Since we gave up the shackles of working for other people, we have a lot more freedom to do whatever we want. So this weekend we decided to head up to Oklahoma and check out the Arbuckle Mountains and do some geocaching. It was without a doubt some of the most fun I have had in ages.
I’m not going to get into all the technical details of the trip because that would be realllllly boring. Instead I am going to entertain you with tons of pictures and tidbits of Moniqueisms about what I saw and felt. On a side note though, since I loved it SO much, I would really encourage ANYONE in the DFW area or even Oklahoma to go check it out.
The Arbuckle Mountains are the largest/tallest mountains in Oklahoma and is the home to Turner Falls, a breathtaking 77 foot waterfall in Turner Park. The first day we were in town, it was late afternoon so I didn’t have a chance to appreciate the true beauty of the area. Instead, we climbed up a mountain1 so that DH could take a peek into a cave. I didn’t go all the way to the cave with him because all I could think was “how in the [bleeeeeep] am I going to get back down off of this mountain????” The rocks were covered in damp leaves and I had lovely flashes of my rotund bottom falling face first off the cliff to my death. So, I decided the half way point was good enough for me.
There is also a ‘rock castle’ in Turner Park with some history behind it which I have forgotten. What I do remember is that it was creepy. Some old abandoned ruins that looked like some axe murderer could be lurking somewhere getting ready to slaughter me as I slowly walked behind DH. I might have been able to escape the axe wielding psychopath if I didn’t have 101 stairs to climb to get to the damn castle.
After having climbed half the mountain needless to say, I was already pretty sick of climbing. But it was nice to see something different.
We were still up in the mountains when the sun began to set, which was such a lovely view. And on the way out, we got to see some deer eating along the road. We tried to take tons of pictures but with the sun setting and the deer being skittish, it wasn’t very successful. We headed back to Ardmore, OK to get some sleep and find something to eat.2
The next morning we got up bright and semi early and headed back towards the Arbuckle Mountains stopping to grab some geocaches along the way.
The day before we had stopped at the scenic overlook but it was dark and I am not a big fan of heights so I wasn’t keen on standing on some mountain edge in the dark not knowing if the mystery axe murderer had followed me up there. So, we headed back to it so I could see everything in the daytime and not be so paranoid. You have no idea how much I HATE heights.
The waterfall is even more amazing from above it. I couldn’t see where the water was coming from standing down in front of it, so seeing ALL of it was breathtaking. The castle was still creepy though.
After pretty much standing in fear at the scenic outlook, griping the camera for dear life, we headed back into the park. I had seen people above the falls and decided that I wanted to go there. What in the world was I thinking????????????????????? We parked the car and went down where we saw everyone heading down. Of course, it couldn’t be a simple path. More steps for me to have to deal with and crazy cliffs that sent me into instant panic mode. DH stepped up on one of the rocks and I almost lost it. I figured out right then and there that this was NOT my smartest idea. So after walking around a bit, above the falls, and keeping me far away from the cliffs we headed back to the car to find an easier route to the water.
On the way out we ran into this family. All I am going to say is that they had an infant only a few months old, in a car seat, in these mountains where even our dogs, and me as a human being had trouble maneuvering. There is a lookout area where you can see the smaller falls that has a simple make shift railing which has not had maintenance in several years. It was wobbly and loose and right on the edge of the cliff. Like, no one with common sense would think to USE the rail for anything. Well, these lovely parents sat that car seat on it. The dad barely held onto it with one hand as it teetered on the rail while they smiled and took pictures. Had he lost balance of it, the baby would have fallen about 150 ft to his death. It was appalling. We took the picture of them and their license plate in case anything happened there would be SOME proof of how reckless they were being with the child. I am still so disturbed by what I saw that day. I know the picture isn’t the best but he was seriously being so careless with the car seat, and it’s much higher than you would think… certainly no way anyone would survive falling from it. Especially an infant.
Anyway, we finally found a spot to park and I immediately took off my shoes and socks and jumped in. The rocks in the water were slippery and the water itself was FREEZING but I didn’t care. After awhile I forgot about the cold and was just enjoying the sun and the spectacular view. The dogs weren’t quite as excited about the cold water, especially Sandy who after getting a big splash ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction. I think had we not stopped her she would have ran the 90 miles all the way home… well that or until she smelled some food. Milagro also got a full body bathing as she was trying to get back to the shore. She slipped on a rock and fell into an area much deeper than she expected. I was having the most fun ever…. just like a child.
I eventually realized I could not stay in that water all day and made my way back to the truck, dried my feet off and return to adulthood. What a bummer. Little did I know that even more fun was right around the corner! I’ll have to tell you all about that next time!!
- craziest thing I have done in a LONG time [↩]
- We actually did do it in that order one of the nights. Slept and then went searching for food. And of course we stayed at another LaQuinta. I don’t know how they do it, but each one just gets better and better. [↩]
Oh! And that creepy castle…….we are so going into that! Hahaha
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