March 18 was my last day working in the office and since then, Ben and I have been working from home and self-isolating, taking every precaution to protect ourselves and our families. But as the months wore on, we were really missing our vacations!
So we decided to find a small getaway that would be safe but fun to boost our spirits. We decided on a cabin in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. We chose the most secluded cabin we could find and brought everything with us that we would need, all our food and drinks, etc., so that we did not have to stop anywhere.
What packing for a road trip during a pandemic looks like!
Ben got the idea to stop in Paris, Texas on the way to the cabin to see the famous "Eiffel Tower."
Next door to the tower is the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial which honors service men and women from the Red River, Delta, Fannin and Lamar Counties in Texas and Choctaw in Oklahoma. Ben and I spent some time here looking around before getting back on the road.
Paris ended up being a nice place to stop and stretch our legs.
We arrived in Oklahoma too early to check into our cabin so we drove straight to Beavers Bend State Park to see if we could have a picnic lunch by the lake.
We pulled in to an overlook and got our first look at beautiful Broken Bow Lake.
I made a beeline to a picnic table right by the water and we had our picnic lunch. What a view!
There was another area Ben had researched that would provide an even better view of the lake so we drove there next. We hung out here until we could check in to our cabin. The water was clear and clean and we wished we had worn our swimsuits.
We decided we would come back here the next day and swim after our hike. Around 3:00, we left the lake to go to the cabin.
Ben found the perfect little cabin for us -- Juniper Hollow!
The cabin was surrounded by trees and had a big deck with a hot tub. We never heard or saw one other person the whole time we were there.
We got settled and unpacked all our food and Ben grilled hamburgers for our dinner which were delicious! After dinner, we sat outside and made a fire and had s'mores before getting in the hot tub. Our trip was off to a great start!
The next morning we got up and had breakfast before heading back to Beavers Bend State Park. We planned to do a hike I had found called the Friends Trail Loop. This is a 1.6 mile hike that I knew ended at a river with a waterfall.
Ready to get hiking!
This hike is described as moderate and we would agree with that description--we were sweating by the end!
Ben and I didn't see anyone on the trail for the entire first part of the hike. And when we got to the waterfall, we had it entirely to ourselves.
We were not prepared for how beautiful this spot was. Our pictures do not come close to capturing it!
We saw others coming so we got back on the trail which continued to follow the river for awhile before heading back into the trees.
This was such a great hike and we felt lucky to have had it almost completely to ourselves!
After the hike, we were ready to head to the lake and this time, we were dressed to go swimming. When we got to the lake we couldn't believe our luck--we had the entire spot completely to ourselves!
Not the beach, but close!
We could have sat here forever. The only thing that made us leave was hunger! So we went back to the cabin for grilled hot dogs and a dip in the hot tub. After lunch, we took a much-needed nap, played cornhole, and just hung out at the cabin until bedtime.
The next morning, Ben started packing up but I couldn't bear to leave the porch just yet. I wanted to soak in the view for as long as I could.
Ben suggested we stop by the lake for one final visit before leaving. Yes, please!
Goodbye Broken Bow!
Before we knew it, we were back in Texas!
This was a great trip and we are already planning to come back later this summer or in the fall. It was a great way to relax and escape what was going on in the world for just a bit. And now we know that if we have to put off air travel for awhile, this is a vacation that we can really enjoy but still do safely.
Until the next getaway!
