Area surrounding Vance offers plenty to do, see

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Craig Christenson
  • 71st Medical Operations Squadron
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Sandy and I have really enjoyed our time here in Enid, and we are sad to be starting our preparations to leave Vance and head off to San Antonio.
All too frequently, I have heard people complaining about there being nothing to do in their off time. I find this surprising since we have never had a lack of things to do here.
When we arrived a couple of years ago, we decided to dedicate each Sunday to exploring a different place within a couple-hours radius of Vance. Although there are too many places to mention, I will summarize a few of those places.
One of the first places we went to was the Alabaster Caverns near Freedom. The caverns are a great place to go on a hot summer day because of the cool temperatures underground. The guided tours through the cave point out geological, historical and natural aspects of the area. The caverns are highlighted with pink, white and black alabaster formations and five species of bats. There are also hiking trails and places to camp at the entrance to the cave. The trail through the cave is nearly a mile long and takes about 60 minutes.
Another fun place is Little Sahara State Park near Waynoka. As the name suggests, it is a large area of sand dunes. If you don't own an all terrain vehicle, you can rent them there. Camping is allowed, and this is a very popular destination during the summer months. On your way to or from Waynoka, make sure you drive through the Glass Mountains. They are red dirt and gypsum plateaus rising from the surrounding ranch land. There is a parking area with a hiking trail to the top of one of the plateaus.
About 45 minutes northwest of Vance is a huge area known as the Salt Plains Natural Wildlife Refuge and State Park. This was a favorite destination for our four dogs as we discovered one particularly remote spot on the lake where all four "canine kids" could swim to their hearts' content. But the Salt Plains also has a beautiful auto tour route, hiking trails, cabins, camping and fishing. You can also dig for selenite crystals. The Salt Plains are the only place in the world where this type of crystal can be found.
A little closer to home is the Sod House. It is 30 to 45 minutes west of Enid on Route 8 just south of Aline. This is one of the only original sod houses remaining. It was built in the late 1800s by settlers. Today, it has been restored and is enclosed within a larger building to protect it from the elements. Admission is free, and there are always volunteers working there who can answer any questions and tell interesting stories of the life of a "soddie."
A little farther down the road is Roman Nose State Park. The park has a lodge with rooms for rent, cabins, camping, an 18-hole golf course, horses to rent and a lake for fishing or boating. You can rent boats at the marina and there are also miles of hiking trails. This is a great place to spend the weekend.
Some of our favorite attractions in Oklahoma City are the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Myriad Botanical Gardens, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial which is on the site of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P.Murrah building. And don't forget to head to the Bricktown area of the city for dinner and a stroll along the riverwalk.
Three hours south of Enid near Lawton is the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. There are herds of wild buffalo, Texas Longhorn cattle, deer and elk which roam the open range. There are numerous hiking trails and dozens of lakes with good bass fishing. There is a campground and visitor center. Save time to have dinner at the rustic Meers Post Office and Store a couple miles out of the north entrance of the refuge.
The aquarium in Tulsa is definitely worth the trip. There are numerous tanks of all sizes housing everything from unusual species of seahorses to enormous snapping turtles to fresh and salt water fish of every size and kind (can you find Nemo?). There is also a shark tank set up so visitors can walk in tunnels underneath. The staff at the aquarium is very interactive with the public, and when we were there we saw workers feeding piranha (pretty gory), an electric eel (how shocking) and archer fish which actually shoot a stream of water high up on the glass to dislodge food into their waiting mouths.
Last but not least, don't forget to explore your backyard ... Enid. The Museum of the Cherokee Strip has many interesting pictures and artifacts of local pioneer life. Some old buildings such as a one-room school house, a pioneer church, a house and others have been moved to the site and are open to tour. The Railroad Museum of Oklahoma has thousands of items relating to the railroad industry and also has a working model train exhibit and actual train cars, cabooses and engines to walk through.
So the next time you think there is nothing to do here, just get out the map and explore the area. There are many nice places to visit ... many more than I have mentioned here.