Wichita Mountain Ride with Friends

June 3, 2018

Sunday

Texas/Oklahoma

A minor cold front has put us in the mood to ride. Any day you get low 90s in the summer in Texas without rain - you better get out there and log a few miles. Sure, we ride in the heat but a nice day now and then sure is welcome.

Today, we rolled northeast to the small town of Waurika Oklahoma with the intent of having breakfast at JW's Travel Stop. Intersection of Hwy 70 and 81 in Oklahoma. We have visited JW's many times with Dad. It is a favorite breakfast/pie and coffee spot. They make a great breakfast and the dinner plate pancakes are delicious.

We lingered over breakfast and coffee hoping our friends from Bowie could meet us for the ride today after some business they conducted this morning.

Sure 'nuff, they rolled in ready to make a day of it.

So we rolled through windy rural Oklahoma along state highways and country roads through tiny Okie communities until we reached the wildlife refuge where longhorn cattle and buffalo roam. One of many attractions in the area is Mount Scott. It's what Oklahoma has to offer in the way of a mountain. No, it ain't the Rockies but it is still a fun ride. The view from the top is crystal clear on most days and reveals many lakes most do not realize are in the area.

A Harley, an Indian and a Spyder went up the mountain... sounds like the opening line to a bad joke - ha!

Afterwards, Ann led us down the mountain to what was once a gold camp called Meers where there is a restaurant and store of the same name. The famous Meers Burger is longhorn of course. We stopped for a burger this day but passed on the peach cobbler which is excellent. You can also get a steak at Meers.

The day was heating up fast but it was still great riding weather but we headed back in the general direction of home.

Ann and Larry - Let's do it again soon!

Slide show of today's ride (80+ photos - with music).

We logged 262.4 s'miles today.

Wichita Mountain Picnic Ride

October 1, 2017
Sunday
Texas

Wow! It was cool enough for a picnic ride so we rolled out north this morning. Oklahoma was the destination. We planned to ride Mount Scott and wander around the Wildlife Refuge and just generally goof off a day.

We made this ride earlier in the year with Dad but did not travel up Mount Scott on that ride (it was early, breakfast was waiting at Ann's and the gates were not open yet). This area was a favorite Sunday drive for the Folks when I was a child. They hung out in the mountains as teens and newlyweds. Nearby Medicine Park was a bustling little city with a huge lodge where family reunions were held. There was an amusement park and skating rink among other things. There are many side attractions  to visit in the wildlife refuge like the Holy City which is the site of an Easter service each year. We will explore all that another day.

Mount Scott is a prominent mountain just to the northwest of Lawton, Oklahoma rising to a height of 2,464 feet. It is located in the Wichita Mountains near Fort Sill Military Reservation and lies in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. The road to the top is three miles and it is paved and well-maintained. The peak was named in honor of General Winfield Scott (1786-1866). Old 'fuss and feathers" is ranked as one of the best commanders of his time. In the 1830s, Scott was placed in charge of removing Cherokees to the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) among other duties.

We rode by Meers and Anns (both excellent places [actually, little dives] to eat) but we found a picnic spot at the base of the mountain and munched on grocery store deli sandwiches, chips and snacks before rolling west out of the refuge for a quick visit with friends Nancy and Don who live in Mountain Park OK.

We rolled in late in the day, happy to have logged a couple hundred miles on a great Sunday afternoon. Word is our friends Ann and Larry from Bowie were riding the Wichita Mountains today but we missed them all the way around. Too bad but we'll hook up soon and do it again together.

We agreed riding Mount Scott was fun. We also agreed if we rode up and down it about twenty times it would be almost like a foothills ride in Colorado. Ha!

Today's Wichita Mountain Ride = 248.9 s'miles

Slide show of today's ride with music. Enjoy!

