This became a common site throughout our visit to this interesting and unusual refuge in the NE tip of the beautiful state of Oklahoma - Oliver walking down the path, towards the Spavinah Creek, to go fishing. We fished A LOT during our week at Ozark Plateau and enjoyed yet another different and wonderful experience at an Oklahoma refuge.
This is the view from the trail to the Looney Cabin at Ozark, named for Mary Looney, a benefactor who built and lived in the cabin. She was a friend to the thousands of bats that call this part of the country their home. Yes, the Ozark Plateau NWR exists to protect dozens of bat caves and several species that inhabit them, including the Ozark Big-Eared Bat, Gray Bat, Indiana Bat.
There is a cave next to the cabin that Mary would explore. We enjoyed watching the bats come out at dusk by the hundreds.
"The Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1986 to help assure the continuing existence, and aid in recovery of federally listed endangered and threatened Ozark cave species and Ozark cavefish; reduce the need for future listing of species of concern in the Ozarks; protect large continuous stands of Ozark forest essential to migratory interior forest birds; provide important environmental educational opportunities identifying the need for protecting fish and wildlife and other karst resources of the Ozarks. The Refuge consists of nine different management units in four OK counties totaling about 4,200 acres in the Ozarks of eastern Oklahoma." Most of these areas are not open to the public because of the sensitivity of the bats and the high risk of disease/death through human contact.
The above cabin was just down the path from the Looney cabin and still needs some work before it is inhabitable - lots of potential.
The trail from the cabin to the Spavinah is through the woods. It was a nice, cool week (we did not use the A/C this week) and part of that was all of the shade and the inherent dampness of the area. The Ozark Plateau cabin/office sits in the Ozark Forest.
This is the area where we spent most of our free time. There were plenty of fish and the water is clear and cool.
As you will see, there was plenty of fishing happening throughout the week. We probably won't take so many fish photos once we are a little more accomplished. This guy is a Chub.
Yup, we closed down the shop most evenings and saw many-a-sunset on the Spavinah Creek.
These photos are from our only trip to Lake Eucha, a short trip from the cabin. It was a pretty area, but the fish weren't biting. We never went back.......
More photos of the cabin, the woods and the trail to the creek. We walked it so many times it started to feel very comfortable and familiar.
There were lots of Rock Bass that we caught in all shapes and sizes.
The sun was hot and high in the sky on the Fourth of July. We both cooled-off by swimming with the fish in the clear and cool waters of the Spavinah Creek.
Here is our dining room table; the front porch of the Looney Cabin. We ate many meals out here.
This is the living area and our work space for the week. It is always nice when we live and work in the same building as you can adjust your work hours around your leisure time. We worked at various times throughout the entire weekend of the Fourth, but also did plenty of fishing.
No photo post of the Ozark Plateau could be complete without some photos of the star of their show. Oliver took these as we sat outside of the bat cave next to the cabin one night. It is not easy taking photos in the dark, but he managed to capture some great images of the little critters coming out for the night. Each bat will eat some 4-5000 insects during one night. This is one reason why they are a friend to man. We would have never known there were bats so close to the cabin because you do not see them unless you go out and sit right next to the entrance to the cave. It was better than watching any other reality show....there are so many of them and they fly incredibly fast- in some cases whizzing right past you.
