Buffalo Hunt

On this beautiful sunny Sunday, our first weekend day of vacation from Afton Station, we were looking for an adventure.  Joe Meeks, our intrepid guide and absolute expert on anything to do with the geography or history of Oklahoma, had remembered that Ron M. and I had talked to him recently about a herd of bison owned by the Cherokee Nation and "hidden away" somewhere in Northeast Oklahoma, but nobody was sure of their exact location.   So, Joe did a little research and suggested that he might be able to find them, and that we should make that a purpose for a nice ride in the country.   Road trip!!

We drove through the Amish country around Choteau and on to Pryor Creek, where we found a good restaurant that has been in the town for well over a  half a century.   Good food!   On to Salina, the oldest town in Oklahoma, established by Jean Pierre Choteau in 1796 as a trading post to trade with the Osage Indians.   It is now a resort community on beautiful Lake Hudson.  On to Kenwood, a small Cherokee Indian town in the foothills of the Ozarks.  The lovely drive was made spectacular by the discovery of the  Blue Hole, a popular swimming spot which we've all wanted to see.

We could only speculate how wonderful it would feel to jump into that natural Jacuzzi which is made by a deep and wide place in the Saline Creek.   We all decided that living in that serene spot with nothing but the sound of river over rocks wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

South of Kenwoood, we took the road to Bull Hollow, where we hoped to find that Cherokee herd.  Well, we found the place and even saw a few bison at far range grazing on the lush brown grass.    With that, we had accomplished our goal, had a fine meal, and enjoyed each other's company for a few hours.

Thanks to Joe, who reminded me of the names of all those places that I'd already forgotten by the time I got home, and to Ron M. who is always fun to be with and who helps me out with this darn wheelchair which tends to make everything more difficult than it needs to be. We look forward to more of our "three Musketeers" day trips this winter.  Any suggestions?