Where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play!

 Enjoying the drive!

 Since I'm still healing, Rodney was chief dog walker.  This is the view from the window of the motor home with Quanah Parker Lake in the background.

 Deer by the road.

We camped at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.  At the beginning of the century, a large section of land was set aside in Oklahoma to give safe haven to animals, especially those hunted almost to extinction, including the American Bison and elks.  They also included Texas Longhorns, since they were such an integral part of the west.  Since the animals are free to roam the whole refuge, there are signs posted telling people to keep their distance from the buffalo and the longhorns, since they can be dangerous.  

 There were many trails for hiking that looked incredibly fun.  Since my knee was still gimpy, we couldn't enjoy them.  I'm looking forward to our next trip, when I'm healed!

This young buffalo was next to the road, and we stopped  almost within reach of him, and he totally ignored us.  They have such a funny build, with their huge, shaggy heads and their small hindquarters.

 You can barely see him, but a prairie dog is standing above his burrow watching us watch him.  They were more skittish than any of the other animals we saw.  The film we saw in the education center said they were a keystone species, aerating the prairie so all the other species can live there.

 Texas Longhorn!

 Views from the tallest mountain.  Breathtaking!

 For lunch one day, we ate longhorn hamburgers at a former mining camp, Meers Restaurant.  They have their own herd, and the meat was incredibly lean (less fat per ounce than chicken breast) and absolutely delicious!  In fact, it was so good we went back that night and had longhorn ribeyes, cut to order!

 Longhorns and buffalo, contentedly grazing together.