Exploring the Springs

This morning when I stepped out to drop some trash in the bin across the street, a car stopped, and a couple said they had noticed we were Escapees. They said they had been Escapees and wanted to join again, but needed contact information. We introduced ourselves. The couple’s names were Ken and Anne (but you can call us Ken and Barbie, she quipped). They have been full timers in the past and used to volunteer as camp hosts for the National Forest Service.

For our outing today, we went to the information center for the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, OK. It’s in the Chamber of Commerce building, but there are two front doors. However, when you step inside, it’s one big room. We got a map of the park and asked about the waterfalls we had heard about. The woman behind the desk answered, “We’re all dried up!” Behind the desk, we saw an artist’s conception of a grand visitor center, dated 2001. When we asked about it, she said that it had never been built, because the money had run out.

We went next to the Travertine Nature Center, which functions as the main visitor center, where we saw a brief video of the history of the park and bought a trail guide. We sat by the Travertine Creek, which right now is more like some standing pools, and ate our picnic lunch.

Then we set out on the trail to the Antelope and Buffalo Springs. The area is described as an “ecotone”—a region where different ecosystems come together. As we hiked, we sometimes could see deciduous forest mingling with prairie grasses and spotted here and there with prickly pear cactus.

In the early days, people came here to “take the waters,” since the mineral springs were thought to have healing powers. If anyone came now, they’d have to take the dry dirt. The drought has been so severe that the springs have totally dried up. As we hiked, we saw lots of grasshoppers and some butterflies. We startled a flock of doves that flew ahead of us. We caught a flash of tan and watched three deer moving along the creek as they browsed.

When we got back to the Travertine Nature Center, we continued along the creek for a while to find “Little Niagara,” a dam built by the CCC that makes a waterfall—when there is any water to fall. At this point we had planned to hike a bit farther, but it was hot and I was feeling a bit dehydrated, so we decided to go grocery shopping and head home.

After a rest, when it had cooled off a bit, we got the bikes down and pedaled over to the boat launch and marina. At least, we pedaled most of the way. Part of the time I was walking my bike uphill and muttering about being out of condition and part of the time I was flying downhill. We’ve been saying we needed to bike some hills to get back in shape, so I guess we’ll have our chance the next few days.

[photos later]

We watched the first Presidential Debate tonight. We didn't learn much. Politicians can be infuriating.