The Wildlife Refuge
November 2020. Back home from being overseas for 9 months. Oddly enough, this was prior to going on my two week vacation to Lake Tahoe; however, this story extends past the time of that trip and in to the present day. A little backstory: I had been living in the area for about a little over a year before I left and came back and not once did I ever come across this gem in Oklahoma. I’m sure I’ve heard people mention it once around me, maybe in passing, maybe directly to me which is probably the least likely way I remember anything and I completely ignored them. Nonetheless, I had never actually made it out to the Wildlife Refuge. Once I got back, a co-worker suggested we go out there just to show me the area because they were in somewhat of a state of shock that I had been around and never seen the Refuge. Now, like in the last blog, I am complete introvert and this was, again, before I traveled halfway across the country on my own. When the proposition was presented to me to go out to this location I knew nothing about, it’s fair to say I was slightly skeptical but I’m glad I didn’t follow my original thought process and hide away in my apartment, protected by my (limited) belongings, my Netflix & Loneliness, my bucket of Turtle Tracks ice cream, my bottle of Woodford Reserve, all on a what was probably a Tuesday at 10:23 in the morning. Seriously, I’m an inside person. But I went against my introverted judgement and got out the house and damn did it pay off.
I remember the drive out there, flying down the highway, pulling off the exit and there was a Love’s gas station right after the overpass. Next to it a Burger King, Sonic, Bank, and a Dispensary. All the essentials. I remember driving along and being punched in the face by the smell of what was either a dead skunk or someone burning down a whole pound of weed and I thought to myself “Yep, I’m back in Oklahoma.” To say the least the rest of the drive was mildly uneventful. My coworker and I chatted, talked about what was new with them, how the deployment was and how everyone was soooooo happy that I was back (tsk yeah right). Pretty soon we came upon the small, quaint town of Medicine Park. As you drive past it, you hardly notice its there; a few signs welcoming you to town, arrows pointing to the “best pie in town”, a historical markers or two. Its not until you actually drive in and through the town you notice how interesting it actually is, but that’s a story for another time. I look down and to my right and see Medicine Park as we crest to the top of a hill that runs perpendicular to the town. I popped my head back up to see two blue water towers and then straight ahead; Mount Scott.
Without being to wordy, the best way I could describe this place was if someone had taken a sliver of Colorado and dropped in the backyard of Lawton, OK. From my first visit to my very last, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was truly a haven, a happy place and a safe space for me. On countless occasions I would walk up on weekends, with or without Athena, grab my car and just spend hours driving through the refuge. Seeing the longhorns and prairie dogs never bored me. Not once. I became such a frequent visitor, that I learned the herds, their grazing paths and could time out when and where they would be for the best photo opportunity. However, nothing compared to the Bison. I don’t know if it was because that’s what Oklahoma (or Lawton specifically) was known for. Or maybe it was because they were more rare to see. Whatever the case was, rising in the mornings with the Bison was therapy for me. From a distance, they don’t appear to be much but on foot, face-to-face…at a respectful distance of course, these creatures just have a calm and an aurora about them that will but you at ease. Seeing them emerge from the fog on a gloomy morning or spotting them grazing on the other side a lake, let you know that it was going to be a great day.
The Wildlife Refuge wasn’t just a refuge for the animals, but a refuge for weary souls overworked and overstimulated by society. I spent three years in Lawton, OK and the one thing I could always count on to bring me peace was the Wildlife Refuge. I went through some pretty rough lows in my life while in Oklahoma and when no one else was there to offer comfort or support, the Bison, Longhorns, rolling hills, lakes and mountains of the refuge brought me back to sanity. I sometime wonder what would’ve happened to me if I hadn’t had that escape. What would’ve happened to me if all I did was stay in my apartment with my dog and watch Netflix when I had a bad day at work, instead of going for a drive? What would’ve happened if had driven to a bar in September and December of 2021 and drank my sorrows away, instead of grabbing my camera and taking some of the most inspirational photos I’ve ever taken? Fortunately, all I have to do is speculate on the ideas because I was lucky enough to have been shown that my “happy place” was only 15 minutes away from my house. The memories I’ve memorialized while being in the Wildlife Refuge will be cherished, core recollections. The Good and The Bad. The shots of the Bison, photos from unit BBQs, hikes with friends, early morning and sunset photoshoots, strolls with Athena, my promotion ceremony, all memories that will live on forever. If I ever find myself in Oklahoma again, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge will most absolutely be in the list to visit again.
