Ouachita Mountains, the trail became deep in colorful leaf litter.  I spotted a walkingstick among the leaves on the trail.  It was cleverly camouflaged with its surroundings, displaying the same fall colors as the leaves it consumed.  Once the first one had been spotted, then we started seeing them EVERYWHERE.  It was most definitely mating season for them, as they gathered in large, amorous groups.  It was difficult to walk, since they seemed to cover every foot of trail and tree.  I later discovered that there is an extreme infestation of them in the Ouachita Mountains, and their leaf consumption can kill the oaks and other hardwoods that they live among.  We unknowingly transported several along the trail, as we each caught one or more hitching free rides on our pant legs.


Our pace increased as we reached the halfway point and could see the sun getting lower in the sky.  It was impossible not to stop for breathtaking views of the colorful treetops as we peeked past the pines and into the hillside below.  Thankfully, the last three miles or so were mostly downhill, so we just had to be careful not to trip on the plentiful rocks that were on the path as we admired the beauty around us.

Just as the sky was changing from orange to pink to dark blue, we temporarily lost the trail.  As much as I had desired to spot a bear or cougar, I really didn't want to spend the night with them, exposed in the cold forest.  We backtracked until we spotted trail markers again and made it back to the car just as the last bit of light dwindled.


We had to make a quick stop back at the Cedar Lake campground, just to let our friends know that we survived the hike and covered more than ten miles in five hours flat, while still stopping to enjoy it.  Declining the camp food buffet, we chose to grab some gas station diner food on the way back home.  The sliver of moon guided the car as we journeyed back - exhausted, legs aching, and thrilled with the sights from the 100th adventure of 2012.

Just in time!

Where will your adventures take you this year? 

100 Adventures - Part 1

When I first came to the realization that there are more than 100 weekend days in a year, I was surprised.  Shocked, really.  Can it be true that almost 1/3 of the year is weekends?!?  Add holidays to that and that's a lot of free days.  Free.  Carefree.  Free to do whatever I please.

Adventure #4:  Kayaking with loons and eagles at Lake Murray

This is the thought that spurred the "100 Adventures" challenge.  Why shouldn't we have 100 adventures in a year, since we have all of these days at our disposal?  Challenge accepted.

#30:  Spanish Canyon hike

Now, let me lay down some rules.  It has to be 100 different adventures.  The rope-wall yoga class at Yoga Home of Therapeutics where we hang upside-down suspended in our make-shift harnesses in downward dog and child's pose can only be counted as an adventure the first time.  The outdoor yoga class at Urban Agrarian, where we sometimes had to surrender the yoga mats to the Oklahoma wind, is another adventure - but only to be counted once, no matter how many times we greet the sun in salutations on the concrete pad outside the local food market.  

#38:  "Spokeswomen" at the Friendship Plant and Seed Exchange

There are some grey areas in the rules, too.  How many different adventures can you have in a single day, or on a single vacation?  When we played in and on the Blue Whale in Catoosa, posed at the Totem Pole Park in Foyle, hitched a ride on a stranger's boat on Grand Lake, and hiked at Natural Falls State Park; how many adventures should that count for?  One.  It was all on the same roadtrip.  The week spent kayaking in the Alaska wilderness and exploring glaciers was just one big adventure.  The day that I rode with the "Spokeswomen" on our inaugural bike ride to brunch in dresses with flowers on our handlebars, then later hiked to the Spanish Canyon with another friend, that counted as two separate adventures.  Basically, if there was a break in between, and maybe a wardrobe change, then I think they count as individual adventures.  Most days, the adventures all blended into one big mass of good times.

#47:  Eclipse at the Tallgrass Prairie and hike at Osage Hills State Park

#54:  Mani-pedi day with my niece

Of course, there are Family Days of Obligation, as my large, mostly-used-to-be-Catholic family refers to them.  The nieces and I had a few adventures of our own, but regular family get-togethers to see who is taller, compare who has the bigger belly or butt, and see how far we can revert to our pick-on-our siblings childhood ways - probably not really an adventure.  In other words, the adventure must be FUN.  I understand that these Family Days of Obligation, or regular obligations of life, might cut into these 100 weekend days, so weekday adventures are required.

#60:  Martin Park with the nieces

What adult has time for all of these adventures?  Well, I've never been accused of being an adult, so I don't know.  Make time.  It's important to my mental health to have a more-than-normal amount of playtime in the sun.  You may not personally require quite as much vitamin D, or quite the same level of adrenaline, or quite the travel distance to get to your places of adventure.  Maybe it is just a 30-minute swinging session in the park, or a pedicure in January when you are the only one that sees your toes.  Maybe it is a trip to the neighborhood pond to watch the ducks, or frisbee with the family at the newly revamped Myriad Gardens.  You don't have to go far, or take out a loan to pay for the gasoline, or don a helmet for an extreme sport.  Just do something you enjoy.  Share this time with friends, or find your own private adventure.  Remember those rules?  Forget those, make your own.  These are your adventures.  The new year just started, so resolve to make this happen in 2013. 

