About a week and a half ago, on a sunday on the final day of Oklahoma’s spring break I went to Turkey Mountain for a hike. Spring break means busy!! So I started at the very northwest end of Turkey Mountain at the YMCA. No crowds there!!! Just badge in, if you are a member, or pay a small day fee and go.
I saw more people than usual but many less than if I had gone to the main Turkey Mountain parking lots. The Y’s trails and Turkey Mountain’s interconnect.
I was looking for some structures built by the mountain bikers maybe about 20 years ago plus or minus. They made some pretty incredible biking structures. They are in ruins now.
Back in the day, Turkey Mountain was a no mans land. Did these guys and gals get permission and permits and submit plans and such. Nope they just brought a bunch of lumber out and built it, and experimented and modified as time went by. Them mountain bikers are a hardy bunch. When a call goes out for help on a trail work day they show up in droves ready to work. Hikers and trailrunners not so much.
I found a pipeline owned by one of my previous employers. Companies wouldn’t build in such a manner these days. Boring technology has got so good they would just bore under it. They now bore way under archeological sites now. Solves all sorts of problems with mitigation and such.
And then Pepsi Lake. Pepsi Bottling company had a bunch of truck chassis’s on the dam and Turkey Mountain people called and asked if they could move them and away they went in a couple of days. Nobody knows why they were there to begin with.
The Mexican Plum blooms were out.
From there I went just north to Mooser Creek. It forms the northern boundary of Turkey Mountain. The Turkey Mountain people say that Mooser Creek is how beavers get to and from Turkey Mountain.
So here is looking north from Mooser Creek. This used to be the main entrance to Turkey Mountain back in the day. I used to park there every now and the but Pepsi has kind of taken it over. This another mystery of Turkey Mountain. Nine years ago a couple hikers found a human skull right where I was standing to take this photo. The police said that it had probably been there two years or so. Whenever I am in this area I always expect that I’ll find a rib or something. Not today though.
What I did though was notice that the pipeline company had cleared their right of way on the south side of Mooser Creek headed east. So I walked down it. I had never been down that way before. First thing was I saw this bicycle basket hanging from a tree.
And evidence of busy beavers. The area was more expansive than I had thought. Lots of evidence of old homeless camps.
Got as far as I could go without swimming. The hairs on the back of my head were standing straight up and although it was a pretty scene I retraced my steps back.
Later on in the hike I went on the top of the cliffs. This is a photo of all the trucks at the Pepsi Bottling Plant. It is a huge facility.
And then later on passed again the deep hole in the ground with the camo ductwork coming out. Who knows what you would find down there. There have been other deep holes found on the mountain. Speculation is that people were digging for Spainish gold. Apparently there was a guy back in 70’s selling treasure maps.
And I found this downed electric pole out in the middle of nowhere. Way back when the mountain had small ranches and farms on it and a lot of oil wells. People lived up there and it had a quite an outlaw reputation with moonshine stills and such.
I also found this hole lined with rock. I have no explanation. It would take a lot of work to build this. Tulsa gets so much rain that any hole you dig is going to be quite muddy much of the year.
And right next to it was this foundation. I don’t have a clue what it is for.
And not far away found this thing that looked almost like a burial marker. I didn’t turn it over. I was afraid I would see an inscriptions kind of like, “Here lies the body of a nosey photoblogger..”
And then I went back to the Y. I only covered 2.9 miles but I saw a lot of stuff.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
It’s an ammazing and weird report. A lot of stories in such a place !
It’s always fascinating to come across old stuff on a hike. The big circular rock structure reminds me of an old well that’s been filled in for safety. Which reminds me… we bough a little desert homestead shack on 5 acres about 10 years ago. I could see there was a little outhouse behind the cabin. I asked the realtor if there was a septic tank. He laughed and said “No, it’s just an Oklahoma outhouse”. He didn’t elaborate, and it wasn’t until some time later I learned it’s just a hole in the ground. This one was lined with brick and I had to pay a guy with a backhoe to fill it in. We later had a septic tank installed.
Amazing pictures. So much to see.
Beautiful.
A nosey photoblogger. 😂
Thank you for hosting this wonderful meme!
Me gusta el bosque te mando un beso.
Interesting. There is a mountain bike organization in our region that gets involved in building trails in cooperation with the national forest service. They are going to build one at our local state park.
A wonderful hike and a great bygone story.
A very interesting series of photos and commentary. I’d be spooked walking there knowing all this, lol.
I can see that your Turkey Mountain Hike is indeed full of mysteries. Very interesting place.
A nosey photoblogger had me in splits, after you shared all the intriguing images. There is something spooky and beyond, yet something so up my sleeve kind of a vibe there. 🙂
Loved the skywatch image on Skyley blogspot. Left me spell bound. <3
Happy weekend.
Here are Spring vignettes from my neck of woods:
https://natashamusing.com/2023/03/spring-splendour-spring-equinox-natasha-musing/
I would be spooked too walking there after reading this.
Beautiful photos, Yogi.
Great hike, I always enjoy hikes that include water views. The first shot is a great reflection capture!
Take care, have a happy weekend!
Maybe I’d rather not know some of that history if I took a walk there, but I so enjoyed your tour guiding today, I think you have a potential retirement career here – tour guide to your area’s mysteries! Maybe one of your guests would fill in some of the answers to your mysteries.
I like a walk that gives me a lot to think about at the same time — exercise, fresh air and keeps my mind occupied (and if you look stuff up afterwards you can actually learn a lot without much effort). The walk you took us on today would sure fill the bill!
Very interesting post! I wonder why there was a bunch of truck chassis’s on the dam?
when I came to the end of ‘report’ I had an impression you covered at least 20 miles. I am impressed with mountain bikers attitude towards trails reparations/works. admirable.
That mountain has quite the history with all the stuff you find up there. Makes you wonder what all it has been through over the years. That bike ramp must have been quite a project with hauling all the wood in. Looks like my bicycle basket hanging in the tree. I wondering if that round rock structure was meant to be a large fire circle or something. Interesting post!
Nosey photobloggers and curious cats come with a similar set of lurking hazards. Lovely reflection shots!
Wonderful series of photos from hike on Turkey Mountain ~ Like the one with the water ~
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)