Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge ~Okmulgee, OK

We have been to the Deep Fork Wildlife Refuge several times but decided to check out some of the harder to get to areas last Saturday.

bigsloughFirst up was the Big Slough Parking Area.

The best way to find these areas is to go to one of the easier to find trails and get a map or go to the headquarters.

There are several trails off highway 75, south of Okmulgee.

On the map I have though none of the parking areas are labled with names so we just drove out to a couple and checked them out.

1sttrail 1sthikegrass logtime creekA lot of the trails end at the water.

I think they are mostly used by fisherman but I do not know that for sure.

turnleftIf you go to this parking area and take the path to the right, it will lead you to a blocked off road and other trails.

roadVery pretty!

Beats walking on busy streets any day!

bwcreek walkingpath grass binoculars puddlejumpAfter we did several miles in this area, we drove back into town to pick up some lunch.

Then we drove out to another area.

okmulgeeThe Okmulgee Parking Area.

All of these parking area’s are around the edges of the town.

I did not see any signs letting you know they were there though until you actually get to them.

osageorangeThese Osage Oranges are so cool looking!

I would plant one in our yard but I think the fruit might be hard to mow around…

watercross wateredgeWe ended up putting in just under 8 miles total for the day.

goofMy oldest was happy about that number since he asked that we go 7 miles.

Ever since he helped his dad finish his race and did 9 miles he thinks we need to do more than that.

He forgets that there were aid stations every couple of miles and that his legs get tired.

aha!There were obviously tired and dragging by the end…

attack2 attackWe had a great time!

I cannot believe how well the boys did on this one!

soakedMy youngest decided to fall right into a puddle at the end.

I made him strip and ride home in his long johns.

The only disappointment for my oldest was we did not stay overnight and live off the land.

I had to finally point out the rules about no camping and that we did not have a permit to hunt.

He did not seem to care that we did not have supplies or weapons but when he heard it was illegal he finally excepted reality.

I think he does not understand what living off the land with zero supplies looks like…

 

Window Bird Feeder

windowfeeder2 windowfeeder3 windowfeederThis is one of those things I kept eyeing at Nature Center Gift Shops.

The bird feeder not the birds…

I kept thinking there was no reason for me to lay down the extra money to buy this one instead of just a hanging one.

It is awesome though!

The birds are so much easier to see!

The boys and I do not even flinch when we see a Cardinal anymore.

Now I just need to get one for every window.

I can even put them under “school expense”, what is more educational than bird study?

I will of course just add keeping them full to the boys chore list…

Do you have a favorite tool to view animals?