Talihina is a very small town in the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, with just over a thousand people, and it is the western gate of one of the best ridge roads in the middle of the country. The name comes from the Choctaw language, and is often translated as iron road, a reference to the railroad that arrived here in the 1880s. This is Choctaw Nation land, and the tribe's presence is visible in the town signs, the language and the cultural centres. The Choctaw were forced here from Mississippi on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s, a history that gives the landscape a sombre depth.
The Ouachitas are unusual among American mountains because their ridges run east to west, instead of north to south like the Appalachians, a result of ancient folding when continents collided. The long parallel ridges are covered in shortleaf pine, oak and hickory, and valleys between them are wooded and quiet. The Talimena Scenic Drive, whose name joins Talihina and Mena, climbs onto the crest of Winding Stair Mountain and Rich Mountain and follows it for about eighty-seven kilometres into Arkansas.
The road is a national scenic byway and was built in the 1960s as a showcase for the region's forests. It is a gently curving road with a low speed limit, and it has no real challenges apart from weather and wildlife. The views are long, over forested valleys that roll out to the horizon, and pull-offs along the way let you stop and look. In October and early November the hardwoods turn crimson, orange and gold, and the road fills with visitors, so mid-week is best.
Fuel is in Talihina, but it is wise to fill up and to check what is open, since towns here are small and shops close early. The nearest bigger towns are some distance away, and services on the ridge are essentially nil, so bring water and snacks. Mobile signals are patchy in the hollows.
Weather changes quickly on the ridge, with fog in the mornings and thunderstorms in summer, and ice in winter can close the road. Spring brings dogwood and redbud, which light the hillsides in white and pink. Watch for deer and for the occasional loose dog or cattle near the edge of the road.