Oklahoma Jungle

River, originally uploaded by sulustumoses.

During our recent trip, we met Donis (more about Donis coming soon) at the Chickasaw National Recreation Area near Sulphur, Oklahoma.

The beauty of that place surprised me. Maybe I held to some negative stereotype of Oklahoma as the land of barren plains and tumbleweeds, or perhaps I had never actually seen pictures from Oklahoma. In any case, the Chickasaw National Recreation Area captivated me with its wildlife, flowers, trees, and rivers. In fact, the dense vegetation gave me a subtle impression of a jungle in Central America or the Yucatan Peninsula.

The river meandered through the trees and spilled over numerous stone-shelf waterfalls. Pools of water formed around each shelf and provided natural swimming areas. I forgot my swimming suit, but I couldn't help kicking off my shoes and getting my feet wet.