Tuesday, May 5, 2020

EXPLORING THE SALT PLAINS OF OKLAHOMA...

COVID -19 has taken it's toll on us and we're itching to get out!  We decided to take advantage of a sunny spring day and go check out the Salt Flats of northern Oklahoma.  It is located about 2 hours north of OKC, but we had never been!  The Hubs loves a nice day in his convertible, so off we went.



We passed several of these fields of yellow flowers and I just had to make a stop for a picture!  


The Great Salt Plains State Park is near Jet, Oklahoma.  We drove around and saw the lake, ate our picnic lunch and then drove through the GSP Wildlife Refuge.  It is relatively small in comparison with the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, but nice.  It is a haven for birds and marsh animals.  There is also a huge spillway by the lake that you can walk along.  


We drove through the small town of Jet and saw a masked man!  About 6 miles west of Jet was the "salt flats" where you can dig for selenite crystals.


We got to the crystal digging spot in the afternoon.  It was warm and breezy.  It looks like a dried up lake, with the salt sitting on top.  


 This area was designated as a digging spot, so there were a lot of people in this area!  We walked out to the very end to have plenty of room and feel uncrowded.


We found crystals immediately.  The selenites are near the surface and are very fragile.  Our challenge was to dig them up carefully so they wouldn't break.  The Hubs wore himself out digging and finding crystals!  We took only the largest ones home with us.


 These crystals with the hourglass of sand in them can only be found here!  Pretty amazing!  This is the perfect day for those with elementary aged kids that enjoy digging.  We actually enjoyed it a lot, ourselves!

On the way home we stopped in Enid, Oklahoma and got hamburgers at a drive thru restaurant.  It was nice just to get away from the house and do something different for a change!  





2 comments:

Joanne said...

That sounds like such a fun day trip!

Robin Waugh said...

It is - if you are ever coming through OK it's a different kind of activity.