Ray Harral Nature Center – My “Go To” Hike in the Rain

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So I am so behind in my posting. This Spring we had some very wet weather, which is fine except I like to go hiking in wet weather, even when it is muddy.

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The aftermath of a trail race I competed in north of Tulsa a few years. What a slog.

The problem is that the more I learn about “Leave No Trace” principles the more I learn that it is not ethical to go hiking in the mud. Even if the land managers don’t restrict it. My preferred place to hike is the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area here in Tulsa and they actually close the trails when they are muddy.

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The aftermath of a trail race on Turkey Mountain a few years ago. If you finish a trail race and you have no blood and mud on you, were you even there?

The problem is that the more I learn about “Leave No Trace” principles the more I learn that it is not ethical to go hiking in the mud. Even if the land managers don’t restrict it.

And the route of a trail race a few years ago at a State Park here in Tulsa.

My preferred place to hike is the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area here in Tulsa and they actually close the trails when they are muddy. I could go to other places that don’t ban hiking but I don’t really feel right about it. The alternative is go somewhere that has hard surfaces and the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow has Ray Harral Nature Center with resilient gravel and asphalt surfaces to walk on.

Harral’s trail bridge is a landmark.

The trails are pretty good after a good rain.

I was testing out a new camera for me. A Canon EOS R100 mirrorless unit. It’s an entry level mirrorless camera. I found it so light that I got a hand strap instead of a neck strap. I like it so far. Such a change from My Nikon that I had for years and loved. But hey, as old as I am, I can learn new things. One thing that I liked is that it stays in constant communication with my iphone. In fact it gets gps information from the phone to tag the photos. Anyway, back to business.

Harral packs a lot of woods and plants into a compact place.

A lot of different things to see.

And some history. The metal roof you see was once part of a spring house. There were cold springs and in the springhouse you could store your perishables.

Another view of the springhouse. You can’t really get down because it is right on a creek and terrifically muddy all the time.

So this was my route. I’ve got a way of looping out and back where I can get almost three miles without too much duplication.

If you want to learn more about Leave No Trace, hit this LNT Link. Lots of good information there.

I am linking with Through My Lens. Go check it out, lots of great bloggers post there.

Shadow Shot Sunday – 7 June 2026 Edition

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I went bicycling on Tulsa’s RiverParks Trails recently and found this miniature Tulsa Driller Statue so I got a combo shadow shot of my bike and the Tulsa Driller.

I was checking out a new trail at Tulsa’s Chandler Park and they had this sign with cutout letters and leaf images and I liked the shadow it cast.

We went recently on a long weekend to Hochatown, Oklahoma, home of Beavers Bend State Park. We rented a nice cabin and it made for decent shadows in the afternoon. See the two cans of bug spray on the table. Oklahoma has lots of bugs including mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers and other nasty critters, so if you come visit in the summer, bring lots of bug spray. If you forget, we got lots for sale. As it was I got a few fire ant bites on my feet. They are really nasty and I don’t think bug spray bothers them at all.

That is about it for this week’s shadows. I’m linking with Shadow Shot Sunday.

Skywatch Friday – Spring Skies Edition

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Williams Crossing Bridge

I went on a walk to Tulsa’s Gathering Place and took this photo of the Williams Crossing Bridge across the Arkansas River on an overcast day.

Gathering Place - Willow Beach

The Gathering Place has its own swimming beach on a pond inside the park. Cool and overcast meant not many people sunbathing.

Downtown Tulsa from Chandler Park

I was at Chandler Park a few days later and took this photo of downtown Tulsa and the Arkansas River and a big blue sky with a thin layer of clouds.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Through My Lens – Sapulpa, Oklahoma

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A couple months ago I stopped in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa to check things out.

Close to the downtown of the city I saw this large church. It was very imposing but I thought it looked a little awkward looking with that steeple that seems to need to be attached to a much larger building.

It is Prase Fellowship Church. I don’t know much about it but I liked the design on their sign showing clasped dark and light hands. I guess I am woke but I like the imagery. We need more woke stuff in my opinion.

The core downtown of Sapulpa has all sorts of trendy stores, restaurants, and a brewery. I liked this “umbrella alley” I’ll call it. I know lots of other places have similar installations but this is the first one I have seen. I love the different colors. The thing about Oklahoma is that the wind blows a lot here and the these umbrellas were dancing around pretty good. It looks like there are a few gaps where maybe a few umbrellas just flew off.

This is a mural on the city’s performance playhouse. I love murals and I think this fits.

And this is interesting. At first I thought it was a bar for surveyors or geocachers. Nope, its an outdoor event space.

Route 66 runs right through Sapulpa and there a lot of Route 66 themed stores and restaurants in town. This was on the outskirts. It is a barbecue restaurant. It wasn’t open when I was there.

So after seeing the sights I headed back home to Tulsa. I am linking to Through My Lens.

Saturday’s Critters

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Here is out Pomeranian, Kodi with his dog toy. He is a little dog with big feelings and when he gets them hurt this is how he consoles himself.

This Kodi, with our rescue terrier, Sadie. They don’t like it when my wife is gone. Sometimes Kodi howls to express his sadness.

And this is our backyard feeder with a female cardinal and a dove sharing the space. I am getting about 500 to 600 visits a day from various birds. Literally 95% or so doves or sparrows. Hardly any squirrels any longer since I used chili or habanero pepper laced bird feed and safflower seeds intermixed with other feeds.

I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters

Portal to The Sanctuary – Shadow Shot Sunday

The Portal to the Sanctuary on Turkey Mountain in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The portal to the Sanctuary on Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain Wilderness Area. The Sanctuary is relatively new addition to Turkey Mountain. Some people will work around the moon gate for some reason. I have no such qualms. To me it is welcoming and besides whatever bad happens to you when you go through is reversed when you come back through on your way out, right? That is the way I look at it.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – Oxley Nature Center

Back in late April I went on a hike at Oxley Nature Center here in Tulsa. I have a new mirrorless camera that I was trying out. It is very light and has a hand strap so you can carry it easily and take photos quicker. So off I went.

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I think this is a red-headed woodpecker. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

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Same bird, a few feet away. It’d be nice if the birds would have some manners and come and perch within a few feet instead of back behind stuff.

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I think this is an eastern bluebird.

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I don’t know what this is. Google lens was confused as well.

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A couple of ducks paddling around Coal Creek.

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Three deer checking me out from the tall grass.

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An indigo bunting maybe. I’ll have to be getting a zoom lens for my new camera I think.

And a poem from Sasha Martin who was Oxley’s Artist in Residence a few years ago. Her poems are scattered throughout Oxley. I them.

I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters.

Skywatch Friday – Mid Spring 2026 Edition

I launched the drone again a few days ago. We had some blustery weather that caused the drone controller to start squawking at me at only 15 meters so I just took one photo and brought the drone down to calm down.

I took this drone photo with me at about 1.7 meters. Should I get a flight suit?

I captured this over the fence sunset on a dog walk in the green belt near our house.

We went to ONEOK Field to check out the Tulsa Drillers. An AA Farm Team for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a pleasant evening.

Another skywatch shot at the stadium.

On another day, another dog walk in the green belt, another photo.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday.