Looking down at Robbers Cave State Park
Welcome back Dispatchers!
I know we haven’t been as consistent on the blog lately, but things have been pretty crazy around the office and otherwise. Luckily the holidays are here which means we have a little extra time to finally get back on the road.
Speaking of Holidays, Lacey and myself just spent a few days with friends at Robbers Cave State Park getting some much needed post-Thanksgiving R & R.
Robbers Cave is a very cool place – once used as a hideout for outlaws like Jesse James and Belle Star, Robbers Cave now serves as one of Oklahoma’s most popular State Parks. Nestled in the pine covered hills of south east Oklahoma, the park itself is a wonderfully peaceful place perfect for relaxing.
We spent two nights in a cabin drinking Choc Beer (brewed just a few miles away in nearby McAllester) playing board games, watching bad movies on HBO, and taking the time to get out and explore a little. Most importantly though, we got to spend some quality time together, hanging out without the distractions of our normal lives getting in the way.
At The Gates!
Hiking around the rocks in the main part of the park was a blast. The brisk late-fall air filled our lungs as we explored the beautiful, yet often bizarre, rock formations that line the trails. The fear of snapped ankles didn’t stop anyone (well, except Lacey) from trying out their best Spider-Man moves on the rocks, stopping only occasionally to perch on a ledge and check out the view.
I’m not sure why, but it seems to be a pretty common human experience to feel a sense of accomplishment on the side of a cliff.
Food was, as usual, a major part of our trip. We had brought plenty of Thanksgiving leftovers with us for the purposes of constructing some amazing pot pies, but after our hike, no one was in any mood to cook. We decided to head down to the nearby town of Hartshorne to see what kind of food we could scrounge up. We stumbled upon “The Ole Corral Restaurant”, a charming local diner that served up some of the best chicken fried chicken we had ever tasted. Needless to say, naps were required by most afterwords.
After a little recuperation, we ventured back out into the wilderness for a short walk before sunset. The forest looked somber in the cold dusk light, making a perfect setting for a little self reflection.
We walked to the nearby lake and played around on the swing sets that overlooked the water while geese flew overhead.
The cabins at Robber’s Cave are incredibly cozy, containing all the comforts of home, but in a rustic setting. Lacey cooked up the previously mentioned pot pies while the rest of the gang roasted marshmallows in the fireplace. James ate a s’more for the first time in his life, and everything seemed right in the universe.
-Austin