Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

Miss Annie got me up early Saturday morning.  I took her out for her morning potty and when we got back inside, I turned on the fireplace to beat back the morning chill.  It was still dark so I decided to  sack out on the couch and try to sleep a bit more.  Annie seemed happy with that so she got back in her bed.

We were back up in an hour or so.  I started getting the coffee pot ready and realized that I did not have enough coffee to make a pot.  I had a spare container but it was in a storage area under the bed.  I decided to let Rob sleep in and I just had a cup of instant to clear the cobwebs.

Rob came rolling out a couple of hours later and I was able to make a proper pot of Joe.  We had a good relaxed Saturday morning.

Around noon, we got in the car and made our way to Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.  We had plans to hike a few of their trails.  The refuge was noted for its wide variety of waterfowl and other birds.

We decided to leave Annie home.  She is very particular about her hiking preferences and I was pretty sure the terrain we were going to would not be to her liking.

Penny Lane was rearing to go and we can only hope that she did not tease Annie as we left.

SHE THINKS SHE IS DRIVING

HAPPY, HAPPY DOG

We had about a thirty minute ride to the refuge but it was not hard to find and we quickly found the first trail head.  We loaded the backpack with water and a dish and we were off.

CREEK LEADING OUT TO LAKE TEXOMA

I LOVE BUTTERFLIES

The trail meandered through trees and fields and around ponds and creeks.  I think it is probably a bit early in the season to see certain birds and mammals but it was a beautiful day and we did see some birds, lots of butterflies and some beautifully delicate wildflowers.

NOT A GREAT PICTURE BUT A VERY VOCAL FEMALE CARDINAL

We finished the trail and decided to get back in the car and do an Auto Tour drive before moving on to the next hike.

The Auto drive took us around a very small portion of Lake Texoma.  We did see quite a few waterfowl during the drive.

SANDPIPER OR DOWITCHER?

COMMON TEAL?

WHITE PELICANS

MALE NORTHERN SHOVELER

We finished our auto tour and found two more good trails to hike.

THE MAN AND HIS DOG

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.  The area offers easy hiking trails, a visitor center, the auto tour and many other opportunities to view local birds and waterfowl.  It is free to visit.

We ended up hiking a bit over six miles and we were all ready to head back to the RV. 

As we were driving back, Rob saw a sign for The Original Fried Pie Shop.

MY GRAN USED TO MAKE THE BEST FRIED PIES

We stopped and got one apple and one cherry.  We have not tried them as of 9:45 pm.

We'd had a great adventure at the refuge.  Annie gave us a talking to when we got home but a few cuddles later....all was forgiven.

HANGING WITH MOM SOAKING UP SOME EVENING SUN

Another great day in this thing we call life.