Tag Archives: state park

McGee State Park ~Atoka, OK

01/26/2018 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

We stopped at an Oklahoma State Park on the way to Dinosaur Valley State Park since the drive straight there was a bit long.

Especially since we leave Friday after Nick is done with work.

McGee State Park ended up being about halfway and was a beautiful surprise.

Pine forest, beautiful lake, and a lot of hiking nearby.

She might need to work on her catch.

Home away from home.

The boys were determined to build a bridge to the big rock.

The McGee Creek State Park Natural Scenic Recreation Area is just north of the main park.

You have to get a permit to hike there though.

The permits are available at the office and it was a very easy process.

They do limit the number of permits they give out each day though so keep that in mind if you go during a busy time of the year.

It was pretty empty while we were there.

We did the nature trail first and it was a nice easy hike.

We also went on the west branch hike because they recommended it.

The boys were asking him questions about inventions almost the whole time.

They have learned quickly that their dad is much better than I at helping them in that area.

The twins saw Nick blow a raspberry on Little Bit’s cheek and insisted he do it to them.

My kids are the best camera blockers ever…

Such adorable expressions.

We left after the hike to head to Dinosaur Valley.

I realized to late that we were supposed to leave right away to make it to the Creation Museum in Glen Rose before it closed!

Oops!

It was only going to be open on that day also so we missed it this trip!

My awesome planning landed us in Dallas at rush hour also…

I am glad I was not driving.

If I was driving we would have been pulling over and waiting for night to fall.

I don’t like traffic.

Especially with a 30ft trailer…

A short video of our time there.

History, Homeschooling, Museums/Events

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park ~Prairie Grove, AR

12/11/2017 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

While at Devil’s Den State Park, I picked up some brochures on other state parks nearby.

I had wanted to go to the Prairie Grove Battlefield for a little while so I was happy it was pretty close to where we were staying.

The museum was small but had a lot of hands-on and interactive displays!

The battle of Prairie Grove was a large Civil War battle and would be a perfect stop if you are studying that era or just find that time interesting.

When you touched a cannon ball(what my oldest daughter is doing) it would show you a animation of how far it would shoot.

My oldest liked looking at all the different weapons.

Little bit trying to lift a cannonball!

She did not succeed…

The grounds were so pretty!

So many old buildings!

There is a 1 mile walking tour but also a driving tour!

We did both and it was an easy way to learn some interesting history.

And really sad history.

Be prepared that it does talk about the ground being soaked in blood and other facts like that.

The first part of the walk was my favorite.

Lots of beautiful historic buildings to see and give the kids a glimpse of what it was like back then.

It looks so peaceful.

Such a contrast to what it must have looked like during the battle.

I can’t help but think of the families who lost everything just because their house ended up being in the middle of a battle.

They find the Osage Orange’s so interesting.

I can’t blame them so do I!

I really like to visit these kinds of places when they have reenactments going or other historical events.

If you are planning a trip just to see it, go to their website first and see if they have anything coming up.

It really helps history come to life!

Camping, My Family

Devil’s Den and Thanksgiving

12/06/2017 Danielle Huddleston Leave a comment

We went to Devil’s Den for Thanksgiving.

Things I learned;

No matter what holiday, reserve a spot.

People like to camp for Thanksgiving apparently.

Also, if camping here make sure you get there while the office is open.

We almost did not get a spot!

I figured out we had to check in at the office before trying to find a site and just happened to catch an employee leaving.

My kids were tired and done with being in the vehicle.

It was pretty close to their bedtime and I was not sure we were going to be able to stay!

I was also worried my backup plan would be full and closed also.

The lady helping us said she had one spot left and gave us the number.

When we got to the campsite it said reserved and had a name on it so we drove back up to the main road to get a cell signal.

I started searching and calling to try and find another place to stay or find out what to do.

I do not do well in these situations.

I was panicking.

Thankfully right when I was about to lose it the ranger came by and we asked her what to do!

Thankfully she told us we could still have the spot that the person had moved to a different one.

When I went to pay at the office the next morning, someone was reserving spots for next year!

I guess I need to plan better next time.

The next day was Thanksgiving!

We paid for the site and went for a hike before eating pie…

I mean our meal.

I just wanted pie.

My kitchen 😉

Devils Den Trail.

We are still working with the twins on how to go down steep hills.

They keep trying to lean forward!

I really don’t want them falling on their face so we are trying to get them to lean back a bit.

It ends up being very awkward looking.

We like to read any rules posted out loud to the kids during a hike(because then it is not me but the park telling them to not do it).

One had stated that the caves were closed to protect the bats and that you are not allowed to through rocks at bats or other animals.

My oldest daughter saw someone throwing a rock in one of the caves to check how deep it was and got upset and said: “YOU COULD HIT A BAT!”

I will call this a win.

Glad she was listening.

She was trying to take up the whole seat so her dad could not sit down.

Sweet.

This is one of my favorite hikes to do at the park and always a favorite of my kids.

There was a hawk just sitting on the bank.

You can see it to the left of Nick’s shoulder.

I am not sure what was wrong with it.

The kids liked watching it though.

I wished I had brought my telephoto lens…

We got to mark off another state on our scratch off map!

I was planning on sharing our whole camping trip in one post but I think that would be a bit long so I will stop on the first day.

Anyone else not do well with last minute planning and changes?

I think reservations were made for people like me…