Winter in Broken Bow

Ben and I decided to take a Super Bowl/Valentine's Day trip to Broken Bow.  The cabin rental company we normally use was having a winter sale for the third night free so we decided to take advantage of the offer.

Road trip!

Once in Broken Bow, we drove straight to Grateful Head pizza for lunch. We considered getting pizza for the game, but thought it would be too busy on Super Bowl Sunday, so we decided to have pizza for lunch and then go get snacks to take back to the cabin.

We had a little time to kill after lunch so we drove around downtown Broken Bow but nothing was open since it was Sunday.

We played a few hands of video poker at the Broken Bow Choctaw Casino, then went to the store for our snacks and everything we needed to grill hamburgers the next day.

Our plan was to get to the cabin for 4:00 p.m. check in and watch the Super Bowl from our hot tub.  We rented a cabin we had stayed in before, Evergreen Dreams, because we knew the hot tub faced the TV and would be perfect for watching the big game!

The perfect Super Bowl set up!

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans...we soon discovered that the Direct TV in the cabin was not working.  Womp, womp.  So we had to come up with a quick Plan B.  Ben suggested we drive to nearby Mountain Fork Brewery so we headed over and got the last two seats at the bar right when the game was starting.

This is not what we had in mind.

It ended up being fun and the restaurant stayed open past closing when the game went into overtime.  So all was not lost, as we got to see the game with a few other couples who stayed until the end and were all cheering for the Chiefs!  

Monday was rainy and cold.  I had no plans for today, I just wanted to RELAX, and not go anywhere or do anything unless we wanted to.  We settled in by the fire for a day of serious relaxation!

It was a three cup morning.

I was determined to enjoy the rocking chairs on the front patio, so we bundled up and kept warm with blankets and a hot beverage.

Around 1:00 p.m., we decided to take a drive.  We wanted to see the progress on the new Choctaw casino that should open later this year. We're excited to check out the casino on our next visit!

We drove around Broken Bow lake, stopping at overlooks.  We didn't have a parking pass, so I would just hop out every once in awhile and snap a picture.

I was not camera ready.

Ben spotted some deer during the drive.  We saw more deer on this trip than we ever have before.

Back at the cabin, we had a peek of sun so we decided to take short walk.

We spotted a big family of deer up ahead.  We didn't want to scare them so we turned around and walked back to the cabin and spent some more time in the rocking chairs.

No trip to Broken Bow is complete without one (or two) of Ben's famous burgers!

Burger perfection!

We ended the night with wine in the hot tub.  Ben turned the TV on a station that played videos from the 80's.  I would make Ben try to guess the band and the song as each video started.  He hardly missed any of them!

This was one of my favorite days ever in Broken Bow. Sometimes the best plan is no plan at all.

Tuesday started bright and sunny.  We got a peek of the sunrise through the trees in front of the cabin.

To make the most out of this beautiful day, the plan was to hike the Friends Loop, sit by the lake and then eat hot dogs on the patio at Beavers Bend Brewery.  We headed to Hochatown Coffee Central to fuel up before the hike.  I discovered this coffee shop last year and loved it.

More deer!  Ben really had to keep an eye out for them when driving.

Oh deer!

Then it was time to hike the Friends Loop.  We started at 9:30 a.m. which is later than we usually start, but we still had the beautiful hike almost completely to ourselves.

My annual picture at "Weak Creek."

We did run into one family at the first waterfall so we got the rare non-selfie together!

After the recent heavy rains, the rocks were slick so I didn't get too close to the waterfall.

After the hike, we set up at our favorite spot at Broken Bow Lake.

It was so quiet, there was literally no sound at all except the occasional crow.

Once we got hungry for lunch, we headed over to Beavers Bend Brewery for hot dogs, but the food truck wasn't open since it was the off-season. So we had to make do with cheese fries at Mountain Fork Brewery instead.

The idea of going back to the cabin and not having to leave again sounded great to both of us, but that meant we would need to find something to take back for dinner.  

So we decided to try Mountain Man Meat Market which sells fresh meat as well as sides to go with it.  

Lots of meat to choose from.

This was a great find so now we know that we no longer have to bring our big cooler with us on future trips, but can instead just buy fresh meat and condiments at this market.  We got Wagyu hot dogs, buns, fresh corn and baked beans and took it back to the cabin.  

We stopped at a new candy store by the cabin and got some chocolate truffles for dessert.

We took another walk around the cabin and then played cornhole until we were ready for dinner.

I sat outside by the fire while Ben grilled our hot dogs.

Our feast!

We ended the night with more 80's videos, more wine, and more hot tub!

Tub time!

The next morning, I spent a little time by the fire and then it was time to pack up, grab a coffee and head home.

Back at home, we ended Valentine's Day with leftover hot dogs for dinner and a toast before bed.

This was a nice relaxing trip that we both really needed.  There is just something about Broken Bow that soothes my soul!

Until the next vacation!