2019-04-20: Geocaching, Hiking, and Exploring the Beautiful Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma

For today's adventure, we are once again Away-WE-Go for this Easter holiday weekend. Most of these blog posts I'm usually by myself on my Sunday drive back to work. Having this long weekend off, we decided to take a drive up to Oklahoma.

If you recall last month on my long roadtrip back from Minnesota, I had stopped at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. I mentioned that they perform a live Passion Play every Easter and have been doing it for nearly 80 years. You can read more about that by revisiting my blog page here. Candy and I thought it would be a great idea to go and see it. So we drove up yesterday.

The granite walls of the Wichita Mountains offered refuge to waves of people over many centuries, beginning with Nomadic Native Americans. In the late 1800's, conservationists made plans to re-establish bison and other imperiled species in the region. Looking for the best habitat, they decided that the sheltered prairie of the Wichita Mountains was the ideal location.

This morning we came here to see more of the natural refuge, do some hiking, and hopefully see some wildlife. For our first stop we drove over to French Lake and parked by the Bison Trail for a hike over to the dam. The many dams located in this refuge which form all the lakes were constructed in the 1930's as park of the Federal Work Projects. We hiked the Elk Trail back to the GeoJeep. It was a pleasant, clear, perfect weather morning. Got some nice views of the lake and the dam. The only wildlife we saw was a bunch of turtles and some fish in the lake.

From there we drove south on Indiahoma Road down to our first geocache. The "Heart Rock Earthcache" (GC3AQ2J) is a large outcrop of lava rock forced up from below the surface. Many, many years of erosion created this heart shaped rock on a pedestal that's about chest high when standing next to it. If it wasn't at such an angle, it'd make a great picnic table. While there is a pull-off parking area for the scenic views, there's no mention of this heart rock formation. Just another reason why I like geocaching to find the unique roadside attractions.

Just as we got back to the GeoJeep, we were just in time to see a parade of more than a dozen old tractors going by. Now I'm not really into tractors but seeing some antique machinery being driven down the road was pretty cool.

Back up on State Road 49 through the middle of the Refuge, we come upon Prairie Dog Town. A field of hundreds of prairie dogs running around and popping up and down from their underground city. I wish I had my Nikon camera with me but I left it back in Texas. So I only have this fuzzy phone photo. Takes good pics normally, but not so good when you zoom in close.

Next we drive over to the southside of Quanah Parker Lake to the Little Baldy Trailhead. Crossing the Quanah Creek Dam which forms the lake, we begin hiking the Little Baldy Trail. Little Baldy is one of the rocky hills within the refuge. We hiked up to the top of for the views and for the Little Baldy virtual geocache (GC1E4D).

Returning to the GeoJeep and continuing down the road a few miles we finally saw some bison. So we pulled over, took some photos, and watched for a while.

It was now mid-afternoon and we didn't plan very well. We're now out of water and hungry because we didn't think about bringing snacks or food. We stopped by the Holy City of the Wichitas for a quick look to see what of the situation. People were already gathering and picking out their spots to watch the Passion Play which was still 10 hours away from starting. Candy got a quick look around at the buildings. They had bottled water but nothing to eat. So we needed to go back into Lawton to eat and return later.

As we were driving out we stopped at this structure. Completed in 1927, Benjamin Ferguson and his family lived in this house until 1942. About a half mile to the east is the Ingram Homestead. They were both built out of the round granite core stones that cover the hillsides of the refuge, and both were acquired during the 1901 land lottery held at Fort Sill. They reflect the hard work, ingenuity, and craftmanship of earlier generations.

In 1942, the U.S. Army used the right of eminent domain to acquire the homesteads to expand the artillery range of the adjacent Fort Sill. Fifteen years later the planned expansion was scrapped and the homesteads became a part of the Refuge. In 1981 they were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

After grabbing some dinner and now back at the hotel to freshen up after all the hiking today, we were too exhausted to drive back to the Refuge to sit and wait for the play to start. But now that we have a better understanding of what it would be like, we're better prepared to come back again. Though next time we'll have folding chairs, a cooler with drinks, and plenty of food.

Still a great day of hiking and exploring the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Come back tomorrow for the roadtrip home. I've got a few interesting places on the agenda for the roadtrip home. See you then...

2016-02-20: Geocaching Through New Counties, Cemeteries, Bridges and More

Today is Geocaching Day! Or as most people call it: Saturday. Since we found out this week that work may be transferring us out of the area soon, we set out today to try and get a few more new Texas counties for our Geocaching map.

