Wednesday night began my second visit to Enid, OK.  As before, my purpose was to connect with @plantinthewindow.  It took me a while longer to get from Guymon, where I had dinner at Yesterday’s, a Fifties-style diner, to the new wildcat oil drilling capital of the Southwest.  I found one of the results of the wildcatting: Few rooms at the inn, any inn.

I found the last available room in Enid, at midnight, and gladly took it.

The next morning (Thursday) I met up with John, and went first to Enid’s landfill (below),

then to breakfast and on to the Gloss Mountains, so-named because of the glossy gypsum that used to cover the tops of the buttes.  It has mostly worn away, and now shards of gypsum are ubiquitous on top.  This was a first hike for John’s newly adopted dog, Cabella.

This area is close enough to both Enid and Woodward, yet we had few other fellow hikers on Thursday morning. I know- most people work.  That just gives me more incentive to stop and smell the flowers.

The “gloss” may be discerned, as well:

Above right is a small cave.  There are many caves in an area just to the west of here.  

Another interesting enterprise in Enid is Johnson’s Jewelers. The business began in the 1940’s, and is now operated by its second set of owners. The establishment is focused not on fine jewelry, per se, but on what the earth has provided us directly.

Fossils, arrow points and geodes abound. A favorite is the barite rose, Oklahoma’s state rock, so called because of its reddish hue and flower-like ridges. We each picked up some items to give to deserving friends and family.  Here are some scenes from the store.

Before closing, I must tip my hat to downtown Enid.