Kiamichi Mountain Vacation

After the hottest week of the year here in OK, I was blessed to be able to get away and take a little vacation. It ended up being one of my favorite vacations to date! We didn't do anything extravagant, my husband and I simply relaxed and spent a lot of time fishing. We booked a last minute cabin at Beaver's Bend in Broken Bow, OK packed up the dogs and headed that way. Neither of us had been there before, and man were we surprised once we got there! Tyler and I have gotten so used to the one hundred teens, hot south wind, and dry brown vegetation that has been plaguing central Oklahoma. We were both shocked by the difference in scenery once we got to the east side of Ada. It was like we had entered another country! Everything is still so green in southeast Oklahoma compared to the central portions. However, they are still under extreme drought.

We saw our first thunderstorm in weeks and even had severe weather to contend with. It rained a little almost every evening and reminded me of one of our Florida vacations. There was no blow dryer-like south wind sweeping down the plains. We were in the Kiamichi Mountains after all! I even found myself wearing a sweatshirt some morning and evenings. As if the weather and scenery change were not enough, Beavers Bend State Park is breathtaking! Crystal clear ice cold water flows down the Mountain Fork River and make a great spot for trout fishing, and if you're brave, swimming. Tyler and I are both bass fishing people so trout fishing is a different world to us. We caught quite a few though. I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday by kayaking down the river with my husband, my mom, and one of our best friends! We saw tons of deer, many fawns and bucks in velvet! We also had many run-ins with some of the biggest walking sticks I have ever seen!

Needless to say, we had a fabulous time and we felt so blessed to be able to get away and enjoy the cooler, wetter side of Oklahoma. It was back to reality when we crossed through Ada back on the western side of hwy 99. Vegetation lost its lushness and the smell of fire was still in the air. As we pulled into our driveway we both looked at each other as we realized we had another huge blessing to be thankful for. We were actually able to come back to a home. A home filled with all of our belongings. Something so many Oklahomans have lost over the past few weeks.

Now I'm looking at the forecast and I'm really excited about this cold front, cooler temps, and rain chances we have coming up!