Category Archives: My World

Route 66 Museum – Clinton, OK

SuperPizzaBoy took some time off from a family reunion last weekend to go check out the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK.

The museum is very nice and is very reasonably priced. They have lots and lots of exhibits concerning everything from early day construction to vehicles used during the road’s heyday to the motels and restaurants that lined the highway.

These type of “pop” machines were my favorite. They seemed like they kept the sodas the coolest.

The above was a little before my time. The company though, “Lee Way Motor Freight” was a major employer in Oklahoma City for a long time until they went out of business.

SPB loved the pay phone although he couldn’t figure out why it was needed. “Why didn’t people just use their cell phones?” When I told him that cell phones didn’t exist back then then, “What did they do when their cars broke down?” I told him that was always a challenge.

Remember how the tourist traps tried to lure the rube’s in?

SPB was a little leery of this one.

You’ll have to check it out for yourself!!

They have a hippie van. Remember hippies? I do. My mother was scandalized, I was jealous. Except when they were broken down. My Dad helped them out sometimes.

At the end of the museum they have a small theater that plays several short films on the history and culture of Route 66. They were interesting.

You know what separates a great museum from just a good museum?

A great museum has their own geocache. That’s the difference.

Check out the Route 66 Museum. It’s lots of fun!

My World

Turkey Mountain Trail Run

Last Tuesday I went on a run on Turkey Mountain. I was going to run with a group, the TATUR running group, but I was a little late. I actually saw them take off while I was still in my car but it took me a few minutes to make sure that I had all my stuff together and they left. I wasn’t too worried about it though. If I caught up with him them, great, if I didn’t, I’d still have a great time. I run Turkey Mountain in the summertime to beat the heat of the concrete trails and to get my head on straight.

I like to stop and take pictures. Turkey Mountain has a bunch of pretty good sized ponds.

Sometimes you can spot things. Like somebody using a battery to illegally shock fish. Turns the sport of fishing into catching.

When I lived in Texas close to a lake I knew several people who unashamedly would use such devices. Game laws to them were just a means to make sure that the suckers among us left plenty of fish and game for them.

The mountain bikers flew past me. The TATUR’s passed me on their way in. I could have turned around and gone with them but I wasn’t ready to quit. I was rewarded a little later with this sight.

I’ve seen lots of deer on Turkey Mountain. This one is the only one with the manners to wait while I got my camera out and ready. I have seen three fox on the Arkansas River trail, they seem to know when I don’t take my camera with me. Mannerly wildlife are always appreciated.

I passed through an area that burned last year. I don’t think it took many trees but it sure cleared out the brush and opened things up.

I got up to the top of the hill and had a good look at downtown to the north. To the south though, where I parked I had a ways to go. See the notch on the left side of the road? About where the car is on the road? That is where I parked.

Here is a closer look.

That is a long ways away. I made it though. I considered going down the highway or the adjoining power line right of way but I didn’t. I went down via a trail. Everybody was packed about and about to go. When you are a slow runner like me and take lots of pics, that happens a lot.

One last pic though and time to head home.

I had my handy dandy Garmin running watch with me and heart rate monitor so this is the fully documented route.

That’s My World Tuesday

Boots, BBQ, and Boogie at Cain’s Ballroom

The preparations have been going on for some time.

The Yogi’s, Nana, and a few friends went to the Boots, BBQ, and Boogie fund raiser for Bit by Bit at Cain’s Ballroom. The legendary music hall just north of downtown Tulsa.

They had a hard core Country Western Band for the Boogie part, and the dancing part. That’s where the boots come in you know.

The place just drips history,

Many names from the distant past played there.

The music is loud!!!

Country Music isn’t my favorite but I’m still of the “If it is too loud, then you are too old.” school. No offense!

Nice, uh, t shirts for sale.

As you can tell, everybody had a good time.

My World Tuesday

Colorado Road Trip

The Yogi’s got back Sunday from a weekend road trip to Colorado. We went there mainly to see my lovely young niece Jillian get married to a very nice young man, Brian.

(More on these two in a later post.)

On our way out there Sweetie let me take time to find “Mingo.” It is the oldest active geocache in the world. Now I can die fulfilled. I have not brought peace to the world, but I found Mingo.

We also drove through some funky weather. We had rain, fog, mist and hail on the way out.

SuperPizzaBoy got some major video game play in during the trip. In fact, he got to where he was playing video games, listening to an audio book, and eating Fritos at the same time. Awesome.

Near where my sister and her husband live we saw longhorn cattle.

Of course we got to the wedding

And did some dancing to celebrate.

SPB had a great time.

Then we came home,

We saw some oil wells in Kansas.

And some motorcycle riders on the Run For the Wall.

No, these folks aren’t welcoming the Yogi’s home. They are cheering the motorcycle riders on. We were cheering them also. They, and their “Road Guards” were causing havoc on I70 so we were glad to turn off. I like your cause guys, but you almost caused a bunch of accidents!!! Convoying can be dangerous even if you know what you are doing and you guys don’t.

Anyways as we got closer to Tulsa we came up on the back side of a series of storms that stretched clear across northeast Oklahoma and Arkansas.

We were glad to be home. Our prayers are with the people of Joplin, Missouri.

I’ll have more on the wedding later.

That’s My World

CityPlex Tower

Dawn view of the CityPlex Tower in Tulsa. The tallest of three interconnected towers designed by Frank Wallace. who designed many of the buildings at the nearby Oral Roberts University. At 648 feet tall CityPlex Tower is the second highest building in Oklahoma. It was formerly the City of Faith Medical Center built by Evangelist Oral Roberts. The hospital opened in 1981 and closed in 1989. It is now an office building.

