A week ago, we went to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. It was about a three hour drive from our place to this sanctuary in our neighboring state of Oklahoma. We spent a night there and did many hikes over two days.
We drove out late morning and stopped for lunch at the Punjabi Dhaba. Due to the wait time, I prefaced my lunch with a tall earthen mug of Matka Chai.
The pleasant weather and the flower filled trails made it a fun trip. Not to mention the bison roaming around freely, the longhorn cattle grazing with abandon, the prairie dogs going about their life in peace, reptiles such as the collared lizard running around sunning themselves, many a bird chirping along happily, and butterflies fluttering by merrily. It is an idyllic place that we have been to before, but this is the first time we have done it over a couple of days.
A path strewn with live flowers leading up to the view of a quaint mountain. Where bison roam freely! Almost a dozen bison were grazing in this spot. One of them later took a mud bath.This longhorn was very busy, itching his neck against the tree. He posed for me, and I am thankful for the zoom on my Samsung S23. Since he decided to be on the trail, we respectfully took a detour! The park was filled with longhorn cattle, including calves and cows.The wild cactus blooms stole the day! They were abundant along with many other wild flowers. Butterflies were fluttering all over. This red admiral sat a few feet in front of us on the trail.
The mountains are not too tall, and we were able to drive up Mount Scott to get a bird’s eye view of the area. We also visited a dam across the Quanah Parker Lake. This also gave our son a chance to road cruise the place in his quest to study the reptilian fauna.
View from atop Mount Scott. The dam on Quanah Parker Lake. The Quanah Parker Lake.A pun-filled evening sunset caught alongside a place called Tuesday Morning! We were too hungry to wait for the sunset on the mountain, so this shot was taken from the steps of a Thai restaurant.
In the whispers of nature, I find silence. In the chirping of birds, I hear music. In the gurgle of streams, I hear rhythm. In the smell of the woods, I fill my senses… and lose myself! In losing self so, I hope to find myself.
Lennox Woods Preserve, Red River County, TX #Whispers #poetryfromthedepths #natureinduced #pineywoods
Amidst a monochromatic meadow, shoots up a solitary wild flower. The mower’s blade – might chop her stem any day… but today she smiles, standing out of the crowd.
The power lines lined up blowing a torch out, and a giant mountain cloud tried to block it. #sunset The expanse of the land made these houses look demure! Indian blanket, firewheel, or sundance. I like the name Sundance. At sun down this solitary flower stood like a jewel on the roadside… doing a sun dance?!
An afternoon spent hiking with wild abandon at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA). With abundant wild flowers and trees, and herps and birds that my son found and identified … there were moments of zen!
Cactus blooms – Blackjack TrailIndian paintbrush – Blackjack TrailA fresh climber reaching up at the Cicada Trail. Watching it sitting on a bench was peaceful. Moments of zen… arrive when unsought!Trigonometry inspiration at Cottonwood Trail!White lilies- Cottonwood Trail
Mirror Aware 