Tallgrass Prairie Preserve north of Pawhuska rolls on for miles. CHRISTOPHER SMITH/Tulsa World
Tallgrass Prairie prides itself on being quiet.
It’s the kind of quiet, they tell you, that once dominated much of the continent, back when about the only thing around to break it was the occasional snort of a buffalo.
Well, substituting a golden retriever for the buffalo, our home for the last few days could’ve rivalled any prairie for sheer peace and quiet.
With our girls away at their grandparents in Colorado, you might even say it’s been almost
too quiet.
Used to the steady hum of little-girl chatter and activity in your ear, you sure notice when it’s gone.
Anyway, with our anniversary coming Aug. 5, and the girls due back this weekend, we took a little jaunt last Saturday up to Pawhuska and the Tallgrass Preserve.
We had decided in lieu of an overnight or weekend getaway, we’d just try an afternoon outing — anniversary “field trip,” as my wife christened it.
And we’d never been to Tallgrass, so it seemed like an opportune time to check it out.
The largest preserved tract of native tallgrass prairie in the world, it definitely lives up to its reputation for 19th Century serenity.
Together with the beautiful sunshine and cooler temps it made for a perfect experience.
The preserve also features a thriving herd of buffalo. But with so much range to roam you may or may not see them.
We never did. My wife swears she spied some on the horizon, but I still say they were just bushes.
We finished up our field trip in Hominy at Wild Country Meats, a butcher shop and restaurant where buffalo is about the only kind of meat not on the menu.
We split a juicy 16-oz ribeye, and took in the off-the-wall setting: an 18-wheel stock trailer converted into a dining room.
OK, not the most romantic place for an outing supposedly geared to an anniversary, but we enjoyed it.
All in all, it was a good day.
We’re off to pick up the girls this weekend. Which means, of course, goodbye to peace and quiet.
But you know, I think we’re ready.
And when it gets to be too much, I can always just summon up mental images of that peaceful tallgrass.
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