Woodward - Buffalo - Gate - Beaver - Guymon - Boise City - Black Butte, SP

 July 10 - 13, 2023: 

I’m traveling route 163 north to the town of Buffalo, Oklahoma, its beautiful country with lush green long hilly vistas.  I take a side road that goes into a ranch area where the view was beyond great and as I stopped to turn around on a ranch road this cute little cattle dog came over wagging his tail to check me out.  I’m now entering what is known as the “Pan Handle” region of Oklahoma. I will then continue north west into the “No Man’s Land” area.  I better buckle up tight, could be a wild ride.

I was taken by the greenness and the clouds

The rolling hills and the wind turbines in the distance

The sandy red earth here is special too

The dog just sat there looking at me

I then drive on to the town of Buffalo, OK where I stop to explore the quaint, interesting downtown and take many photos.  I found this small town quite remarkable and likable, a small oasis in the middle of nowhere.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo,_Oklahoma

Several nice murals here

Everything here is Bison or Buffalo flavored

A classic old gas station

A nice July 4th memorial

Several nice buildings but they appear to be vacant or closed

Next, I continue on route 64 west to Gate, Ok for more murals and a lunch stop.  Gate has an interesting history museum, but it's not open today and there are many roadside buildings with aging western themed murals, that are slowly fading away.  Laurie's Cafe was open and I just had to go in for lunch, where there was one other patron quietly eating.  He was soon joined by two friends, all local farmers or ranchers who talked on and on about the rainfall, the flooding creeks and fields.  I took a few iPhone photos inside the cafe, but I kind of wanted to sneak a photo of the ranchers.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gate,_Oklahoma

Gate was a stop on the railroad in days past

The museum is in the old depot

Several closed buildings with western themed murals

These murals were a little too folksy for me, but well done 

The cafe was rustic with a down home country, friendly vibe

That $6.25 cheese burger was really good and huge, a farmers meal ! 

I then continue west on route 64 to route 270 south and make a stop at the town of Beaver and as I cross the bridge, I see that the Beaver River has flooded its banks and part off the adjacent feed lot looks flooded too, I’m not drinking any tap water in this town.  The Main Street is mostly dull, drab, rundown and poor looking and I stop for only a couple of sign photos; the Twister Inn and the Stockyard sign. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver,_Oklahoma

I'm a little worried about these Twisters around here

I definitely did my part today

The Beaver River running over its banks ? 

 

The Beaver Dunes State Park just outside of town and I take a one mile plus nature walk that through a wooded area and into the sand dunes.  I'm trying to work off that giant cheese burger.  The weather was threatening, it was really hot and the loop trail was not well marked, but the wildflowers and views made it all worthwhile. 

This area of Oklahoma has many areas with sand dunes, but most are not so high, exposed or readily visible since they are covered with trees and vegetation. 

I then continue on route 270 south to route 412 west through open ranch land with big vistas and ponds have formed from the recents rains, some extending almost into the highway.  In this area of the country, they refer to these depressions that fill with water as Buffalo Wallers. I understand this term as I see cows in these water holes today cooling themselves just as the Buffalo in the past must have.   

I arrive at my destination of Guymon, OK in late afternoon. The old downtown business district appears to still have some life, something to explore tomorrow.

Huge water tank with storm clouds approaching

Adjacent grain elevator

In the morning, I take a walk around the downtown Main Street area, but it’s sort of depressed with mainly discount clothing stores, household furniture, thrift type shopping, a photography studio and is very hispanic flavored as they account for over half of the population of Guymon.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guymon,_Oklahoma

A fairly sexist mural at the Downtown Lounge ?

Downtown street view

I looked inside the front window and bunch of women at tables and chairs ?

Since found nothing of interest in the downtown area, I drive to the town of Goodwill about 15 miles south to visit the No Man’s Land Museum.  It is a huge building with an amazing collection of native American arrowheads, pottery, geology and prehistoric fossils found in this area.  They also have extensive area history exhibits and historic objects.  There is also much about the dust bowl period which extended all over this area and accounts from people who lived through it.

This northwest area of Oklahoma became known as "No Man's Land"  as it did not fall under anyones jurisdiction, as if no one wanted it and as a result there were no laws and consequently was a good hangout for those with criminal intent or hiding out from the law.  It's pretty weird ?

There are three bars in downtown Guymon, I first go into the "Pub on the Bricks"bar which looks to be the most popular (big mistake), I sit at the bar and sit, the bar tender just disappears, I’m in no hurry, but I do have limits, if no one waits on me after about ten minutes, I'm gone, I just get up and leave. 