Ride south, EAT then north, EAT, ride south again

August 18, 2017
Friday
Texas

It's a Friday off. It's hot but not as hot as it has been and that's as good a reason as we need to ride not that we need a reason. We figure we will head south, ride toward Graham, maybe ride around Possom Kingdom lake, maybe mosey on over to Palo Pinto County... but first! We stopped at Thad and Paisley's in Scotland for breakfast. And an excellent breakfast it was!

The Ride - Thad and Paisley's - Scotland, TX

YUM!

Feeling pleasantly plump and fortified with about a pot of hot, strong coffee, we ride on... As we get near the Graham cut-off we think the skies could look better. By the time we get within about ten miles of Graham it's spitting rain and the roads are wet. It's not looking good over the lake and south.

Trying to avoid cutting our day short because of weather, we choose another direction, riding back to Wichita Falls. We stop in town, adjust our wardrobe, top off the tank and head north. Oklahoma here we come. We ride north on I44 something we rarely do. We get to Apache OK and get off the interstate. Apache is a neat little town, lots of murals and old buildings. From Apache we check out Anadarko - another neat town.

I don't know when we got the idea we would ride on to Chickasha and visit Jake's Rib for the first time but that's how the day played out. Jake's Rib is a somewhat legendary BBQ restaurant in Chickasha OK. We've heard about it for years from people who live in Texas and Oklahoma. Dad and friends rode to Jake's many times and then bragged about it while we were in Colorado. We had a big breakfast early but nothing in between. We were hungry. I say that's a good thing.

What a damn delicious surprise says Tim! We actually discussed whether we could find enough to do to spend the night and eat at Jake's again before heading home tomorrow! We decided if we did that we were going to have to convert the Ride to a trike. Ha!

Jake's Rib - Chickasha OK

Oh my goodness! Delicious! Look at that brick of fries!

It was a windy and warm ride south on Hwy 81 through Duncan and Marlow and Waurika where we would normally stop for pie. We couldn't even think about pie today!

Today's ride = 374.5 s'miles

Slide show = about 70 photos - roads, buildings, murals, landscape and Ribs!

Next Stop - Oklahoma!

November 28, 2008
Mountain Park, OK

No trip to Texas is complete without swinging through Oklahoma to visit our friends Don and Nancy in Mountain Park. We departed Wichita Falls about mid-morning, stopping by Red River Harley-Davidson on the way out of town. The day was cool and cloudy and threatening rain but Tim suited up for the ride -- he was determined to get to Oklahoma on two wheels. The day cleared as we headed west and north and the winds were calmer than the last few days so the ride went well, other than a couple of stops for wardrobe adjustments (1-helmet, 2-warmer gloves).

True to form (that being a most excellent hostess) Nancy had a pot of homemade chili simmering on the stove. No one ever goes hungry at the Perrin B&B and no one ever leaves so much as an ounce lighter either. Ha! We dined on homemade Chili, steaks and baked potatoes, pizza, ham and eggs and my favorite Mississippi Mud Cake. Thanks Nancy, for catering to the chocolate lover in me. YUM!

Nancy, Tim and I shopped the antique malls in Snyder, OK. while waiting for Don to come in from plowing a field. Nancy has booths in both malls. It's always fun to shop in Snyder and I usually come home with a few treasures. This year I brought some vintage Santa pieces home, several of them compliments of Nancy. One Santa I rescued from her trash can. Ha!

Later in the afternoon, Nancy's granddaughter Krisee (about to turn 14) got her first ride on a motorcycle - correction - Harley. First, she just sat on The Ride for pics. A little while later she returned. Nancy teased, you just want another look at the Harley. Krisee replied, no I am looking to get a ride on the Harley. I popped my helmet on her head and Tim rode her a few blocks around Mountain Park but that wasn't enough. After a quick call to Cheryl (her Mom) she had permission to ride to Snyder and back (about 2 miles one way).

Next, Don and Tim decide (who cares how they got there?) they will try to move the purdy red building Nancy's been pining after for months now. Check the next post for pics...

In the evening we had pizza for supper and visited as long as we could keep our eyes open but following Don's example we made our way to the comfy bedroom for a good nights rest.

Here are a few pics.