sfb: 3/17

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

St. Patrick's on Little Baldy

When I asked the the National Park Service Ranger at the Visitor's Center of the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge for a trail that would take about an hour and that would be appropriate for two seven-year-olds and a nine-year-old, she sent us to Little Baldy. Emilio wore the backpack we picked up at the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton.

First, we crossed the Quanah Parker Lake dam. At the Comanche National Museum, we learned that Quanah Parker's mother Cynthia Ann Parker starved herself to death after she was "rescued" from the Comanche tribe that killer her family and abducted her when she was Emilio's age.

We made it! It was harder that it looks.

Pablo did a good job of helping us find the path down the mountain.

After revisiting the little dudes in Prairie Dog town, we're headed home.

In addition to our mountaineering adventures and the Family Heritage stops in Hillsboro and Wichita Falls listed earlier on this blog, this year's Spring Break featured: two Dairy Queen visits (dipped cones for me, strawberry smoothies for Nina and Emilio, french fries for Pablo), three new board game experiences: (Master's Gallery, The Hobbit Game: An Unexpected Journey, and Samarkand), enchiladas, chips and hot sauce from Mi Charrito Ray for me--thanks, Dad!, sushi for Mari, two "heated" pool swims at the Heritage Inn in Lawton, where we also held a Hot Tub Club meeting, "fire-kissed" pizzas at Firo's pizza in Lawton, Kid's Zone hide-and-seek games and obstacle course runs at Lawton's Greer Park, one roadrunner sighting and a St. Patty's Shamrock Shake at a quaint Irish restaurant in Purcell. Final result: success.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Return to Mt. Magazine

On St. Patrick's day, we loaded up the Sienna, popped the Arkansas Road Trip CD in the stereo ("On the Road Again"), and retraced the now familiar route to the Lodge at Mt. Magazine (this will be our third visit), stopping along the way to take a photo outside Calvin on the old bridge (1919) over the South Canadian River.

We stopped for a snack at a freezing roadside playground near Eufala, and quickly abandoned the project when we were joined by a friendly stray dog.

We lunched at the Golden Corral in Fort Smith, played hide and seek at the mall playground across the street, commenced naps (some of us), and then braved the foggy climb to the Lodge.

After checking in, we hit the pool (the tube slide was undergoing repairs), and Nina and I called to order the first spring meeting of the Hot Tub Club (I'm president of this august organization; she is vice-president).

Our first order of business: discussion about what we like better about the hot tub, the heat or the warmth. We did not come to a resolution before adjourning, so we scheduled another meeting for Monday.

We had dinner in the Vista Room (provisions Mari brought from home), took care of our nightly reading (for Emilio and me: The Two Towers), and retired for the evening.