 I then go the "Cowboy Bob's Saloon" a short distance away where the bar tender serves me immediately and the people are friendly, this one strange man gave me two drink tokens and the woman next to me started showing me pictures of her son and grandkids.  It soon became obvious that she spends a substantial amount if time in this bar.  I eventually learn much of her life story, she lives in an RV across the street and tells me I can park my van there overnight, no use risking getting a DUI driving back to Walmart.  

Then there is a young hispanic guy settling his bar bill, she tells him sternly that he better give the barmaid a nice tip.  He then buys a round of shots for the entire bar because his buddy is having a birthday soon ?

Cowboy Bob's Saloon sign

Pool is popular here

  

I've now had enough excitement so I slip out the door and I do park at the RV Park.  I then wake about 3 AM to heavy wind, rain, thunder and lightning and then when the rain stops a tree branch is making a awful scrapping sound against my roof, I exit the RV Park quietly and drive back to Walmart for the balance of the night. 

It now the next morning and I’m on my way north on route 412 west across the Oklahoma Pan Handle (that's what it is known as) towards Boise City, Oklahoma.  This is wide open range land for as far as you can see on both sides of the road. 

I make a stop at the town of Keys, OK which is very sad, the old downtown is virtually, a ghost town, almost everything is closed up, out of business or abandoned, however it appears that this was once a vibrant small town.  I'm on the street taking a few photos when a woman stops and asks me what I'm doing.  She then tells me that this town in the 1970's was a vibrant place, but after the Helium Plant closed in 1981, many of the residents left town as there was no work and it's been in a downward spiral since then.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keys,_Oklahoma

Keys still has an impressive water tower and farm suppliers

The Theater is now closed as are all the Main Street businesses below

The building on right is slated for demolition

I arrive at Boise City about noon and take a quick tour around the Court House area.  I now remember this town from previous RV'ing days, it’s the town that was accidentally bombed in WWII days by a bomber crew in training.  Only a couple bombs were actually dropped, no none was injured, but there was some property damage.  Of course this incident put Boise City on the map and they have a monument in the downtown documenting it.  Otherwise, there isn’t much else of interest there although the Court House and the Bank are impressive buildings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boise_City,_Oklahoma

The Court House

Nice visitors Center, note the bomb in the sidewalk

The Bank is beautiful

  

https://chcmuseumok.com/the-cox-house 

I go to the Cimarron Heritage Museum on the outskirts of Boise City which is partially housed in an odd futuristic home designed by Bruce Goff who was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. This homeowner might be referred to as a collector, or a hoarder of sorts, as the collection is housed in several annex's of the house and many outside buildings.  There is also the old Train Depot, an old school house, a barn filled with many antique cars, a windmill and further in the back a field filled with farm equipment, farm trucks, etc.

This woman lived an incredible life

I love these little note books

This is an Oklahoma map book showing the Indian Reservations

Life in the pioneer days

It's worse than living in a van

Lots of information on area ranches

Afterwards, I decide to leave Boise City go to the Black Butte State Park about 15 miles away and see if I can get a tent campsite for 15 dollars.  It’s about time I actually do an overnight campground thing.  I arrive there to see signs everywhere that all sites must be reserved on line ahead of time, I stop at the closed park office, luckily I have an internet signal and go on their website, pick a tent site, then have to answer a myriad of questions, provide my credit card number, agree to all the terms and finally get a confirmation.  (what an ordeal !) 

I find that the campsite I picked is in another section of the park, away from everyone, but that’s fine. I really didn’t want to be near all the other full hookup sites.  This park section is very quiet and I have a semi view of the lake, with a shade tree, a table and many birds, butterflies and more than desired bitting flys and mosquitos.  This is a dark sky certified park area, no exterior lights are allowed at night and it gets really dark, the star viewing was pretty special. 

https://www.stateparks.com/black_mesa_state_park_in_oklahoma.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mesa_(Oklahoma)

My campsite

In the morning I slip back to the full hookup RV area and get a nice hot shower, not sure I was allowed, but I did it anyway.  I then rode to the dam area, which is the high point of the park and walked out on the dam where you can get a some feel for what the area looked like before the dam was built.

Beautiful lake

The plant and the coloration of the rock was attractive

View from top of dam

I’m now leaving, heading north towards the actual Black Butte, the highest point in Oklahoma at 4,973 feet.  You can’t drive there, but you can go to the trailhead to hike to the summit which is about 4 miles away, it's very hot and I'm not up for that today.  I look for the dinosaur tracks that are reported to be nearby on the map, but since there is no signage, I find nothing.

 

I'm thinking something great was found nearby

I'm looking for the dinosaur footprints

 I’m now crossing the border into New Mexico heading for the next major town, looks like Woodward, New Mexico.