We drove across the state line into Oklahoma. The plains gave way to rolling hills then flattened out again. There are lots of wind turbines in places here too and the odd oil derrick. We spent one night in El Reno in a hotel as it going to dip down to almost freezing (!) before going to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. The sky was still overcast but with a higher ceiling and it only rained a bit.
In OKC, we visited the memorial site of the 1995 bombing – very well done then walked around the up and coming Bricktown area of downtown. They have a nice set up around a canal with shops and restaurants bordering it and a lovely walkway to saunter along. We enjoyed a drink at a bar with a nice view of the canal as the sun had come out by mid-day today and the temperature was a very pleasant 20C/72F. It is SO green; reminds us of Washington State but the sun is shining without a cloud in sight!
We left OKC and drove southwest to the Wichita Mountains and explored the Wildlife Refuge on Thursday. The weather was perfect; sunny, not too hot and a slight breeze. We did a hike to the Valley of Boulders and did not encounter a soul. The hills here are 500 million years old and tinged slightly red. The sky is so blue and the trees are a lovely shade of fresh green. We spent the night at a casino that had free RV parking with electric hookups. We were the only ones. The night time temps are great for sleeping here. Austin had been getting quite warm.
Next we got to Turner Falls Park which was very nice. They are the highest falls in OK at 77’ feet but it’s not the height that makes them lovely. The water is clear, the rock formations are cool and the river it flows into is made up of little falls and islands and lovely shades of teal. We were lucky we got here today as the summer rates start on May 1 (tomorrow) and they triple!
When we stopped overnight in Ardmore, we learned that western OK has been in a drought state for the past ten years and this spring they’ve had tons of rain – hence the green, green, green. A lot of the reservoirs are full or near full for the first in time in a decade.
Our last night in Oklahoma we stayed in Raymond Gary State Park. This a pretty little park on a peaceful lake. We got a spot with hook ups facing the water and enjoyed some nice walks and a campfire roasting hot dogs under the stars that night.