#81:  Viewing of private arrowhead collection after kayaking in Keota

Out of my 100 adventures in 2012, all but three of those were in Oklahoma.  Instead of running out of Okie adventures, my list to do and see and experience this year is even longer.  There were 15 unique kayak trips, 21 different hikes, multiple bike rides, climbing adventures, and live music experiences.  There was a photographic hunt for a snowy owl in Marland, a chicken farm tour in Tuttle, small town fairs and festivals, street parties, garden parties, and potlucks.  I have 9,416 pictures on my computer - just from last year - and they can only remind, but not capture the awe of these moments.

Stay tuned for the next blog post when I tell you about the 100th adventure of 2012.  I still had a month and a half to spare, too!  Want a hint?  The 100th adventure was in SE Oklahoma on the most beautiful hike I've ever experienced.

Hidden Treasure

The first time I met Randy, he brought a map out of the back room at the Wichita Mountains Visitor Center for my friend that was raised in Texas.  He said, "I have just the thing for you." and showed her the map.  "Look!  No words!"  I knew right away that I liked this guy.  No, not because he was bashing Texans - I happen to like the state and some of the people produced there.  I liked him because when I asked where we should hike that day, he didn't point us to the well-defined trails that are close to facilities and picnic tables.  He told us about little features of the wildlife refuge that aren't marked on the maps (with or without words).

Last weekend, Randy brought out a map of hidden treasures around the Wichita Mountains.  The map was produced by Steve Wilson in 1961 and can be found in the Library of Congress.  According to the map, there are scores of Spanish and outlaw loot to be found in southwest Oklahoma.  We will save these to be explored on future adventures.  We had another mission planned for this hike.

On this particular day, we were determined to find some silver, but not for our bank accounts.  The silver we were looking for is a three-inch cross that is affixed a few inches from the ground on the side of a rock.  Randy had told us about this cross on another hiking trip.  He said that a hiker accidentally discovered it as he was kicking aside some leaves.  Randy had seen the cross himself and did his best to direct us to it.

The "buffalo chip" rock formation

We left the visitor center and headed to the Sunset area of the park.  My hiking companion was confident that we would find it, but I wasn't so sure.  Our treasure-hunting arsenal consisted of a topo map, a park trails map, a compass, and some pictures of pictures on Randy's phone.  He had pointed us in the general direction and told us that the cross was on the ESE side of the rock.  We were supposed to look for a rock formation that looked like a large buffalo chip and go left (although, when he said "left", he pointed to the right side of the rock formation and insisted that it made perfect sense).  We had about three and a half hours of daylight and 59,020 acres to search for a three-inch cross barely above ground-level.  Piece of cake.

See Crab Eyes in the center?  Everything to the right of Crab Eyes was fair game.  Needle in a haystack?

Michael dramatically searching for the cross

The Sunset Trail (I guess?  There weren't any signs on the trail to actually indicate that it WAS the Sunset Trail) veered to the left and we took to the game trails on the right.  We crossed better-traveled trails and sometimes took the more traveled ones before ending up back on game trails again.  We passed the recognizable Apple and Pear rocks and kept Crab Eyes to our left.  Eventually, we could no longer see Crab Eyes and I was sure that our mission would fail.

Several times I would pull out my camera and scrutinize the picture of the picture of the buffalo chip rock formation and compare it to the scenery before us.  Every possibility was ruled out for one reason or another.  No, there are no trees on top of the rock.  No, the terrain in the foreground doesn't match.  No, the rock isn't that smooth, or that textured, or that color.  Finally, I spotted one that was a definite possibility.  It certainly looked like a buffalo chip to me, but this wasn't the first "buffalo chip" landmark that Randy had pointed out for us to find on our adventures.

The closer we got, the more real the possibility of a match became.  The thin trail we had been following continued on to the right, so we turned left and headed toward the giant buffalo chip.  We started exploring the right side of the rock formation, just as described.  Randy mentioned that the trees in the area had been burned, but so had a third of the refuge.  We referred to the horrible picture of a picture of Randy sitting on the rock with the cross and started kicking leaves aside and examining the rocks in the area.  It wasn't long before my hiking buddy hollered out in excitement.  I can't believe I ever doubted that we would find it.

Sure enough, there was the silver cross securely epoxied to the ESE side of the rock.  And, just a few feet away to the northwest was the tree growing up through the ring of a rusted wagon wheel rim, just as we were told.  I was in complete and total awe that we hiked an hour and a half into the refuge - following various trails and not - and went right to the spot we intended to find.  We were asked later if we had GPS coordinates to follow, and the answer is "no".

I've tried to research the story of the cross, but haven't found anything about it online.  My hiking companion looked on the geocaching sites and also found nil.  I would love to know who put it there, how long ago, and why.  For now, I have to just be satisfied that we found it.

Sunset Pool

We continued our hike and boulder-hopped around the backside of crab eyes and across open grasslands with numerous buffalo wallowing holes.  Our pace increased as the sun dropped behind the mountains and we made it back to the car just as the sunset show began.  It was another splendid adventure on a beautiful and warm December day.

The REAL hidden treasure!

The more hikes we do, the more adventures we discover for future explorations.  There are definitely hidden treasures in this part of the state, but I already found the best one.  The next time you are around the Wichita Mountains on a Sunday, stop in at the visitor center and ask for Randy.  He is more valuable than any lost loot.  And, if you're from Texas, he has a map that is easy for you to read.

Booty-ful