A fire engine truck roared past us at 6:35am and headed straight to the lodging highrise. It was a false alarm as the truck immediately drove off. I had another long day planned and needed daylight as much as possible.
I took a wrong turn off Sheridan Road and got on US 281 South. Might as well go to the National Wildlife Refuge now, I thought, and return to Fort Sill to shower afterwards. It was a good plan.
I took a wrong turn off Sheridan Road and got on US 281 South. Might as well go to the National Wildlife Refuge now, I thought, and return to Fort Sill to shower afterwards. It was a good plan.
According to the Fish and Wildlife website, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, established in 1901, is one of more than 546 refuges throughout the United States managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The 59,020 acre Refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow.
The Refuge provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. Texas longhorn cattle also share the Refuge rangelands as a cultural and historical legacy species. More than 50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile and amphibian, 36 fish, and 806 plant species thrive on this important refuge.
I made it to the new Refuge Visitor's Center right at 8am and talked to "Randy," a white-bearded local with a refreshing accent. He smiled the entire time we chatted about the park.
"I tried to git rid of this accent but it shur won't go away!" he said with a smile. "Everyone knows where I am from!"
His assistant added, "People always know where I am from when I order breakfast: I always order steak first thing in the morning!"
And that was my first little chat with anyone since chatting with the volunteer at the NM tourist office. Randy recommended I see the Charon Gardens while I was in the refuge, but first I wanted to hike the 6-mile Bison Loop of the Dog Hallow Run trail. It was the perfect hike for Sadie and me.
Along the road to the trailhead, we came across bison, longhorns and black-tail prairie dogs, which were a delight to see. I hadn't seen prairie dogs since my year in North Dakota (1972). Anywhere else these vivacious rodents are considered a field pest, vermin that need to be destroyed. Their burrows can break the legs of cattle and horses.
The map was clear with the directions and I found my trailhead easily by following signs to the French Lake area. I was the first one there. I opted to walk the loop clockwise, following the trail along two rivers. What a pretty loop it was! I saw turkey vultures, several bird species (vermillion flycatcher?) and some pretty wildflower meadows along the way. There was plenty of water for Sadie, who never ventured far from me. She seemed to enjoy the exercise, too, lapping up water when she could and following me closely. I didn't fear that she would run off.
I never came across another soul. The trail was muddy in parts from the recent storms, but the rains also put power in the water. Every overfill was brimming with water flowing overboard. My favorite part of the loop was at the 6-mile mark: the creek came between two high and narrow cliffs as the water whitewatered through the tight pass.
The loop took us from 8:45 to 11:20 to finish. We drove around the refuge more, seeing that most people were at the Sunset trailhead to hike the post oak falls. More bison crossed the road as I headed up Mount Scott to view the vistas.
The area was so lush green. I could have been in an alpine meadow in Arizona somewhere, but these mountains barely average 2000 feet in elevation. From the top of Mount Scott, where a panoramic view welcomed everyone, I could see the small mountain range immediately around us, but the open plains all around us. Windmills dotted the northwestern horizon.
A Texan complemented Sadie and praised the hills around us. "It's pretty here. It's my first time here!" as he walked off with his friend toward the overlook.
What a lovely oasis the refuge is. It was up to this point the best thing yet on my trip. Sadie seemed to enjoy her exercise as well and slept the rest of the day away, waking up briefly for her second treat of a plain Whopper Jr once we got back to Fort Sill to shower, finally shave my legs, and tour the Old Post Cemetery where Quanah Parker, Commanche Chief, and Sitting Bear, Kiowa Chief, are buried with their family members. A few other medicine men from the Kiowa tribe are also buried at the Old Post Cemetery.
I regretted not finding Geronimo's grave, though. He is not buried with the Kiowa or Commanche Chiefs, but rather at Fort Sill's "Prisoner of War" cemetery that I never did find. I never saw signs for Geronimo's grave and it's not listed on the map of Fort Sill. Time was against me as I didn't leave Sill until after 2pm to head north on Us Hwy 281 and then US Hwy 77 toward Kansas. I avoided all the toll roads to better see the countryside. It's in the country where one sees the real people.
I drove on Hwy 218 into Apache, where an odd-lookng "Prayer Teepee" welcomed passers-by. The teepee displayed a Christian cross on the white canvas. Otherwise there was little else of Apache tribal stuff in town.
When I hit historic Route 66 I opted to drive on this east through Oklahoma City, but the stretch of Mother Road showed nothing of its true historical flair as it does in Arizona. Instead of family diners here, Route 66 is nothing more than an overly-commercial stretch of car dealers, fast food franchises, and rental shops. There is nothing historic about this part of Route 66. I was back on Hwy 281 as I headed back north.
There were a few other pleasant surprises on this stretch: Guthrie, OK, the first territorial capital of Oklahoma, was about 30 miles north of OKC. Too bad the town didn't have a decent brewpub or diner as I would have eaten something now, but instead walked around with Sadie, took photographs and headed back north, through other towns of historical interest: Perry, Tanokawa, Blackwell. Now daylight was running low. I managed with the last rays of the sun to make it into Kansas.
I pulled off the interstate here before the "last exit before toll" to call both Judy and Tony. Much to my surprise, I could contact neither. Several attempts to get ahold of Judy remained futile as all I got was her answering machine. So I parked the van with a snoring Sadie in front of the "Economy Inn"and updated my travel blog here, knowing full well that I left many things out, I'll add the finer details here later. I just wanted the outline down so that I didn't forget anything. I also was able to read my email and read the latest news from the Sierra Vista Herald: there is a small fire outside the Bisbee Mule Tunnel and a 1-acre fire off Ramsey Road.
No comments:
Post a Comment