Tag Archives: glass mountain

Gloss Mountains State Park in the Winter ~Fairview, OK

This place is magic.

You are driving along in terrain as flat as can be and suddenly there are these amazing buttes right in front of you.

Totally unexpected and amazing.

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To add to the magic, the day was moody, cold, windy, and ice lingered in spots.

The sun would suddenly light up the ice making it seem like you were in a different world.

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I could look all day.

You can hike along the top of Gloss Mountain.

It is a bit of a climb to get to the top but has amazing views.

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It was also cold and windy.

At first that seemed like it would make the whole trip uncomfortable.

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But the cold wind and cloudy skies made it even more breathtaking.

Figuratively and literally 🙂

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This was my girls first time here.

I did not think we would be able to go because of the steep drops but my husband said we could do it.

We kept little ones close.

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We told the kids it looked like Elsa had been here…

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It feels like you can see for miles.

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The mud coated our shoes and made it hard to walk.

It also kept the wind from blowing us off.

Ha

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My youngest son climbed up with a GoPro strapped to his head.

I was not sure about what kind of video we would get but I ended up loving it.

It is like we are being introduced to his world.

A world where every sight has to be taken in at once and bouncing is constant.

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I brought a little handheld microscope along so they could look at one of the rocks that give the mountain it’s name.

It was pretty cool, so sparkly.

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My youngest boy kept his arms in his coat.

He and his brother thought it was going to be a lot warmer out and were happy to be in the car.

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Little bit thought dropping ice on herself was funny.

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Pretty sure she is trying to lick dad…

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It was an amazing adventure!

I need to remember to go more often, it is worth the drive.

We actually stopped at the Little Sahara State Park to check out the sand dunes after we were done.

I have so many pics though I decided to break it up into different posts!

Do you have a favorite spot in Oklahoma?

Road Trip to the West

We got up at 5am on Saturday to start our trip west.

I was hoping to get to the Great Salt Plains State Park before the sun was too harsh.

I love my pillow too much to have made it there for the actual sunrise.

It is a 3 hour drive from our house to get there.

We started on the northern side of the Salt Plains at the Sandpiper Trail.

I love this place.

It is a pretty short, easy trail.

Less then a mile total.

I think it is just beautiful.

Next we went to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge.

There are trails to walk and an Auto Tour.

This is a short trail that is right off the Auto Tour road.

I am really glad I never saw the movie The Birds.

I have only seen commercials for it and still all these birds flying in massive groups made me slightly uneasy.

Thanks, Alfred Hitchcock.

Next we went to the Sod House Museum.

It is pretty close to the Salt Plains and I have been wanting to see it.

They built the museum around it!

I love history and grew up reading westerns so I was fascinated to see what I have read so much about.

They did say that mud daubers and non-poisonous snakes were thought to be a good thing because they killed mice, rats, and spiders.

So they lived with you…

I do not think I could handle that.

Next door to the Sod House is the Little Sahara State Park.

I have been wanting to see this for a while.

It is mostly for ATV’s and that sort of thing but we did find a small walking path to look around some.

Lot’s of playing going on.

We could not stay and watch too long because someone(me) did not put sunscreen on anybody!

I burned…

My skin sees sun peek through the clounds and it turns red.

This is my youngest philosophy on life.

Fling yourself as fast as you can and don’t worry about falling until it happens.

He actually does not care if he falls.

He would do it again the same way.

Last stop, Gloss Mountain State Park.

We actually went there pretty recently but I could not help stopping while in the area!

I thought the people going up the steps gave it a nice sense of scale.

This was actually taken by Nick!

I took some also but did not like them as much.

This little guy had a full photo shoot while we were there.

He has not paid yet…

I love how diverse Oklahoma is!

So much to see!

Gloss Mountain State Park ~Oklahoma

At the Gloss Mountain State Park.

There is a hiking trail that leads up on top of Cathedral Mountain.

The only difficult part of this hike is getting up the stairs. It is nice and flat after that.

The trail is under 2 miles in length and is the only trail that I know of in the park.

My little climbers.

Beautiful view.

My boys realized that mommy was too close to the edge.

I am klutzy, I think they have figured that out about me already.

I actually stayed far away from the edge. I have found that when I take a picture anywhere near a ledge I feel like I am falling.

Not a pleasant sensation.

I made them come back so Nick could carry my extra lens for me.

I am awesome like that…

Why is it that boys always find playing in dirt to be the highlight of any time spent outside?

We are on top of a Mountain (albeit a small one) and still they just want to dig in the dirt.

What is he looking at?

This little guy.

The poor little thing was scared.

The sunlight started to do amazing things.

I could have stayed up there until the sun was completely gone.

Of course, then I would be stuck on top of a mountain with a spider in the dark…

The plaque talked about the naming of the mountain and the confusion about the name.

I really enjoyed visiting this park.

That being said, it is a very short hike so for next time I will plan on doing other things in the area before going here.

Here is a list of a couple places I want to visit for the next time:

Great Salt Plains State Park

Sod House Museum

Little Sahara State Park

I loved being at the Gloss Mountains at sunset so I will probably save it for last.

Get out and enjoy where you live!