Mussels and Mink in Oklahoma
Back in August, my wife Julia and I spent a week in Oklahoma City. She had a work function to attend, and I had some PTO to burn. So while she was in classes all day, I was free to work on some writing and research, roam about town, and relax. We were able to spend an evening walking around Bricktown, taking in a bustling downtown. But on another evening, we went to walk the lakeshore at Lake Hefner. This beautiful lake was running more than 10 feet low in the intense drought, and a lot of the lakebed was now shoreline.
Although warm, we enjoyed the evening walk, and had the chance to find a number of geocaches! As we approached the lake, we noticed the small lighthouse, patterned after the second oldest lighthouse in the US. Standing on the point of East Wharf, the lighthouse is a popular focal point on the lakeshore. We headed toward the lighthouse for a closer look and noticed some commotion in the riprap along the wharf. A small brown critter darting in and out of the rocks, and some children shouting. As we approached, I was able to get a good enough look to determine that the slick brown creature zipping across the rip rap was a mink!
I was able to get a fuzzy picture of this sharp little critter right before it dashed into a hole. This is a trend that repeated the next day as I was fishing at Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser. I grew up roaming the woods, trapping, hunting, and generally being outside, but never have I seen mink so thick as I saw in Oklahoma City. They were everywhere around the two large reservoirs I fished, darting in and out of the riprap banks in search of mussels and small fish, which were also in no short supply.
All in all, this mid-August diversion was a much needed break that allowed me time to jumpstart this blog and get outside more than I had been. The beauty of Oklahoma City was worth the drive, and I hope to return again to watch mink roam the shores as I toss a jig or watch a bobber, crunching along the bank, strewn with mussel shells.