Trip to Talihina, OK October 9-11, 2009

Jill and I traveled with brother Mike and wife Trina to Horse Heaven Ranch (HHR) [34^42'20.39"N; 95^2'11.80"W] near Talihina, OK.  This was a camping trip.  Jill and Trina slept in the living quarters of Mike's horse trailer while Mike and I slept in a tent.  Talihina (pop 1227) is in LeFlore County Oklahoma, in the Oachita Mountains and is not to be confused with the nearby Talimina Trail.  Access to Talihina is at the intersection of US Hwy 271 and Oklahoma Hwy 1.  Horse Heaven Ranch is outside Talihina at 37522 State Hwy 63, Talihina, OK 74571.  The crow-fly distance from our home in Ottawa County to Talihina is about 140 miles.  However, if the crow is walking along the highways in eastern Oklahoma, the distance is closer to 180 miles.

I brought my black APHA mare, Jasmine.  Jill brought her mule, Pete.  Mike and Trina brought two of their arabians, Rainey and Spirit which they switched from day to day.

The preceding five days had brought continuous rainfall.  We were hoping that the predicted break in the weather would come but although the rain held off, the clouds and dampness stayed with us.  Consequently, the ground was muddy with frequent large puddles on the trails and the streams were swollen.  We were about a week too early to catch the fall colors that light up this area in mid-October.

The trails were generally narrow and winding through the trees and the hills.  This region is heavily logged and we passed several areas that had recently been logged with shredded trees and branches littering a barren landscape.  Actually, the best riding was on the logging roads as most of the trails passed through numerous areas of rounded rocks about the size of footballs which I refer to as ankle-busters.

The management is friendly and helpful.  The campground is pleasant with level concrete pads for trailers although the pads may be a bit small for today's long-long trailers with living quarters.  Several lady riders brought in their rigs and were able to park them on the pads.  The campground provides a comfortable bathhouse with clean toilets and showers (plenty of hot water).

No trip to the Talihina area is complete without a visit to Pam's Hateful Hussy Diner in downtown Talihina.  The food is good and the prices are even better.

Trip to Eminence, MO, October 2-5, 2009

Jill and I traveled from our home on Grand Lake in Ottawa County, OK to Eminence, MO.  This is a distance of approximately 260 miles from our home.  We took Captain Morgan, our Morgan colt, and Jill's mule, Pete.  We met up with my brother, Mike, his wife Trina, and four of their horses; Doc, Buddy, Spooky, and Spirit.

Eminence is in the Missouri Ozarks (population 548).  It is the site of a Cross Country Trail Ride (CCTR) camp which hosts several events each year.  The attendees outnumber the locals 3 or 4 to one during these events.  A variety of tack shops and other vendors can be found on the road leading to the campsite.

We stayed at the Coldwater Ranch just outside Eminence.  The ranch has facilities for campers, campers with horsetrailer RVs, and cabins for those of us who prefer a more comfortable stay.  Our cabin had a kitchenette, two queen-size beds, a fold-out futon couch, a bathroom with shower, a separate sink/vanity for shaving, etc., and a spa (not all cabins have the spa), and plenty of hot water.  Mike and Trina stayed in their horsetrailer RV.  Several bathrooms equipped with toilet, sink, and shower are available for the campers.  The ranch has covered stalls for the horses and requires all horses to be kept in stalls.  The stalls are reasonably priced but they are not free.  You can purchase hay or feed from the ranch.

The ranch kitchen served a catfish dinner complete with hushpuppies (laced with jalapeno), french fries, cornbread, with pie for dessert.  They also served deviled eggs which they passed around after the meal started. The cost of the meal was reasonable.  Other nights have other meal offerings.  The ranch kitchen also serves breakfast and lunches are available to trail riders coming from other ranches or campgrounds.

A variety of trails are accessible from Coldwater Ranch.  Some trails are knee-knockers through the trees and rocks and hills.  Others are dirt/rock county roads.  The county roads go up and down the same hills but are wider and accommodate side-by-side riding.  You can get better views of the scenery from the roads than on the trails.  The local residents take great care with their cars and trucks when approaching riders.  They are courteous and friendly with the riders and most of them can give you directions if you are temporarily disoriented.

The scenery is typical Missouri Ozarks.  AMAZING!  We rode past rock formations hanging over the road.  We forded the sparkling clear Jack's Fork River and Current River.  We rode to the Alley Mill Spring which outflows millions of sparkling clear cold water every day.  All in all, we had a wonderful time.