Summer in Broken Bow

So one day recently, Ben and I looked at the weather app on our phone and saw this.

We had spent all summer at home with the shutters closed and decided we desperately needed a getaway!  Ben suggested Broken Bow since it's close to home and it would be at least 10 degrees cooler there.  I wasn't convinced it was the best idea so we decided to spend just two nights at a cabin and then do a pool day at the Choctaw Landing resort so we would at least get one day of respite from the heat.  So I said, ok, let's do it!  (Spoiler alert: best decision ever!)

Off we go!

I feel cooler already.

I took some pictures along the drive.

Throughout the trip, it appeared that some of the leaves were already starting to turn, the first signs that fall isn't far away!

Made it!

Our first stop was Beavers Bend Brewery so I could get a hot dog from the food truck.  On our last few visits, the food truck hasn't been open so I wanted to make this the first stop!

It actually felt great in the shade!

Happy to be here.

Me with my Creamy Weenie!  I think the last time I had one was in 2024.

We still had about two hours to kill before we could go to the cabin so we decided to drive over to Beavers Bend Lodge to see if we could find some shade and sit by the lake.  

We saw a little deer family on the way.

There's one hiding behind mom.

We found chairs in the shade up on the terrace and it felt great!  So we sat and enjoyed watching the boats and jet skiers out on the lake.

It was so nice to be able to relax and actually be outdoors again!

We left to head towards our cabin, stopping first at Mountain Man Meat Market for the stuff we needed to cook hamburgers the next day.

Then we drove to our cabin which was located in the Northern Hills section of Hochatown.  We stayed in this area on our first visit back in 2020 and I had always wanted to stay here again because it's close to everything in town yet also secluded.

Our cabin, Cherokee Rose.

We saw lots of beautiful swallowtail butterflies all around the cabin!

Another reason we chose this cabin was for this little balcony which I thought would be great for coffee in the morning.

This is not a cabin we would stay at again but it was fine for two nights.  We got settled and decided to eat at Naaman's Barbeque for dinner and save cooking out for the next night.  But first we stopped at the Tasting Room for a pre-dinner drink.

Then it was over to Naaman's Barbeque which was yummy as always.

Back at the cabin we attempted to get in the hot tub but this was the one thing that was pretty tough to do in August!  We mainly just dipped our feet in!

The next day started with coffee at Hochatown Coffee before heading over to hike the Friends Loop trail.

Some fall peeking through

When we got to the trailhead, we could see we had it all to ourselves!  

Ready to hike!

Ben took my yearly photo at Weak Creek, which was barely more than a trickle.

We were never hot and enjoyed the hike as always.

There's that fall color again.

The American beautyberry was blooming.

We took a short break at the first waterfall.

Hiking selfie!

We sat at our favorite spot for almost an hour just enjoying the scenery.

With the breeze and the clouds, it felt wonderful!

My pictures weren't the best but the clouds made it feel so cool, I didn't care.

The water looked so refreshing, I decided to dip my feet in.  It felt amazing!

Of all our trips, this was the longest we have ever stayed at this spot!  After the hike, we had some time to kill before lunch.  Our cabin only came with one large coffee mug so I decided to get one for coffee the next morning.

Since the nice weather was holding strong, we went over to Beavers Bend Lodge again to sit out by the lake.

Once again, the weather was amazing!

Wind in my hair!

I was very glad we had decided to come!

Eventually we were ready for lunch.  We spotted more deer on the way out.

Then it was time for the moment Ben had been waiting for, Grateful Head pizza!

Ready to devour this pizza.

A little kitty came over and we couldn't resist sharing!

After lunch it still felt great outside, so we went to our favorite spot at the lake, Eagle Point.

I'm not kidding, it was so breezy, I was actually chilly!

Best decision ever!

We still felt like we could stay out a bit longer so we headed back over to Beavers Bend Lodge to sit at the lake one last time.

We saw the Broken Tiki tour boat come by.  We had thought about going out on this tour and I kind of regretted not going.  Maybe next time!

As we were leaving, we saw a little squirrel come by.  I had a sack of nuts in my backpack so we threw a few to him which of course he loved!

Begging for more.

Back at the cabin, Ben made his famous Broken Bow burgers while I set the table.

Taking "flame grilled" to the next level!

That night, it was a bit cooler so we were able to enjoy the hot tub for a bit which felt great after our long day.  The next morning we woke up to a little thunderstorm which slowed down to a light rain for coffee on the patio.

I had coffee in my new mug!

Today we were checking out of the cabin and heading over for one night at Choctaw Landing Resort.  Our plan was to stay at the pool all day and then do a little gambling that night.  Today the heat was back, so it was a great day to spend at the pool!

We got our wristbands and headed straight to the pool!

We spent most of the day on these stools under this umbrella which kept us cool for hours.

We set up our chairs and got right in the pool!

We were practically the only ones there.

We spent over four hours at the pool and it felt great because it was breezy and we stayed in the water and in the shade.  But once we got out, we could feel how hot it really was so it was time to leave!  

We went and checked out our room and got ready to go to the casino and to dinner.

We had a view of the pool from our room.

We had a very forgettable dinner at a restaurant in the resort and then hit the casino for a little gambling.  We found a really fun slot machine that I played and won $20!

We took our $20 and put that and $20 more in a video poker machine and played for what felt like forever!  At one point we were up $30 but we kept playing and ended up losing it all.  But it was a ton of fun for just $20!

Winner, winner!

I couldn't resist one more play on "my machine."  I got a bonus and won $20 again so that made us even for the night!

So fun!

We walked over to the little store at the resort for some water and a late-night snack.  The resort looked nice all lit up.

We went out and sat by the pool. 

This ended up being another really fun day! The next morning we walked over to Starbucks for coffee before heading home.

We had our coffee on a little outdoor terrace.

Back in the room, we spotted some deer out the window as we packed up.

Then it was time to say goodbye to the resort and head home!

Before we knew it, we were back in Texas.

This was a trip that Ben and I really needed.  We were blessed with cool breezes and clouds which made for a great getaway even in August.  We came home refreshed and looking forward to fall and cooler temperatures. Until next time!