We took off towards the southeast down US-84 to the town of Post. There we turned eastbound on US-380. Grabbing two caches in Garza county and along the way we passed by these few long abandoned and deteriorated houses. They were miles apart and we've seen plenty of these over the last few weeks, but these just had a certain character and we had to stop for photos.

Soon we pulled into the small town of Clairemont. Clairemont was established in 1892 to coincide with the organization of Kent County with the understanding that it would serve as the county's seat of government. The new town was located on land owned by local rancher R.L. Rhomberg, who named the new town after his niece, Claire Becker. In 1895 a sandstone courthouse and matching jail (GC55ZBW) were constructed. By that time the town had several stores, a bank, a newspaper, and a hotel. Although the Stamford and Northwestern Railway had bypassed Clairemont to the east by 1909, the town continued to prosper. Cotton and cattle ranching dominated the economy, and oil later became important. By the 1930s the population exceeded 200. By the 1950s, however, the town had begun a steady decline and by 1954 had lost its title as county seat to nearby Jayton. The Clairemont courthouse burned shortly after the records were transferred to Jayton, but the bottom story was preserved as a community center. The remaining citizens soon began to move away, and the population dwindled to about 15 by the 2000s.

Candy locked me up!

The old gas station.

We then stopped over at the Clairemont Cemetery (GC5HGVD) for our next cache. Buried there is Judge AW Landers, who in March 1893 was on his way by horseback to take tax money to a bank in Snyder, 32 miles away. He was waylaid by robbers, and the money taken. His body was found a short period of time and brought back to the cemetery. The party arrived at night and the body was buried by lantern light. The next morning, the burial party discovered they had run the grave southeast by northwest, instead of east and west, as was tradition. The widow was consulted and she said just leave it. When she passed away, she was buried beside him in the same direction. So, there are two graves in the cemetery that are oriented a little differently than the rest of them.

After the Clairemont Cemetery, we also found caches in the Jayton Cemetery (GCQ5H2) established in 1890 and another at the Oriana Cemetery (GC1EMN0). But at one of them, we saw this headstone which had been knocked over and under a bush of an infant which died at birth back in 1898.

Our next cache was located high above the Salt Fork Brazos River (GC1EMMQ). The older bridge is the one closest to the camera and is now closed since the newer one was built to replace it. Even though it was an out-of-the-way drive to get to this cache, it was well worth it for the views.

Continuing on down the road, we arrived in what's left of a small town called Peacock (GCKA0X). Despite having been almost completely leveled by a tornado in 1914, the citizens had rebuilt the town within 10 years. Though there's not much left here today. But those that remain are "Proud as a Peacock."

Our next Geocache was at the Double Mountain Cemetery (GC5ME01). Double mountain is an important regional landmarks, dating back at least to 1788, when Jose Mares opened a trail from San Antonio to Santa Fe; thereafter, the mountains were waymarkers "for every westward expedition and a rendezvous for buffalo hunters." They were also cited by the surveying party of Randolph B. Marcy in 1849. At one time, Comanche leader Quanah Parker and his band lived on or near the mountains, and according to one source, the mountains were once a sacred place to the Comanches. The town of Double Mountain once existed a few miles north of the hills. Established in 1886, the community featured a post office, sheriff, schoolhouse, and Methodist and Baptist churches for several years in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but had become a ghost town by the 1980s.

The old Carney House in O'Brien, TX has seen better days (GC4AAKJ).

Our last cache for the day was located at the Brazos River Bridge (GC43B7K). Yes, another new bridge going over another section of that river. This bridge was constructed in 1938-39 to replace a 1901 bridge. A statewide historic bridge survey in the 1990's identified it as one of only five continuous through truss bridges in Texas built before WWII.

From the bridge, we saw the moon to the east...

... and the sunset to the west.

The day ended with a beautiful mural on the side of a building. Another day, another adventure. I have something special planned for tomorrow, so be sure to come back!

2016-02-13: More Geocaching in Cemeteries Learning History and Route 66 Through Texas

Welcome back. Today was a little bit of everything. Our Geocaching goal was to pickup a few new counties and visit some classic Americana along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas.

Our first cache (GC5NEFN) was another ghost town cemetery in Hale County. The Running Water Cemetery dates back to the late 1800's. Running Water Draw was near the headquarters of the Morrison ranch, established in 1881 as the first ranch in the county. Later the land became part of CC Slaughter's extensive holdings. Settlers bought railroad lands in the area, and in 1890, a post office called Wadsworth was established. For promotional reasons the name was changed to Running Water in 1891. That year a school was built. The railroad bypassed Running Water, which was near this cemetery, and in 1928 the community's businesses were moved three miles north to Edmonson Switch on the rail line. In 1935 the Running Water post office was moved to Edmonson Switch and two years later was renamed Edmonson. The old site of the Running Water community was abandoned.

