Off the side of the road on North hwy 115 toward Meers Oklahoma, tucked away in the Wichita Wildlife Refuge is a government planned forest originally planted for timber in 1912, but is now a quiet, curiosity to those who step inside.
Animal made paths; likely by the local bison and longhorn stretch throughout, leading you deep into it's magical scented Cedar woods.
It's really easy to get carried away and keep following the paths of exposed roots and dappled light. As you enjoy the softness of the light and the quiet of the woods, suddenly you step into a clearing of bright sunlight and pasture grass. Keep going...
A nice surprise of drift wood and rock appear in a dry river bed! I followed the river bed for a while before turning around heading back into the forest.
There are rumors of the forest being haunted and that if you hold still you can feel the spirits run past. My experience was more spiritual as the birds sang, an occasional twig would break and the wind would rustle the leaves in the canopy. I did see hooves prints of bison and large paw prints that might have been from a mountain lion so I stayed aware.
I was hoping to see a lone Bison or Longhorn off in the distance on a path, but I did manage to spot this guy.
I will go back soon to the Parallel Forest, during an early, chilly Fall morning with hopes to capture some fog rolling across the forest floor. Maybe I will see a lone Bison or Longhorn, wouldn't that be wonderful?
Image property of Gina Zhidov Photography | www.Z-Artscene.com | 2016