A few months ago, I had the chance to visit one of the few gems of the Oklahoma landscape, The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in the southwestern part of the state.
This place is actually very special to me and my family. My parents were engaged on top of one of the mountains, and my siblings and I were baptized in a natural spring nearby. It's definitely not the most stunning of your national parks, but is full of it's own unique charm.
One of the coolest parts of the refuge is the wildlife wandering everywhere around you. Be warned though-I was charged by this calf, and a little kid was almost yeeted across the field by this buffalo.
There are also hundreds of prairie dogs roaming the hillsides. They are so cute and incredibly difficult to take photos of. I had to coax this one out of his burrow for a while before he was okay posing for me.
There are a few restaurants in the area, but the best of them all is dinky little Meers out in the middle of nowhere, oklahoma. If you can find this place, they have some delicious longhorn burgers and pie. You're likely to pick up some unwarranted life advice from a chatty cowboy at a place like this, and I promise you want to listen-these people are unreal.
Not far from Meers you'll find the Holy City, a tiny cluster of buildings and statues used for the annual Nativity Play. Almost every site in the area is made of the same cobblestone to match the mountains.
I especially loved studying all of the stained glass in the tiny chapel.
Probably the most boring stop of the whole trip is the Parallel Forrest. It's the scene for your average family Christmas card photo, and it doesn't bend the imagination too far past what you would guess from the name.
You have to end the day on top of Mount Scott. We don't pride ourselves on much here in Oklahoma, but the sunsets are to die for. The next time you're driving through the absolute middle of nowhere, pull off and give it a look. I know it doesn't look like real mountains, but this place is pretty special.
All photos were taken by me.