Sometimes what you really need is a chance to do nothing for a couple of days.
For anyone who knows me very well, it’s quite well-known that I’m go-go-go-go-go — and even on a weekend getaway, I had things to get done. It just happens to be that the venue for my first getaway of 2017 was Robbers Cave State Park, one of 33 state parks in the Sooner State and one of 16 to offer cabins. While I often have an itch to get in touch with Mother Nature and enjoy the great outdoors, I prefer to do so with climate-controlled amenities, including a hot shower and cable TV.
Sorry, not sorry.
Located in Latimer County, just to the east of McAlester, Robbers Cave State Park is located in the Sans Bois Mountains. Before last weekend, I had never heard of such mountains, and I grew up not that far from there in Henryetta and Muskogee. To be absolutely precise, Robbers Cave is closest to the city of Wilburton, Okla., home of the Diggers and Roy’s Cardinal Food Store.
More on that in a minute.
Robbers Cave State Park has three lakes: Lake Carlton, Coon Creek Lake and Lake Wayne Wallace. However, I can’t swim a lick, and I don’t like boats for the most part. However, you might like lakes, so I can attest to the beauty of the surroundings — and that’s what I liked most about this weekend getaway.
It’s quiet. It’s picturesque. The trees are tall and beautiful, and the running trails are plentiful. The cabins available at Robbers Cave aren’t just adequate. They’re damned nice, and the bed was even comfortable!
Most of the weekend was spent with my girlfriend, each of us doing our thing as we’re apt to do. I got a lot of reading done. I wrote some, and we both watched hours of HGTV.
I know. Call us lame all you want, but I think it’s a couples’ pastime to make fun of other couples on House Hunters.
When I wasn’t working or watching TV, I was outside soaking up the gray skies and scenery. I went on a 7.22-mile run through the campgrounds, and I took a bunch of photos.
For my runner friends who would be interested, Robbers Cave is quite runner-friendly, and there is a whole stretch of road that runners use to satisfy their weekend long-run needs.
We cooked our own food, and I even tried some new beers as I’m wont to do on weekend getaways.
We even ventured into town, town being Wilburton that is — and we stopped at the aforementioned Roy’s Cardinal Food Store. It’s basically an IGA with a localized name, but we spotted something pretty hilarious there: Larry the Cable Guy-branded food. Just look for yourself.
No, we did not buy any. I’m sure it’s yummy.
The staff at Robbers Cave State Park were extraordinarily helpful, whether it was the workers in the park store or the park ranger who came up to Cabin No. 102 to show us how to use the thermostat, which had been rendered useless by a breaker. Oh, and I mention our cabin number only because, we’re told, that the most coveted cabin at Robbers Cave is actually Cabin No. 101. It’s so coveted that travelers book it out months in advance.
Why is it so coveted? The scenery off the back of the mountain.
Our scenery from Cabin No. 102 was not shabby at all, for the record.
All in all, the visit to Robbers Cave State Park has sparked an interest in visiting as many Oklahoma state parks as I can get to, especially those with cabins. Getaways are good for the mind, cleansing to the soul and great for bloggers. If you know of a park we should head to next, please let me know in the comments below!
