RVing is full of unexpected events. Things like, “what do you mean the jacks won’t
go down” to “is that red light on the dashboard a bad thing?” Fortunately most of the surprises are good
things, which is probably why we keep doing this. Case in point, Wichita Falls, TX.
We planned a 2 night stop here to be close for a visit to
the Wichita Falls Wildlife Refuge. The
RV Park looked good on paper and the manager was lovely on the phone as we made
reservations. Then we pulled in, greeted
by colorful 10’ flamingos and a rainbow of fire hydrants. This could be fun.
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| Welcome to Wichita Falls RV Park |
The check-in lady enthused about the sites to
see and we soon had a map with highlights marked. Wichita Falls??? Who knew?
The next good omen, the rig next our site was a twin of Chuck. Yes, another 36QSH Phaeton, only one year
newer. If we came home drunk we could be
in trouble. And the frosting on the
cake? Outstanding free WiFi – a rare
occurrence in most RV parks. Turns out
we are parked under the repeater.
We got set up and started touring. World’s littlest skyscraper – check. Funny story that. http://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/history/legend-of-the-worlds-littlest-skyscraper
Museum of North Texas History – closed for the day, but
interesting.
A downtown full of resale and vintage clothing stores – fun. After dinner at a great barbecue place we
decided an extra day in Wichita Falls would be worth it.
The next day we devoted to the town.
First stop - WEE-CHI-TAH. To quote from the website:
This marvelous life-sized sculpture features
a Comanche family crossing the Wichita River. The actual legend of their
crossing defines where Wichita got its name. This multi-part piece of art is of
a Comanche woman, her child, two braves, their horses and a colt set in the
natural beauty of rock & flowing water. The woman is testing the river's
depth, as the legend tells, and describes it is
""waist-deep"", which is how
""Wee-chi-tah"" is translated. I hope that everyone who
looks upon this sculpture will see a people who loved their own, the land, the
horses, things that The Great Creator gave, not to be sold or owned, but a way
of life, free, free to enjoy, free to live. Jack Stevens, Artist
It was very cool. The
gloomy day added to the atmosphere and the figures looked alive. The expression on the child’s face is so
gleeful.
And, immediately adjacent is the
best reuse of an old grain elevator imaginable – a climbing gym. How smart is that. An old trestle bridge is part of a nearby hiking
trail along the river.
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| Climbing gym in an old grain elevator |
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| The Navigator leading the way off the bridge |
Next stop was the Riverbend Nature Center devoted to
bringing city residents in touch with the river and the outdoors in the
city. It was a quiet day and we got a
guided tour of the prairie dog colony (former pets that outgrew their pet
life), butterfly house and other attractions.
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| Prairie dog |
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| Orange Juliet (not Orange Julius) butterfly |
From there I insisted we find the “falls” that give Wichita Falls its
name. Sadly the original falls were
wiped out in some natural disaster in the 18th century and the
current falls are a man-made re-creation built in the 1990s. Nevertheless, it makes for an attractive park.
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| Wichita Falls |
Back home to Chuck for lunch and a break and a wait for
darkness. Darkness because the biggest
attraction in Wichita Falls at this time of year comes alive as darkness falls –
The Fantasy of Lights! My pictures don't do it justice and the story is interesting so check out the website: https://fol.mwsu.edu/story/
It was pretty spectacular and the surrounding neighborhood
was well – lit also (with lights silly).
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| Part of the Fantasy of Lights |
Today we might actually head for the Wildlife Refuge – our original
plan for Wichita Falls.
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