I have a lot of favorite places in Oklahoma, but I have to admit that the southeast part of the state is my favorite favorite. It’s full of rolling hills and tree-covered mountains. It is green in a way that nothing in New Mexico is green. It’s the part of the state that I like to go visit when I have a free weekend during business trips. Lake Wister State Park is in that part of Oklahoma.
Lake Wister State Park is one of only two Oklahoma State Parks that has cabins that I haven’t stayed in. Doing so is definitely still on my to-do list. I did make a brief stop by it one day on a previous trip, but the cabins were all booked up. On my latest trip out to Oklahoma with my van, I figured I’d at least stay there, even if it wasn’t in a cabin. In some ways, I prefer staying in the van anyway.
My stay was short, but sweet. I arrived at Lake Wister after a weekend spent in the nearby Ouachita National Forrest. I found a nice RV spot by the lake without any close neighbors. It was unusually hot and sticky for October, so upon arrival, I plugged my van in and turned the AC on high. But I didn’t cocoon up in my van too long- I went to go walk around the park and explore. I found another RV spot that I liked, overlooking the water and close enough to it to have a guard-rail around the spot. I would have moved there, but it was too close to another occupant for my tastes, so I settled for taking a picture of it.
I walked on to go check out the “group camp”- several A-frame cabins, a dining hall, and bath-house in their own separate area of the park. I let my imagination run free, thinking of the events that might be held here. I imagine how much fun it would be to be at one of them, although oddly I suspect I have more fun exploring by myself and imagining such things than I would being a part of such an event.
Then there was the sewer lagoon with a fence with barbed wire on top and signs proclaiming “NO TRESPASSING SANITARY SEWER LAGOON”. I wonder how sanitary a sewer lagoon could possibly be and who would want to trespass there anyway. I meandered on back to the van, stopping to take a few sunset pictures on the way. I climbed back into the van, closing the door behind me and pulling the curtains closed too, content to snuggle up in the safety of my own little space. Then it was time for dinner and reading a bit of Word Freaks- an excellent book Sam lent me about competitive Scrabble players.
Lake Wister Pictures
Click on a thumbnail to view the larger version
I was in bed early and up early enough to see the near-full moon reflecting on the lake. Early mornings are so precious and still. With a small amount of regret, I left my lake-view spot to head to work. But some day, I’ll be back to Lake Wister to try one of those cabins.
To learn more visit the Oklahoma State Park website.
