Our Camping Adventure at Robber’s Cave

Have your kids been begging you to go camping? Ours have. BEGGING. Constant begging.

So, we FINALLY took them. We had the time available, scrounged up the gear by either borrowing from others or digging up items in the garage, researched the best camp sites in Oklahoma and chose our destination.

I was thrilled with Marc mentioned Robber’s Cave State Park because my youth group used to hold retreats there when I was in Junior High. I have fond memories of the area and was eager to get back and see if it was as beautiful as I’d remembered.

I was also equally as excited to find out all the activities available there. My experience was from one of the group camp grounds and hiking around the caves; I had no idea there was swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boating, miniature golf, fishing and horseback riding!

Robber’s Cave is about an hour and a half to two hours southeast of Tulsa in Wilburton, OK. It’s a lovely drive through the countryside, and worth every minute of the trek.

Sites for tent camping are only $12 per night. If tent camping is too much for you, there are also sites for RVs and cabins available for rent.

After we picked our site (which are first come, first served) and set it up, we changed into our swimsuits and decided to cool off with some snow cones. They were just what the doctor ordered.

In the same building as the shaved ice there are knives for sale, which we thought was a little…well, odd, but I guess it is the wilderness!

Near the snack shack and knives for sale there is gorgeous Lake Carlton with a swimming area. The kids loved swimming out to the dock where they could jump off and make big splashes. Beyond the ropes and the dock is the area for paddle boats, kayaks, and canoes (which we did the next day when it wasn’t so windy).

After our swim, we headed back to our campsite to get the fire rolling for dinner and do some fishing. After some coaching, the kids began to get the hang of the idea that everyone has a job when we’re camping. Theirs was collecting sticks and twigs for the fire. They were great help!

While the fire got rolling, Marc helped get the kids set up fishing. I so wish I could say I helped with this. I do fine with fake bait and bread but I just could not make myself touch the worms! Before we knew it Marc and Corrinne had both caught something! She was super excited when we asked if she wanted to eat her catch. She had no idea it was an option. Thankfully, my skilled and ever so brave husband actually knows how to clean fish!

Let me tell you it was DELICIOUS! Pan fried over a camp fire in a little butter. Oh. My. Goodness. It was really fresh and yummy. It was a small little guy, so we each only got a couple of bites, but it was enough to just taste the experience.

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Our main dish of the evening is what we call Campfire Goulash. Smoked sausage, fried bacon, small potatoes, peas and carrots. With some fresh campfire toasted rolls to sop up the buttery goodness, it is a perfect hearty meal!

After dinner we skipped rocks and enjoyed the river.

I enjoyed my book, surrounded by the beautiful Oklahoma scenery. One of my favorite things about camping is the fact that TV, video games, phones and computers aren’t even an option for entertainment!

No camp out could be complete without S’mores and stories around the fire. The kids’ favorite was telling group stories where we went around the family adding on to each other’s stories. It was hilarious and we have a ton of inside jokes from some of the outlandish tales we collectively made up!

The next morning we cooked another campfire meal before we cleaned up our site. We could have just had granola bars or fruit, but why not go all out when you’ve got the chance. Believe me, you haven’t had a fried egg until you’ve had it fried on the smokey wood fire over campfire fried potatoes and bacon!

Next it was time to explore the actual Robber’s Cave and the hiking area. There are trails that are easy to follow and plenty of signage so you don’t get lost.

A few adventurous slopes offer real opportunities for bravery!

Marc and the kids always tease me for stopping to take pictures of flowers and trees. I’ll only bore you with one. I may have to line my hallways with framed pictures of Oklahoma nature. It’s the perfect time of year to capture this and so many other gorgeous blooms!

Corrinne was more interested in capturing frogs and toads! This little guy was number five for the day!

The four of us had a wonderful adventure, but it wasn’t truly complete without the littles.

Hopefully it won’t be long before we can take the littles along with us. The bigs aren’t the only kids in the house begging to go camping!

See you around town…and the rest of the state!

Missy

Honeybee Mama