Road Trip to Broken Bow Lake

“Yes!” That’s almost always my response whenever my beloved asks me if I would be interested in going on a little adventure. And so this past weekend, Tripp and I took a road trip down to beautiful Broken Bow Lake.

Along the way, we stopped in Hugo, Oklahoma to check out the ‘circus cemetery’ which is actually a rectangular section of the Mount Olivet Cemetery called “Showmen’s Rest” – the final resting place of some of those who dedicated their lives to the circus (including some animals).

I mean…who even knew this was thing? And apparently there is even a retirement ranch for circus elephants. The Endangered Ark Foundation was created in 1993 to preserve this endangered Asian elephant species and is one of the largest of its kind in the United States.

The cemetery also has another special section called the “Bull Rider’s Reprieve” where some of rodeo’s most famous world champions are buried. Including bull-riding legend, Lane Frost.

I love how Oklahoma is always full surprises.

After that we made our way through a myriad of small towns until we arrived at our destination which was a charming, one-room cabin just outside of Hochatown. Opening the doors of the truck and being greeted by the scent of honeysuckle and the sounds of the birds was pretty much the best thing ever.

For the next 36 hours, we spent our time exploring the lake and Beavers Bend State Park, watching the PGA tournament, and/or sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch drinking coffee.

(Well that last one was just me.)

We also took every opportunity to enjoy all the local culture of Hochatown and Broken Bow.

Also, for the record, Broken Bow Lake is located in SE Oklahoma and is NOT (as some would like to boast) an annexed part of North Texas (yes, I’m looking at you distillery tour guide).

It was a short trip, but man it was so nice to get away for a couple of days. Plus discovering unique places in my own state is always so much fun. Mini road trips are the best – highly recommend!