Round-Ups and Rescues
To Big Bend and Back, Day 11WICHITA FALLS, Texas— Driving west on US-70 from Ardmore this morning, the presence of dozens of "nodding donkeys" made it obvious we were in the heart of Oklahoma oil country. Carter County plays a significant role in the state's oil industry, accounting for nearly 15% of Oklahoma production.
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Cottonwood Creek oil field |
Along the highway, cattle dotted the large pastures, sometime peacefully coexisting with pumpjacks in the same field. Many of the cows were young and were separated by gender.
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Boys club near Ringling, OK |
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Fugitive out to explore the world |
Back on the highway, we turned north in Waurika for a little trek on US-81, the Chisholm Trail Highway. During the days of cattle drives, a hill outside Addington, Oklahoma, was a frequent stop for cowboys as they traveled over the Chisholm Trail in the period from 1867 to 1880. The highest point in Jefferson County with a view extending 20 miles, the spot became known to drovers as Lookout Point.
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Chisholm Trail Lookout Point |
The "mound of dirt covered by a rock" where the clue indicated the box was hidden had been buried by prairie grass, but that did not stop Ken and the Wonder Stick from unearthing the rock and beneath it, the letterbox, completely dry inside and still in pristine condition after almost eight years in the wild.
Just past Randlett, OK, we hopped onto I-44 and soon found ourselves back in Texas, searching for a letterbox near the town of Burkburnett. On the way to the letterbox, we passed a charming group of young beefy boys in a pasture near the two-lane road. Stopping to say hello, we persuaded the young fellows to approach the fence for a photo op.
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Boys on the Hoof |
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The victim and the culprit |
Moving south to Wichita Falls, we visited Lucy Park along the Wichita River to search for a couple of letterboxes. After finding the second box, we walked on down the trail to visit the falls. When we read a plaque presented by the city of Niagara Falls, NY, congratulating the city on the "rebirth" of the falls, we were compelled to learn more.
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The reborn Wichita "Falls" |
As we were returning to our car from the falls, we encountered a couple taking photos beside the river. Twenty yards upstream, we saw a four-year-old boy carrying a stick and edging his way down a slope to the river bank. Before he had the chance to get close, we called to the couple, and the man ran over and scooped up the boy, denying him the opportunity to explore whether he could reach the water with his nice new stick. Our final save of the day.
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Wichita River |
- Rest Area: As we were driving on Eva Road in Addington, OK, a pasture we were approaching appeared to be littered with clumps of white and dark gray. When we reached the scene, we realized that we were looking at thousands of Canada geese, greylag geese and snow geese. We assume they were migrating to another location and had selected this pasture as a staging area or a spot to take a break from all that flapping.
- All that Glitters: From I-44 north of Wichita Falls, we observed sparkling hillocks near a large manufacturing plant. A closer examination revealed that we were seeing was crushed glass at PPG's Wichita Falls plant, which manufactures flat glass for use in residential and commercial markets. The plant began operations in 1974 with more than 1,400 employees manufacturing, stacking, and carefully inspecting the sheets of glass produced. Now the same work is done by 300 workers assisted by laser and other technologies.
DAILY STATS:
- Started in Ardmore, OK; ended in Wichita Falls, TX
- Weather: Sunny, 36° to 63°
- Miles driven: 144 (Trip total: 1,802)
- States: 2 (TX, OK) (Trip total: 6)
- Letterboxes found: 4 (Trip total: 49)
- Oil pumpjacks: 780
- Cattle: 5,287
- Geese in pasture: 56,209
More Photos from Today
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Ken and the Wonder Stick |