That’s My World

Baseball at ONEOK Field

Last Thursday SuperPizzaBoy and I went to see the Tulsa Drillers play baseball at ONEOK Field downtown.

(“Hey, isn’t that Yogi and SPB sitting behind home plate?”)

We had a great time. I got to watch some great baseball, son got some pizza and ice cream. (Don’t tell his Mom!)

(My camera really likes to focus on the net.)

I ask you what kind of nerd scores the game?

Yeah, really, what of it?

Son was getting kind of bored with things until the 7th inning stretch when he came to life. First because, he loves to sing and this being Oklahoma we sang both “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “Oklahoma.” Son loves Oklahoma.

Second, I promised him we would go home at the end of the inning.

My World

Cain’s Ballroom and a new Star

About a week ago I went for a little run during my lunch hour. I meandered north of Downtown through the Brady District and passed by the Legendary Cain’s Ballroom, former home of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

The Ballroom has stars in the sidewalk commemorating famous musicians with ties to Cain’s. Here are some of them.

They have a new category for bloggers with ties to Cain’s. Here is the star for the first awardee.

Hmm?

Hot Club of Cowtown at Cain’s

Cain’s Ballroom and Bob Wills

My World – Cain’s Ballroom

I know that I’m a little obsessed with it but Cain’s is special. It is a link from now back almost 80 years ago to a different time.

My World Tuesday

Doings at the Tulsa Garden Center

The Tulsa Garden Center is a great place. It is a grand old oilman’s mansion from the 1920’s that now buzzes with activity most days.

I just love this old fireplace in the ballroom.

If you love windows and doors, the garden center is the place for you.

I helped my wife Sweetie set up for a Children’s Gardening Class (Little Green Thumbs) held at the Garden Center.

You cannot have a gardening class without “soil.” Don’t call it dirt, especially at the Garden Center. They will kick you out.

There she is, getting ready.

The part I like the best is the art deco streamline design ladies restroom shown above. Don’t ask me how I got the photo. I’d have to take the fifth. (Not really, the door was open and I was in the hallway and it was unoccupied. That’s my story. Oh, and I didn’t open the door either.) If you are saying that it is hard to tell anything from the photo. It is that way live and in person also. To get better pics I’m afraid I might risk outraging public decency.

That’s My World

Remember April 19, 1995

16 Years ago today 168 people lost their lives in the Oklahoma City Bombing.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial stands where the Murrah building stood. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

I was living in Tulsa when it occurred. I remember at first it was speculated that Islamic terrorists had perpetrated the crime. Within hours though we found out it was our our own countrymen who planned and executed the killings.

16 Years later all is quiet and peaceful.

Amond the tranquility there are few raw reminders of that day.

It is a very emotional place.

Visitors talk softly, it is like being in a church or other sacred place.

Memorials like this are very important. We don’t ever want to forget what happened, even though many of us still don’t understand how such a thing could occur.

My World

San Antonio River Geocaching

I was in San Antonio last week to attend a convention. I have been before several times and have found almost all the caches in the central part of downtown so I have to go farther and farther to find more. I have to do my geocaching early in the morning mostly.

So off I went at first light.

By day and night the walk is bustling. Early in the morning its just walkers, runners, and geocachers, and lots of security folks. I’ve always felt pretty safe on the canal at odd hours. I keep my wits about me, just like I do anywhere.

The canal is a masterpiece. A walker’s paradise.

Away from the core tourist area the canal winds its way among condos, apartment buildings, and office buildings.

The caches are mainly “microcaches” they are small because they are not that many good places to hide big containers.

The above might be the worst hidden cache in Texas. See that black thing underneath the trash can? Yep that’s it. I don’t suspect that this cache will last for long. I spotted it from over a 100 feet away.

There is no cache here, I just liked how the trees wrapped around each other.

No cache here either, I just liked how the rising sun was peeking through the trees.

I just love locks and dams. I don’t see too many so I like to stop and ponder the technology and how they work and all that.

As I got farther and farther away from downtown the caches started getting a little bigger.

The oldest VFW post in Texas. Note the Tower of the Americas. That is close to where I started walking, and it wasn’t a straight line. I just love walking long distances.

I love whimsy. I posted other photos of this scene earlier this week. I love’em.

Mom and her kids on an outing.

There are all sorts of plaques and explanatory diagrams along the canal. This was my wow moment. I always wondered what they did during floods. The divert the river to a 24 feet diameter tunnel, three miles long, 150 feet under the river. It cost $150 million and they have used it a few times.

Aren’t engineers wonderful. Find one and give them a big kiss would you? Be gender appropriate, if you know what you mean. I don’t need any smooches from guys. Just saying.

This is called “The Grotto.” I found it kind of creepy. Sorry.

Found a big geocache! I love the big ones. They are easier to find than the small ones. It was time to get moving. I went back to the hotel overland.

I passed this hotel, The Havana on the way back. Maybe I’ll stay there. I love the look of it. It really isn’t close to anything I need to do but it is cool. Maybe I’ll just see if they have a bar and have a drink. That’s almost as good as staying there in my book.

That’s about it folks. I walked close to to 10 miles, didn’t find that many caches but I had a a great time.

To find out more about geocaching check out my Geocaching 101 Post.

That’s My World

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Category Archives: My World

Route 66 Museum – Clinton, OK

Turkey Mountain Trail Run

Boots, BBQ, and Boogie at Cain’s Ballroom

Colorado Road Trip

CityPlex Tower

Baseball at ONEOK Field

Cain’s Ballroom and a new Star

Doings at the Tulsa Garden Center

Remember April 19, 1995

San Antonio River Geocaching