OKLAHOMA
|
by Lin Stone
Let me know if you need a story written about your area.
| There are still places in
Oklahoma that look remarkably like they did a hundred years ago. My
favorite such spot is right near River Wind Casino so you can throw a
nickel out the window as you pass on by. River Wind is just over the Canadian River on Highway 9 as you leave Norman Oklahoma on I-35 heading south. That sounds confusing, but isn't really if you break it down. If you are in OKC then pretend you are heading for Dallas and take I-35 South. You'll go almost all the way through Norman and see a sign up for Highway 9. Hwy. 9 East advertises that it goes to Tecumseh and 9 West advertises that it goes to Chickasha. The off ramp road to access Hwy. 9 West will lead you cross over the Canadian River. Exit I-35 at the first exit south of the river. Stay in the right hand lane and you'll come to a stop light introducing you to Highway 9 W. If you turn right on Highway 9 West, River Wind Casino will be on your left. There will probably be hundreds of cars parked there. Isn't history funny? Back before 1960 the Euro-Americans wouldn't let Native American Indians drink or vote. Now if it wasn't for us letting you in, you Euro-Americans wouldn't get to gamble legally in Oklahoma. Just wait until we discover horse races again! You'll see some real excitement. Okay, turn your back on River Wind Casino and turn LEFT instead of right at that first stop light I've brought you to. |
|
By going left you'll go up over the overpass and coast straight down to where the road curves naturally to the right -- going out into farming country. Right here at the curve we're going to turn left on a dirty little road that leads DOWNHILL to the river. You'll see a 10 MPH speed limit sign, and then go over a cattle guard that's almost covered with dirt now. You probably can't tell this road is paved, but somewhere down there you'll find streaks of paved road. In between are the mud holes. Some of them are pretty deep. When you crossed the Canadian River you probably noticed it is full of salt cedar brush where the river isn't running in the bed. We don't want to go that far. It's the bank of the area that we are interested in, a strip of land not even half a mile wide and about a mile long that we can access without too much trespassing. The variety of flora and fauna here is indicative of what the whole central Oklahoma territory once looked like, about a hundred years ago and before the land rush. Back then these grasses were over a man's head when he was on horseback. Now they are only six to ten feet tall. |
| There's no way to tell
what you are stepping on because the flora out here is thicker than flour,
so wear boots that are snake proof. There are some deer trails through
here which let you weave your way in. In the proper season butterflies
are thick enough they'll be landing on your chest, face and arms if you
stand still to catch your breath. The air is sparkling clean here.
Scissortail Flycatchers have a field day here and hawks are rather numerous as well. Down in the river itself ducks and geese have staked out year round homes. Towering willows reveal where fauna can find water most of the time even in a drought. Bring your binoculars with you and you can spend half a day down in here just looking around. |
| Okay, let's go back up the road and across the river to catch
I-35, going north over the bridge. Take the first exit on the
north side of the river and we will be heading east. If we were just looking for
pretty outdoor country where you could romp and stomp, we could go on
to Lake Thunderbird. This is truly a magnificent area and well
worth a trip. We however are on the trail of country like it
used to be and so we turn off of Highway 9 at Highway 77 and head
towards Purcell. We'll slice on
through Noble and take note of the beautiful
farmland on both sides of the road as we go. You see quite a
bit of wheat in here along with some alfalfa and maize.
There's enough livestock along the way to let you know some of it
must be VERY expensive bloodstock. About halfway between Noble and Lexington is a little ding in the road known as Slaughterville. Slaughterville Road crosses Highway 77 at this point and it is here that we'll turn LEFT. Keep going until you pass 120th Ave then start looking on the right for a sign that says LEXINGTON WMA. The WMA stands for Wildlife Management Area. This preserve was created to give hunters a place to ply their craft but people who don't kill animals are welcome too. There are several buildings holding tractors, trucks and such just before you go in. A huge sign on the right tells what all you can kill and how much of it. Just inside the gate and on the left is a campground. Think of it as a parking lot and you'll get a more accurate picture of its purpose. If you have horses you can stop here and unload them. This is WONDERFUL horse country whether you want to run or walk. The road through here is excellent and well tended. Stay on the road and you won't get stuck in most weather. Naturally we will get off the road just as soon as possible, but even if you don't do anything but drive the road, you will feel some of the peaceful harmony available to the real explorers coming through here. Note: the only roads here are those that are necessary to get you deeper into the primeval projections. Anyplace else you go it will be by shanks mare -- or riding your own horse. |
| The underbrush is quite thick in through here. The
root systems are not very deep and in some spots that depth is
measured in inches, not feet. Naturally there are places where
the rock rips right up through the ground.
A good stiff breeze can put trees swaying and quite a few of them have toppled, making firewood for the masses. Natural meadows are prevalent in parts of the preserve with tall trees to climb at advantageous spots so you can perch and wait for wildlife to come out of hiding. Hunters have driven out the bears and the buffalo but this is still a very good place to find snakes, scorpions and ticks. Tracks show this is a very popular area for wildlife. Horse tracks reveal that horseback is the very best way to go sightseeing through here. Rangers have sown wheat and other bumper crops through here so that you are quite likely to see very large deer and turkey. I did see a set of cougar tracks in one place but the Rangers say he was just passing through. Warning: don't expect your cell phone to work out here. If you want to maintain contact with your group, bring some walkie-talkies in with you. Don't forget water if you plan to stay here long. |
Many of which I've never seen before.
Tall stands of willow promise water.
And that promise is fulfilled right at the willow's roots.
Click the above picture
for a much larger one
Sand Plums are a dime a dozen out here.
Follow the main road far enough and you'll come to this small lake.
Bass and sunfish are what people bring the most out of here.
It is also a great duck hunting area for the general public.
Be sure to read Horse Heaven by this same author
| Dogs have to be leashed at the
campground, but once you get away from there you can
turn them loose and let them revert to nature too.
They will absolutely
love it, For me there is a special thrill in seeing land reverting to its true nature and that's why I love this area so much. With a storm moving in and electricity sparkling in the air my head comes up and my eyes go wide. Leaves turn up to get ready for the rain, flowers clench onto their petals and every breath of air is worth a thousand city gulps. This is the way the earth once was. This is the way earth was meant to be. |
This is as far as I'm taking you this time,
but you are welcome to come back on your own,
anytime you want to see Oklahoma the way it used to be.
Independently less than wealthy, Lin Stone writes how to
articles for the trade.
In his spare time Lin writes about the Three H-s: horses, humor and health.
His latest stories are available for your free reading pleasure from
http://www.talewins.com/StoneSoup.htm
***
