Foss State Park, Oklahoma 9/20-21/17

We made another short hop, as in a really short hop (like 40 miles east) from Sayre City Park to Foss State Park on Wednesday.  The plan is to investigate both the Washita NWR and the Washita Battlefield on Thursday, at least for as long as we hold up in the heat.  Daytime temps are in the 90's here, with a hot sun and big winds.  This time of year the park is fairly empty and, in fact, only one of the campgrounds is open.  Uncrowded and quiet, as we like it!

This is a pretty lake and again, we're parked overlooking it, with lovely shade trees. Our site has W/E ... and thank goodness for air conditioning. We circumnavigated the lake, just looking around, popping in and out of air-conditioned Smartie ... Tergel is on the opposite side (red check mark far right, above).  

Built to control flooding (etc) on the Washita River, Foss dam was finished in 1962.  At over three miles long and a structural height of 142 ft, it's one of the world's largest earthen dam structures.  Normally, the lake has a shoreline of 58 miles and an average dept of 24 feet.  Normally, as in not a drought year, and the lake is full this year.  We've seen fish jumping in the lake, and a fishing boat or two on the water aiming to catch some of those fish!

A small herd of Bison roam 300-400 acres at the state park office across the highway.  Foss St Pk used to be the home of several Plains Indian Tribes, people who lived along the Washita River, and who relied on large herds of Bison for food, shelter, clothing and much more.  Prior to statehood, the area was part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation.  We learn so much as we travel about.

And then we decided to drive a few miles north to the town of Butler, thinking we might find a gas station there, so Jimmy could splash a gallon or two in Smartie.  The earth in this part of Oklahoma is red, iron red, lighter or darker, it's red.  Above we spied someone's abandoned homestead in the middle of a plowed field of red dirt, lovingly surrounded by shrubs, and with a tree hugging its north side.

Butler?  Well, we found no gas station, a handful of houses, and not much else.

I think everyone in this county grows these things.

Nice earrings.

Symbolic of a lost era.

By dusk, the air was quite pleasant, so after dinner, a walk in the coolish evening breeze sounded like a fine idea.  The marina is closed for the season, but we saw a few fishermen (and boys) throwing a line in the water, hoping for a Blue Gill.  On the way to the marina, we spotted these creatures below:

A golden butterfly.

A HIDEOUS MONSTER.

And three goofy geese.  (Hey lady, got any corn?)

The sunset was stellar with that humongous thundercloud reflected in the water.  Glad that thing blew east.  I nearly keeled over when I saw a tarantula walking on the road toward us. Ohmygawd, I yelled, look at that thing!  (it was big)  Oklahoma has tarantulas!  Jimmy said I should add this:

Question: Why did the tarantula cross the road?

Answer:  To scare the beejaysus out of Nickie.

(Nightmares ahead)