Photography Contributed by Oklahoma Tourism

East Texans give no shortage of grief to their northerly neighbors, the state of Oklahoma. (I was born an Okie and got here as quickly as I could.) But whether or not they admit it, many East Texans love going to the Beavers Bend State Park and the burgeoning hot spot known as Hochatown in the Sooner State.

Some have trekked a little further north to find another example of nature at its best.

Since 1969, the Talimena National Scenic Byway, casually known as the Talimena Drive, has given travelers luxurious views of the Ouachita National Forest in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. Driving the 54-mile highway from Talihina, Oklahoma, to Mena, Arkansas, (hence the combined “Talimena” moniker) takes about one hour if you don’t stop.

But who would commit just an injustice against nature – and themselves?

On either end of the byway are small towns with food, fuel and fun for travelers of all ages, and in between are miles of roadway displaying the grandeur of God’s creation in the Ouachita Mountains. The road traverses one of the highest mountain ranges between the Rockies and Appalachia, according to the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation department and was built with one goal: to highlight the region’s beauty.

On its western end, the trail begins outside the tiny town of Talihina, to which thousands of tourists travel each year as they set out for their trip on the trail, said Samantha Shoecraft, director of the Talhina Chamber of Commerce. That’s where trekkers will need to fuel up their gas tanks, fill up their bellies and use the restroom before they set out on the drive; there are no restaurants or gas stations along the way.

In town, the most popular restaurant is the Twisters Café, a restaurant paying homage to the state’s history with tornadoes. The diner was formerly Pam’s Hateful Hussy Diner, so affably named after its owner, Pam Lewis. (On a busy day, she once told a regular morning coffee drinker to get his own coffee. He called her a hateful hussy, and the name stuck, as the story goes in a TV spot. But folks say Pam is actually a lovely lady, not a hateful hussy.)

Kody Heflin, Lewis’ daughter, works at the new restaurant. All that changed is the name, the owner and the décor, which is tornado-themed. The menu with longtime Hateful Hussy Diner mainstays is the same, containing classics such as chicken fried steak, hamburger steak, pork chops and more.

People from around the world have visited the restaurant, which is “definitely legendary,” Heflin said. For drivers setting out on the scenic drive, “I would definitely recommend making this a stop.”

Visitors can go to the Talihina Chamber of Commerce, 201 1st St., to get maps and tips about local shops and restaurants before setting out on their journey.

The Talimena State Park is a little ways south of the beginning of the scenic byway. At the state park, visitors can camp, hook up RVs, have a picnic, hike and use their ATVs to explore national forestland.

After meandering northeast of town, visitors are ready to begin their journey. The scenic byway is a two-lane paved road lined with tall trees, and it gently ambles its way up, down and around the Ouachita Mountains. Along the way, travelers can pull over to take in views of the mountain ranges and lower-lying tree-covered valleys.

A trip along the byway isn’t a way to pass the time, but a way to watch the seasons pass. In the spring, as trees and plants come alive, the dense, lush cedars along the road take on a deep, vibrant green. In the fall, the byway is frequented by leaf-loving tourists, who watch in awe as tree leaves turn from green into vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, even burgundy.

There might not be red lights commanding drivers to hit the brakes, but the laws of nature demand that drivers stop and look at various vistas along the byway, with colorful names such as Potato Hill Vista, Deadman Vista, Lenox Vista and more. Along the route are several spots for motorists to walk around, take photos, go for a hike or have a picnic.

Deborah Rodriguez, an Okie, took the byway with her husband, Tim, one October. “The colors were beautiful,” she said. The two stopped at the scenic overlooks along the way to do “leaf-peeping,” a more exciting term for taking a look at the leaves changing colors in the fall.

If she takes the trip again, she’d stop at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park and lodge in Arkansas, a tourist favorite along the route. Travelers can drop in for breakfast, lunch or dinner and stay overnight. Above all, visitors to Queen Wilhelmina can get top-of-the-line views of the mountains. The lodge was built in the late 1800s and named after the longest-reigning queen in Dutch history.

Tourists can really reach a high point in life along the byway. The byway climbs Rich Mountain, the second-highest peak in Arkansas at 2,681 feet.

On the eastern end of the byway is Mena. There, after working up an appetite along the byway, hungry travelers can chow down at restaurants and mosey on over to The Ouachitas craft brewery for a beer. And there’s a little something in store for curio lovers at the town’s antique malls and flea markets.

Like the road that leads travelers there, Mena is geared toward outdoor adventure, boasting hiking and biking trails and more of the views travelers come to see. “Mena is just like an outdoor enthusiast paradise,” said Sarah Dye, director of the Mena-Polk County Chamber of Commerce.

There’s no shortage of places to stay, either. The town has some “amazing Airbnbs,” Dye said. Visitors can rest in cabins with their families or stay in one by themselves “in the middle of nowhere,” she said. Mena is a place to enjoy life at a slower pace.

“Everybody’s really friendly and nice – just like in Texas,” Dye said.

Getting to the Talimena Scenic Byway from East Texas isn’t hard. In fact, U.S. Highway 271 takes travelers directly to Talihina, and U.S. Highway 259 intersects with the byway near its midpoint. The trip to Talihina takes about three and a half hours. So, an East Texan heading that way really can’t go wrong. Around here, all roads (a couple, anyway) lead to the Talimena National Scenic Byway.