Moving on to Oklahoma and Sequoya NWR

Saturday May 31- Monday June 2, 2025                     Most Recent Posts:
KOA                                                                           The RV Museum and Big Cave
Sallisaw Oklahoma                                                 Beautiful Palo Duro Canyon

Saturday May 31

A 208 mile drive got me 0ut of Texas and to Wanderlust Crossings RV Park Weatherford Oklahoma, a perfect overnight spot.  A large flat site right off of I-40 - concrete and level is a treat.  I didn’t even have to put down the jacks.

Sunday June 1

The next day’s drive of 224 miles to Sallisaw Oklahoma seemed very long.  Oklahoma gets a ZERO for interstate rest stops.  No facilities, no parking places, just park on the edge of the road.

I’ve never stayed in a KOA before.  Just doesn’t seem to fit me and too expensive.  But it was the only  thing in this area near I-40 at $60 a night for 4 days.  OUCH!  $15 a night more than I paid for last night’s FHU and concrete level pad which you can see the KOA does not have..

I’m here for 4 days so I would have 3 to see Sequoya’s Cabin, Spiro Mounds and The Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.

When I arrived the temperature was sizzling so I didn’t even set up.  In just taking the car off , hooking up water and electric, I was drenched in sweat.   It was 7:45 at night before it was cool enough for me to put the blocks out, level up the rig and put the slides out.   I also cleaned a ton of bugs off the front of Winnona including the windshield.  I guess the hot and humid brings them out in droves.  Or maybe it’s just Oklahoma.

Monday June 2

Two of the three places I wanted to visit are not open on Mondays but the National Wildlife Refuge was, so that’s where I went.

To beat the heat, I was up, out and at the Wild Life Refuge just after 8:30 which was when it said it opened.  What I didn’t know is that was when the admin building opened but the refuge was open 24/7 so I could have come at sun up and wish I had.  There was little in the building but offices and information about hunting and fishing neither of which was on my list.  When I asked about kayak put ins the person at the desk suggested the ramp into the river.

I took 2 hikes there but unfortunately for me both were totally paved.  Very nice for people in wheel chairs.

This was exactly the sort of water I was hoping to kayak but walking up and down the “trails” on both sides I saw no put in possibilities

I did see evidence of industry though.  Several lovely spider webs had been woven between the bars of the bridge.

Sure looks like a creek or something that would be great kayaking.  I wanted to ask when I got back to the Admin building but it was closed when I got there and too hot to wait.

After hiking,  I drove their 4 mile gravel road and stopped at all the boat ramps looking for kayak put in possibilities but the reservoir, which I was surprised to see as part of a NWR and the poor multi-damned Arkansas River are too big for interesting kayaking in my opinion. 

Must be good for fishing though.  This guy is handling 5 lines.

I found the one reasonably sized, not huge, boat ramp into the river.   Had it not been SO hot I might have put in here and checked it out.

There were some beautiful trees.

I propped my camera on the car hood to try to give a sense of the size of the trunk.

The Great Blue Heron I saw earlier and this Egret were the only water birds I saw.

The only attract5ive  possibility for kayaking in terms of size that I saw looking for put ins was a slough so clogged with water plants that it would be nearly impossible to paddle through to get to the more open water. 

There was a paved path along the river which I took to see where it went and if there were any other ramps.

The best thing of the day was seeing this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.   What a treat.  He hung around and hopped down on the paved walk.  I stopped so as not to scare him but he just stayed and stayed.  He only flew away when I tried to walk around him.

Given that this all happened over 4 months ago I can’t tell who the black bird was that tried to fly in and was rebuffed.   Fun to watch though.  And still the flycatcher stayed.

My last bit of wildlife for the day was this beautiful red headed woodpecker.  Somehow he is the least common woodpecker for me to see so I was happy.

VERY hot and humid by 11am.  I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and saw this license plate in the parking lot.  Love it!  Probably only in Oklahoma.

All afternoon I was blessed by  Willis Carrier and Winnona’s air conditioners which ran without fail all day long nearly constantly.  I really hope the heat lets up, tomorrow.   I want to go to Spiro Mounds which is all outdoors.