Went on another hike on Turkey Mountain this week. Another cold, and to some, unpleasant day. To me, it wasn’t raining and I had the right clothes on so it was a great day.
Turkey Mountain has all sorts of relics from its past life. Near I guess what used to be a farm there is this grizzled old tree wrapped a bunch of times with barbed wire. Ouch!
The wire is holding up this old fence of some sort of chicken wire, hog wire, whatever wire.
And an abandoned cistern nearby.
Moving on to the west I came upon a cleared part of Turkey Mountain. It was cleared by the land owners at the time who were trying to sell the parcel.
They ended up in a contract with an outlet mall developer but that led to a huge fight in the city and the developer left in a huff and cut a deal with a suburb and started building the mall there but then changed their mind and there is now a few slabs, and some structural steel that is rusting away. Turkey Mountain missed a bullet is what I say. Money was donated to by the property from the owners and it is protected now.
Moving on, I was in a tree mood today. I love trees in all seasons. In the winter we get to see their bones.
Headed north to the revamped Y and came across an abandoned oil gathering line. Turkey Mountain used to be a prolific oil field but it played out but there is lots of remnants today. Old pipelines and pumpjack foundations scattered across the landscape, and a few old wellheads.
Getting closer to the Y, their abandoned disc golf course.
And their ropes course. You ever ropes? I think that ropes and other team building exercises are a huge scam. I participated in a bunch of them and I hated all of them.
And then the little lake at the Y where they have kayaks and canoes, fishing, and swimming. Now stuff like that is fun.
And then headed back to the parking lot, another mystery on Turkey Mountain. A deep hole, a homemade ladder and a camouflaged drier vent hose. Meth lab, the hangout of the last Democrat in Oklahoma? Who knows?
And here is my route of about three miles. I started at the very lower right corner, the upper parking lot and went in a clockwise direction and then returned.
And now a bonus sky, one morning’s sunrise with a reflection off my car.
And a drone photo from above my house looking south one evening.
And that is it for this week’s Skywatch post. I am linking with Skywatch Friday come join in!!
…I love the silhouettes of the oak trees, thanks for hosting the party!
wonderful skies!
“In the winter we get to see their bones.” I love that!
I LOVE the water at the lake at the Y!
Beautiful sky shots!
Having the right clothes, most important next to water. I remember the fight for Turkey Mt. It’s history is rich. Great bunch of photos sharing your wanderings.
Don’t you just know there are stories that Turkey Mountain could tell if the mountain could only talk. It does speak to us through the relics left behind, but there are details that none of us will ever know. So glad that the property dodged the developers bulldozer and is a haven for those who love trails. Thanks for sharing your journeys with us.
Team building exercises – am glad I didn’t have to go through that! !Actually in my job independence is a great asset. Tree bones – I love to see them. The capture at almost the end where the sky is reflected on the car hood is stunning – great find! Have a lovely weekend Allan and thanks for hosting! Emille.
I love exploring places like this that have a past history. Makes you feel like you might discover something new!
Alan – the “last Democrat in Oklahoma” – I could not stop laughing. (And that’s sad, but I am still laughing at your sharp sense of humor!) Fabulous sky picture reflected in your car. And don’t tell me, it’s a secret, but my hubby has bought me a drone for my birthday – a DJI. Can’t wait!!
Great skies.
Lovely sky and trees in the first picture. Beautiful lake. Spectacular bonus sky and its reflection off your car. Have a great weekend.
Thankfully, I never had to do any of those team building exercises such as ropes or walking on coals (yikes) although we had some crazy ones like riding children’s tricycles around a meeting room (don’t ask). Interesting history of Turkey Mountain, and you have a sharp eye for detail. And now that you’ve outed the hiding place of the last Democrat in Oklahoma, he or she is going to have a tough next few days.
Wonderful sky shots ~ Turkey Mountain seems seems filled with ‘little intrigues’ ~ fun ~ Xo
Wishing you lots of laughter in your day,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Looks like you live in a nice neighbourhood, all the houses are modern and tidy.
Interesting history of Turkey Mountain, it looks like a great place to walk and spend some time. Love the sunrise and the reflection on your car’s hood, that’s a great shot. Have a great weekend and thanks for hosting.