Red Rock Canyon

This past Sunday the family discussed what we wanted to do with our Labor Day Holiday.  The kids voted for the Wichita Mountains Federal Wildlife Reserve down near Lawton.  (If you want to see pictures from our last trip, click here.)  The down side of that idea was that it's a 2-hour drive down there, and another 2 hours back.  We (meaning me and Ben) wanted to make this a morning outing, since we had other things that we wanted to do - including relax.  So I looked for something closer that would give us some good scenery and a nice, yet very easy hike.  I am 7 1/2 months pregnant after all, and Connor is 2.

The result: Red Rock Canyon State Park.  It was just an hour away, so we headed out at 9am, stayed an hour and a half, ate lunch in the car on the way back, and got home at 12:30.  Perfect timing for Connor (and me!) to go down for a nap.

Here's a few pics of our day:

~The girls playing on the big climbing rocks at the playground.  There was a ledge about 4 feet off the ground that they eventually started jumping off of.  What daredevils we have!~

~After the playground we followed a little trail between the campgrounds that took us along the bottom wall of the canyon.  It was a nice, shady walk with some really cool things to see.  I've never seen a tree growing out of a rock wall like this before, have you?~

~When we got back to the picnic/playground area we noticed a line of ants across the path and decided to follow it to see if we could find the ant hill, or even their destination.  We followed it as far as we could, and still never found the beginning or the end.  The line stretched over 20 feet before we gave up!  It disappeared into the forest and we lost the other end in the grass.~

~Eventually we made our way over to the California Road Nature Trail for our "hike".~

~Fortunately they provided a handrail for the steepest part.~

~Once we got to the top of the canyon, we were walking mostly on rock - much to the girls' delight.~

~Now I know where all the red dirt around here comes from.~

~Somewhere along the way we found this dying bush in the middle of the path.  Kelsey noticed this funky-looking growth all over the leaves.  Fungus, maybe?  We've never seen anything like it.~

~And, some general pretty scenery from the top of the canyon.~

~On the way out we made a pit-stop at one of the newer-looking restrooms at the park, which was near the repelling area.  These pictures give you a good idea of how high the canyon walls were.  Nothing huge, but pretty regardless.  And definitely different scenery than what we have around here in Edmond, which is what we were after to begin with!~