We had another great experience this week. Oklahoma has a diverse geography and you don’t have to go far to find something completely different than where you just left. We took a day trip to Roman Nose State Park https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Nose_State_Park and had lunch after a short hike.
There are several hiking trails meant for more experienced hikers than us, but we took the road more traveled. Old folks with an excited dog on a leash need to be careful. It had been raining the night before and many of the rocks were slippery with evidence of erosion, but the park was beautiful with several springs and waterfalls flowing. For early September, it was cool and comfortable and after the short hike, we ate a Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen. The restaurant is new to the park. Swadley’s has taken over restaurants at several of the Oklahoma State Parks and the food was wonderful. 
Like most people we’ve been stuck at home this summer, but the outing was great. There weren’t a lot of people, the restaurant was clean and social distancing was practiced.
Traveling short distances is something on my bucket list. As a kid my family moved to Oklahoma when I was seven and we often took day trips on the weekend to find out what this state had to offer. Mom would pack the picnic basket and Dad would take a highlighter to an Oklahoma map and we’d scout out new places to visit. I loved those day trips and want to do more of that now that I’m older. I’ve been to Roman Nose many times, it is only a little over an hour from where we live, but it seemed new and improved yesterday. https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/roman-nose-state-park
If you play golf, there is a golf course and you can rent a cabin or stay in your tent. Check first about availability because I think the camping part of the park has been closed this year due to the pandemic. But if you want a hike and lunch, it is the place to be.
Fall is coming, do you like to travel and where?
My husband is an avid outdoorsman. As a kid growing up he had acres to roam and spent a lot of time communing with nature. This week, he got another chance and we had a new experience.
Strawberry Sundae Delights releases today!
Stone of Thor releases today at 
Like most everyone else this year, my husband and I have been stuck in the house avoiding a nasty virus. And since we were unable to go anywhere, we both had surgery this summer; cataract for him and spinal for me. (Whoopee!) We spent most of the summer recovering. We’d planned a vacation in March for his birthday meeting my husband’s cousin and wife that was cancelled. We finally got the chance to go somewhere and we stayed in the state making reservations at Medicine Park 
We ended up traveling 20 minutes into Lawton for breakfast because Medicine Park, like a lot of places, has lost businesses due to the virus. There was nowhere to eat breakfast other than a bakery and it wasn’t always open.
I don’t know if the water has healing properties, but the weekend did for us. It was great to get out and see the cousins and relax.
This year I vowed to talk about new experiences. I was thinking of travel, but things have changed for everyone. Now that we are home most of the time, our new experiences could be just a new way of doing an old thing. My writing club, like many others, is learning to do something in a new way.
I was reminded this week how feelings and experiences can come back to bite you when you least expect it. Things you thought were over and done – you thought you dealt at the time – suddenly are there again.
Many years ago, I fell in love with the lore surrounding the Heavener Runestone and the YA novel Glome’s Valley was born. Since that time, I’ve written a sequel, Return to Glome’s Valley. I loved the characters and the setting, and the saga of Glome and the Heavener Runestone lived on.
Peggy Chambers "Views from the Hammock" site 