As we travel the country we look for the “bucket list” destinations that are on everyone’s list. On this trip we discovered that there’s something to see in just about any town we visit….
We’re shopping for a 5th wheel toy hauler that will fit our full-time RV lifestyle and allow us to carry our recently purchased CanAm side-by-side. DRV has developed a new toy hauler floor plan that we want to see and on our way north to the factory we stopped in Elk City, Oklahoma to visit Alicia at Rolling Retreats to discuss some options with the new floor plan. We planned to stay at Rolling Retreats for a couple of nights but were delayed on our trip north due to the virus. Alicia and Slade graciously offered to let us stay on-site until we were able to move north again. While there, we were able to start a build sheet on a new coach and see some of the new features DRV has put on their 5th wheels recently.
A few days turned into a week and Alicia asked us if we had seen a few of the sites in Elk City. Since we stop in Elk City once each year for maintenance on our current coach, we really hadn’t visited the local attractions. Elk City is a small town in western Oklahoma with a little over 11,000 residents. It’s surrounded by farm fields and I-40 as well as the old Route 66 run through town. We packed up and headed into town. As we drove through town we could feel the small town America atmosphere that encompasses so many of towns this size in rural America. Alicia took us to the city park, which was beautiful! Trees and a small lily-pad covered lake surrounded a beautiful little light house that was accessed by a covered bridge.
The city park also has a paved walking trail that has workout stations along the route. 
A few block away from the park we discovered the local Route 66 museum and associated old west museum buildings that the town has erected. The museums were closed when we visited, but we were able to look into the buildings and see old time stores, doctor’s office and other old artifacts that are usually open to the public. The buildings surround a beautiful little park with grass, trees and waterfall that make for a very serene and peaceful setting.
A few minutes north of town is Foss Lake state park, and Alicia was anxious to show us her favorite spots around the lake. It was a wonderful afternoon and we were very impressed with what the area had to offer in the way of strolling and hiking opportunities.
A few days later it was obvious we weren’t going to be able to travel north for a while, so Alicia invited us to take an all day trip about an hour south of town into the southwestern Oklahoma area. So we packed up the car and headed south to the Wichita Mountains. We had to say….MOUNTAINS IN OKLAHOMA? Wow, were we impressed! 
The Wichita Range runs east/west and it’s prominent landmark is Mt. Scott, which is 2,464′ in elevation. 
The road allowed us to drive to the top of Mt. Scott for some amazing views of the surrounding area.
We left Mt. Scott and headed down the road into the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. This area borders the Ft. Sill Military Reservation and is full of small lakes, wildflowers and roaming buffalo.
We drove through the Wildlife Refuge and into the small town of Medicine Park. 
It is a vintage cobblestone resort town and offers a number of gift shops, river walk and waterfalls. 
We strolled through town and along the river before visiting the shops that were open. 
It was such a peaceful setting and we really enjoyed strolling along the river while viewing the geese, ducks and flowers that bordered the walkway.
We had such an amazing day! We found it so interesting that we’d been through western Oklahoma a number of times before, but had never taken the time to explore the local area. It just amazes us that we can find something to do almost everywhere we stop. Granted, we had the advantage of a local tour guide, but we’re going to start asking the locals wherever we stop to see what’s available to explore in the local area. See our full Western Oklahoma adventure HERE!
