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Cedar
Canyan
By
Lu Richardson
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Something's
special about a place that looks beautiful even in the middle
of winter. As you
gaze across acres of golden prairie grass dotted with green
clusters of cedar and shadows hinting
at hidden canyons, you can hardly imagine the amazing view
spring's warm sun will bring.
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While
most of the plant life patiently waits for rebirth,
the horses, cattle, bucking bulls, cowboys and cooks
at Cedar Canyon Lodge in northwest Oklahoma are anything
but dormant. Whether you've never been on a ranch or
you're looking for a secluded place to ride your horse,
these cowboys will welcome you for a perfect blend of
excitement, escape and relaxation.
If it's rest and seclusion you seek, the scenery and
the spacious, comfortable rooms in the log-constructed
lodge will have you de-stressed in no time. Each of
the six rooms is decorated with Western art, antiques
and fine furnishings.
One room offers a king-size bed, and each of the others
has two queen-size beds and can accommodate as many
as six guests with the use of rollaway beds. The absence
of telephones and television service allow you to keep
your room quiet, but televisions and VCRs are available
for watching videos.
Nature will nurture the stress right out of you on these
remote 10,000-plus acres. If you're a city slicker,
you'll probably see more sky and open space than you
knew existed. Take in the view from your covered porch,
or become a part of it.
Even in winter, a walk or hike usually reveals deer,
birds and other wildlife alongside the cattle and wild
horses. You'll also find canyons, creeks and ponds hidden
in what appears to be flat grassland from a distance.
The best view of the canyons is from the back of a horse.
Don't worry if you're not a rider: Dusty and Steve,
the resident wranglers, will round up a gentle horse
and show you the way. In between taking care of the
cattle and bucking bulls, they lead trail rides across
the ranch for novice as well as experienced riders.
Rides range from one or two hours to half a day. You're
welcome to bring your own horse, if you prefer. Cookout
rides for breakfast or dinner will give you a real taste
for Western cooking. Anyone in your party who doesn't
ride a horse can take a wagon ride to the "cook's
camp." Be sure to make reservations for horseback
riding early.
You're bound to get at least a little dirt on your shoes
here, but you can still have a clean room and cozy bed
at the end of the day.
Guests who are more interested in the dirt and excitement
can spend a night in a tepee. The most adventurous can
join a guided rattlesnake hunt in spring. Guided hunts
for quail, deer and turkey or guided fishing trips also
can be arranged.
Other activities include miniature golf, picnicking,
group sightseeing tours and visiting Alabaster Caverns
State Park, which is within walking distance of the
lodge. The park offers guided tours of the caves as
well as recreational vehicle and tent camping. Seasonal
tours also are available at the nearby Selman Bat Caves.
You'll also want to see Freedom, just six miles north.
Its Main Street storefronts have been redesigned to
reflect its Western heritage as an early- day cowtown.
The Freedom Museum offers historical information, and
the Cimarron Cowboy Monument pays tribute to its namesake.
Whether you enjoy your day out on the ranch or watching
the countryside from your porch, you're bound to work
up an appetite. A big, country breakfast will get your
day started, or you can warm up by the huge stone fireplace
and fill up on the specialty steak dinner for lunch
or supper.
The decorations in The Stables Cafe and Cantina are
just the beginning of the Old West experience. The cowboys
and staff always offer warm welcomes and plenty of hospitality.
Passers-by are more than welcome to partake of the food
and special events.
Cowboys from the area tend to wander through the restaurant,
especially during weekend rodeo events at the arena
next door. Forget those tame mechanical bulls: Lodge
co- owners Marvin Nixon and Anita Rennebohm raise and
contract the real thing. Their bucking bulls have performed
in top rodeos such as the Professional Bull Riders finals
and the National Finals Rodeo. The Rocking A Rodeo Co.
owns 150 bucking bulls and about 600 other cattle.
Nixon is as much the real thing as his bulls are. He's
a lifelong rancher and still manages and operates his
family's adjacent ranch. You're likely to meet him out
on the ranch or in the restaurant. He's building on
a family tradition from both sides: His mother owned
and operated a cafe for many years during his youth
where The Stables Cafe and Cantina now stands.
Rockin A and Cedar Canyon Lodge link Rennebohm to her
roots, as well. Her grandfather was a well-known rodeo
stock contractor in eastern Washington, where she grew
up. She attended her first rodeo when she was 3 years
old.
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