Mount Scott, Oklahoma

You may ask yourself why any sane motorcyclist would knowingly go to a place with 500 buffalo, 300 longhorn cows and 59,000 acres of free roaming Rocky Mountain elk? During breeding season? The only sane answer is the opportunity to ride up three miles of boulder-lined paved road to stand on top of Mount Scott. Once you stand on top of the third highest peak in Oklahoma, you will realize it's insane to miss it.

In the early 1900s the Wichita Forest Reserve was established north of Lawton, Oklahoma. Within the reserve is the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, one of the oldest managed reserves in the United States Fish and Wildlife system. In addition to elk, bison and longhorns, visitors may also see coyotes and bobcats. You may even see one of the mountain lions prowling around the refuge. Hopefully, only from a long, long, long distance. Thankfully, bears haven't been around for about 100 years. Not that I have anything against cougars and bears. I just have reservations about meeting them face-to-face.

The road to the mountaintop was pretty exciting all by itself. Cars, trucks, bikes and motorcycles are allowed, but not hikers. The road is about three miles long and cannot be seen from the base. It hides behind boulders and rocks that keep the drop-off rate to a minimum. It winds like a corkscrew from bottom to top. RD couldn't really enjoy the scenery because it is a two-lane road and we encountered a lot of traffic on Labor Day. But since I was riding pillion, I had the camera flashing and lots of breathtaking shots around every curve.

Imagine riding on the back of your motorcycle through green rolling hills and valleys surrounded by wildflowers, when off in the distance you see a couple of buffalo. Just walking through a pasture. No fences. No barns. Gave my heart a giant surge of adrenaline and pride. They were far enough away to be picturesque. As with bears, cougars, elk and deer, I love seeing them in their natural habitat from a distance. What would the frontier of America be without them?

Once on top, we were surprised to see quite a few motorcycles of all makes and models. The paved parking lot on top was spacious, but the view was panoramic and beautiful. From every angle we could see Oklahoma at her finest. Lake Lawtonka is the biggest lake to the east of the mountain with picnic and camping sites. It was like the mountain was an old man sitting on the edge of a lake. OK. A very large old man.

RD talked me into climbing to the very edge of the boulders. I enjoyed the short hike, but still got a little nervous with the heights. Then again, a four-foot stepladder gives me the willies. I found tremendous comfort hugging boulders. We took our time. No hurry. As I sat on the boulder looking over the lake, watching birds and people having fun with their kids, I tried to imagine all the stories Mount Scott could tell. For a little tiny bit of time, I imagined what it was like to be queen.

See photos here.

Resources:

http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/oklahoma/wichitamountains/faq.html#trails

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Scott_(Oklahoma)