A day out

 Sometimes, you just need to go somewhere where you can hear the sound of running (natural) water

I went up to Chickasaw National Recreation Area. I was surprised when I drove in, I saw whitish stuff on the ground and my brain went "snow?" at first, but I dismissed it as "no, it's just a *really* white limestone outcrop"

No, it actually hailed there Friday night. (I asked one of the rangers)

I was a little concerned some areas might be inaccessible - they got over an inch of rain yesterday - but it wasn't too bad. Some of the low areas were a bit muddy and one of the rock fords across a stream had water over the top of it (so I didn't take that trail). 

But it was just good to get out. Chickasaw is interesting, there's a lot of habitat diversity, and also because it's less-disturbed than the areas around here - and also at a higher elevation (sort of in the Arbuckles), it's a little cooler and wetter than here, so there's more forest and some tree species we don't have.

I mostly walked around in back of the Travertine Nature Center - walked out to the different springs (Antelope and Buffalo) and then took the half-mile loop trail that I think is called Dry Creek Trail. There are a lot more around the park - it would be fun to take a really full day and try to hike them all (or two days, maybe). 

Most of the trails are fairly easy, with more-difficult off shoots. The one out to the springs is very level and has tiny gravel put down to make it pretty accessible.

Travertine Creek runs through the whole area, I think it is fed by Antelope Spring. The big old Travertine Nature Center (built by the CCC in the 1930s, and in my history of the environmental movement in the US lectures I do in Environmental Policy and Law, I include a photo of it as an example of a CCC project)

I really like that style of building - uses native stone, is in a vaguely Craftsman/Frank Lloyd Wright influenced style. The building itself seems pretty functional for its job - there is a small auditorium that runs videos, and I think in the before-times they sometimes had talks. Most of the center is a big display area with changing displays about the history/biology/geology of the area. There is also a small gift shop - this time around they had more items out (last summer, at the height of COVID, they had only a few items, and those were behind glass, you had to ask for what you wanted. Now, they have books back out, and t-shirts, and things for kids)

I spent some money there

Actually, the book on the left - which is a Chickasaw cookbook - was from a separate "visitor's center" apparently run by the Chickasaw nation. More on that later. But I wanted to read the two books there and thought maybe they might contain information for my Environmental Policy and Law class. (And also, I kind of have dreams some day of being able to teach a "history of the conservation movement" class, if we ever grow the number of faculty in the department to where we are not just covering the absolute necessaries)

This is a gift for my niece. I'm just going to send it now, instead of waiting for a gift-giving occasion; I thought it might be something fun for her and her parents this summer.

The guy working the counter, when he saw me, exclaimed, "Is that a CVNP t-shirt I see?" (I was wearing my long-sleeved "Cuyahoga Valley National Park" map t-shirt - it was cool enough I needed a long sleeved shirt but too warm for a sweatshirt). I said yes, and that I grew up not far from there, and he said his fiancée was from Akron, and she and he had taken their engagement photos there. So, small world. 

I also bought a CNRA t-shirt for my mom, as a birthday present. So I've got that sorted out (her birthday is in late May, will fall while I am up there). 

This big piece of travertine rock has been on display for at least 20 years, I remember my dad photographing it when my parents visited shortly after I moved down here and we all went there one day

 

 

They've recently update the trail signs and they are quite nice now:

And now just some more "aesthetic" photos from around the springs trails:

I did go back to the nature center store before leaving - I had seen a stuffed river otter in there and really debated buying it (one place I hang out online I use the handle Acerbic Otter, which is an anagram of my actual name, and I didn't have a good stuffed river otter.) I told myself if it was still there when I got done with my hiking and I decided I still wanted it, I would get it.

Well, you can guess what happened. I have had a lot of instances in my younger life when I remember forgoing a purchase (either because I didn't have the money, or was told not to spend my money on it, or didn't act fast enough) and then I *never* got a chance to buy that thing again, even if I later on decided I really wanted it

yes, I have named her Acerbic after the handle I use elsewhere.

I also grabbed lunch (at the Sonic, one of the few places I knew I could get reliable carryout, not the best but not terrible). Then I decided to double back and try a spice-and-tea shop I'd seen advertised (it turns out they are part of a chain)

I got some coconut oolong tea (it's good, I've already tried it) and I had been almost out of five-spice powder so I got some of that, and an Italian blend that smelled really good (they have big jars where you can test the smell; the spices are packaged in little bags). Also some mint chai and a chocolate tea because then I got a little bag of coconut-scented sugar for free. 

I also went to the aforementioned Chickasaw visitor center - they had some displayed stained glass art by a Chickasaw artist (I presume they rotate and feature different artists) and a few historical displays, but also some books- which is where I bought the cookbook. It's interesting, mostly the typical "southern style" food with a few tex-mex influenced dishes - though there was a mention of how many people got through the Depression eating "tomato gravy" (not the same as the Italian-American version - this is more like just plain tomatoes, with bacon fat and thickened with flour, not a lot of herbs) on biscuits and.....that actually sounds kind of good. There were also a couple of interesting casseroles I might want to try if we ever can do potluck meals again. (There was even, heh, Chickasaw "hotdish" - though they don't call it that - a tater tot casserole. That amuses me because that kind of thing I very heavily associate with the upper Midwest, especially Minnesota, but I guess people are pretty much people whereever you go).

They also had a penny-smasher (I didn't photograph my smashed penny) but I've kind of made it a thing of doing these when I find them - when I was a kid I wasn't allowed to do stuff like that, it was seen as "wasting my money," but honestly? What else can you get for 51 cents? A few moments of entertainment and then a little flat copper medallion that reminds you of your trip. (I have three of these now - one from Grand Saline, one from the Shreveport Aquarium, and now this one). 

Then, before heading home, I did take a swing by Bromide Hill, which is my favorite spot in the park, because you can see really far:

It was a little spoiled by a loud group that were apparently climbing on the rock face (! you are NOT supposed to that, it is not stable!) and so I wandered off onto the tiny, narrow trails that ran through limestone prairie - it feels kind of like you could get lost up there, but not in a bad way.

After that, it was getting a little late, so I headed home - it's about an hour and fifteen minutes drive, the route I take (avoiding the Roosevelt Bridge, which is currently under construction and which I don't like driving on at the best of times, so I take the longer Cumberland Cut route)