As Winter begins to tighten its grasp on Lawton - Fort Sill, the best thing you can do is get out and enjoy the coming cool days in the mountains. Even if it's only for a quick drive through the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

I can't tell you how many gallons of gas I burn each year driving State Highway 49 through the mountains. It's a habitual weekly 'must-do' in my household. There's just something calming about that place.

You would think that there's only 'so' many times you can see something until it loses its luster, but that's not the case with the Wichita's.

Literally, every time I head out there, I see something different in nature.

The landscape, while remaining solid plains surrounded by mountains, tend to change with every pass. Sometimes you'll run across a snake or two. Maybe you'll spot the same longhorn in a new location. And if you're lucky, you'll catch a buffalo close enough to the road to lock a gaze into each others eyes.

The bounty of nature in our back yard literally creates moments that will stick in your memory for your entire life.

And to think, there are people living here that have never been through the refuge.

As the cold and windy Winter weather continues to invade Southwest Oklahoma, try to make yourself a plan to swing through those gates. Most of the foliage out there is going yellow, and that makes for some beautiful pictures. The coming cold weather will start to speed up the process, bringing out vibrant reds and oranges along the road and high in the mountains.

It really would be a travesty if you missed out on it again. this year.

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