The next cache was a quick stop by the Hart Cemetery (GC5TKDM).

Then we arrived in the town of Dimmitt for a full-sized time capsule. Mr. Kerr was a man of principal and the proprietor of Kerr Hardware (GCP930). The Texas Limited Sales, Excise and Use Tax Act was enacted by the 57th Legislature and became effective on September 1, 1961. Mr. Kerr got upset because the State of Texas had the audacity to require him to charge a sales tax. Needless to say, Mr. Kerr said he would "lock the doors" before he did this. The local legend goes that Mr. Kerr refused to charge the citizens sales tax and walked out and never came back. You will see brand new bicycles, tricycles, radios, fishing baskets, old wringer washing machines, riding toy tractors, appliances, on and on. Take a peek in the windows, everything is exactly how Mr. Kerr had left it over 50 years ago! I think I'd like to buy this place, clean everything up, and just keep it on display. 

Also in town was The Olde Hotel, built in 1929 and had 30 upstairs rooms and two restrooms. The hotel ceased operation in 1977 and was converted to apartments in 1980. The upstairs still houses six apartment rooms and four bed/breakfast rooms. The first floor has been home to Antiques Plus since 2002.

The Ozark Trail Obelisk was constructed in the 1920's and was originally in the middle of the highway intersection and marked the distance to other towns along the trail. On another corner of the courthouse lawn is one of the many Quanah Parker Arrows that mark the Quanah Trail throughout the Texas Plains.

A few more caches later and we came to the St. Mary Cemetery (GC4VHW6) cache. German Catholics settled the north side of Umbarger and Swiss Catholics to the south side of town in the early 1900's.

Heading on up to Amarillo on the south side of town, we come to our first virtual cache (GCH59D). A strange site to say the least. According to the historical marker:

In 1819 while on their horseback trek over the great plains of New Spain, Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary Wollstonecraft (author of "Frankenstein"), came across these ruins. Here Shelley penned these immortal lines:

 OZYMANDIAS

I met a traveler from an antique land who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert, near them, on the sand, half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, tell that its sculpture well those passions read, which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare the lone and level sands stretch far away." (1819) 

In reality: Inspired by a similar set of big legs in the Egyptian desert, Stanley Marsh 3 (who commissioned the nearby Cadillac Ranch) paid a guy named Lightnin' McDuff to build the legs.

Speaking of Cadillac Ranch (GCG71X), that was the next stop of our day. I once paid a visit here to this Route 66 roadside attraction back in 2009 while I was a truck driver. At that time, I was the only one out here. With the exception of a couple dozen cows grazing about. Back then the cars were also covered with graffiti. Today is a little different. Candy had never seen this before. There is also a traditional cache here too (GC4K7Y3).

But sadly there were no cows anywhere in sight. There where about 25-30 people in the stages of coming, going, and painting. But the worse part was that there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of spray paint cans littering the field. Even with the 3 large dumpsters back by the fence and parking area for those who must leave their mark, there are still those disrespectful people who could care less and just toss their empty cans on the ground. Reading through some of the Geocaching logs though, some cachers bring bags out here to pick up some of the cans as they make the finds. If we ever come back out here, we'll definitely be prepared with extra bags.

One a good note, as we were leaving the area getting back to I-40, a few blocks away was the Amarillo West RV Park which re-created its own "Cadillac Ranch" without the graffiti, restored Cadillacs, and a giant cowboy statue. A better photo indeed!

And you can't visit Amarillo without a stop by the Big Texan restaurant complex. There's also a Travel Bug Hotel here as well (GC30FGP), though I was disappointed when I found it. The previous one here I found back in 2009 was listed as a LARGE cache and was a 10 gallon plastic storage container. A fitting Texas sized cache. That one was archived and this new one put in place. Still listed as a "large" size cache, this one wasn't much bigger than a sandwich size Tupperware.

A few blocks down was the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum next to the AQH Headquarters. There wasn't a cache here, but several life size horse & rider statues as well as this unique wall of running horses.

Getting late in the day and we still had a 2 hour drive home. But there were two more virtual caches in the downtown area I wanted to get. The first (GCGXBZ) was at this park that had a 1-ton granite globe that was supposed to float on the water. But the water from underneath was turned off so you couldn't spin the globe. The second photo below was an old train locomotive (GCGBMY) built in 1930 and traveled 1,750,000 miles before retiring in Nov. 1953. 

What a hodgepodge of things seen today! From 100 year old cemeteries, historically preserved hardware store, roadside oddities and attractions, to old trains. We sure like this hobby!