…down the Talimena National Scenic Bypass.
This past Saturday, we had to take Connor to meet up with his dad in Ft. Smith.  He’ll be gone this entire week for Spring Break.  BOOOO!
On the way back from Ft. Smith, Rob, Macy and I decided to take the scenic route… literally!

First, and completely by accident, we stopped here in Heavener…

Heavener Runestone Park & Historic Site… supposedly Vikings (yes, Vikings) somehow made their way to this spot in Oklahoma, set up camp and carved letters and words into the side of a giant rock.  You have to climb down a man made staircase to get to the building encasing the rock.  You can see the building in the picture below, right by Rob’s head.

Now, here is a picture of the carvings.  The stone is encased in glass, so it’s kind of hard to see. Look above my copyright…

Some experts believe that the inscription on the stone could be interpreted to read “Glomesdal” or “Valley of Glome.” Glome, they theorized, was a viking explorer who claimed the little ravine as his own centuries ago.
Here’s a close up…

Whether or not these were actually carved by Vikings is highly debated.

Heavener Runestone Park & Historic Site is located atop Poteau Mountain in the edge of the Ouachita Mountains that stretch across the Arkansas – Oklahoma border.

In addition to the runestone itself, the park features nature trails, a paved sidewalk that leads down through the ravine to a shelter protecting the carving, picnic areas and beautiful wet weather waterfalls.

For more information on the Heavener Runestone Park & Historic Park, click HERE.
Now… to the rest of our long trip home…
This is just one of the many views along the Talimena National Scenic Byway or OK-1.  It spans parts of Oklahoma into Arkansas… going through the Ouachita National Forest.  From end to end, the bypass is only 54 miles long, but we took our time to enjoy it.
We got on the bypass kind of in the middle of the route at Heavener  There are many places to stop along the way west to Oklahoma City… including this beautiful spot.

This is Emerald Vista… the picture just doesn’t do it justice.

There are more than 20 designated stops along the bypass where you can stop your vehicle, get out and enjoy the vista views… like this…

This is the Panoramic Vista.  It was super gorgeous!
And…

obviously super windy!

For more on the bypass, click HERE.

The western start to the Talimena Naitonal Scenic Bypass is roughly 3 ½ hours from home.  Hopefully we can go back with Connor so he can experience it.  I’m sure it is absolutely gorgeous during fall with the leaves changing colors!

Until next time…
Happy Blogging!