Mountain Vibes

 

I wouldn't have thought that "Mountain Vibes" would describe a location in Oklahoma. But, then again, I'd never been to southeastern Oklahoma until last weekend. 

Our family spent the extended Easter weekend near Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Technically, we were closer to Hochatown. 

Brent had been to the area before and found an Airbnb called Mountain Vibes north of Hochatown that we called our home-away-from-home for a few days. It came complete with a pickleball court (that also doubled as a basketball court).

There were several rousing games of pickleball during the weekend ... and even a round robin tournament on our last night there. 

It included a sauna. (Some people liked that feature more than others. Kinley and I both questioned why anyone would choose to get hot and sweaty by sitting in a small room, but to each their own.)

The hot tub got some good use.

 

And a firepit gave us a chance for night-before-we-depart s'mores. (If you haven't cracked open an Oreo and inserted a perfectly-browned campfire marshmallow between the two cookie layers, you should try it! Of course, the graham cracker version was great, too!)

All those options were available in a home that reminded us of a Colorado cabin.

The covered back deck

 

 It was located near Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend Marina. 

That lake access was supposed to lead to a guided fishing trip on Saturday morning for the guys. They had their Oklahoma fishing licenses ready to go, but lightning and heavy rain kept them off the lake. (We wish the rain had fallen at home, but that didn't happen.) That was really the only disappointment for the whole weekend.

 

  

Randy and I arrived a day before the rest of the crew. That gave Randy a chance to check out the Idabel Country Club for some golf (and reading for me).

It was pretty among the pines and other trees. 
 

Everyone but me went for a hike along the river. 

The Friends Trail in Beavers Bend State Park runs along the Lower Mountain Fork River. 

 

According to the AI Overview: This 1.5-mile loop trail, known for its scenic views and moderate difficulty, often runs beside the water, particularly near the Spillway Creek area below the Broken Bow Lake dam.  

I was proud of my clan, who sent me lots of great photos from the hike. 

 

 

Randy is still basking over Jill's comment that "not every 70-year-old could have done the hike."

We visited Hochatown a few times. For Saturday's lunch, we ate at Grateful Head Pizza. (Since it had just finished raining, everyone else vacationing there had the same idea.)

And we went bowling at Gutter Chaos Sunday afternoon. Randy told the crew that anyone who beat him would get a $10 bill. (He kept his money ... but barely.)

Randy and I ate at Shuck Me, a seafood place, the night before others arrived.

And we had some ice cream at Okie Girls Coffee and Ice Cream, where Randy found another friend, a picture he had to send to his breakfast buddies.

What a fun, memory-filled weekend with family!