We are on vacation this week so although I have taken several photos, this is what I have for Skywatch Friday
This is from a small city park on Wolf Bay in the city of Orange Beach, Alabama looking to the west at sunset.
I hope that you are having a great week! I am linking with Skywatch Friday
An tower for electric power lines alongside the Arkansas River. I am fascinated by the infrastructure network that ties us together. From electric power lines to cable television and telephone lines. Many of which are overhead and much underground, to water, sewer, and natural gas lines, and of course roads, and waterways along with drainage systems. It just boggles my mind. Couple that with railroads other pipelines for crude oil, gasoline, propane and butane, and even ammonia and it is amazing how interconnected all parts of the country. are to each other.
Okay, I got carried away, I hope you have a great week.
This is kind of an “add on” to my last post about hiking on Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain last Sunday morning. Don’t tell me that I am the only blogger that milks all the posts he or she can out of an experience.
What are called ponds everywhere else are called lakes on Turkey Mountain. Don’t ask me why, its just the way it is. Whatever you call them, they are full which is unheard of this late in the summer. Want to know something else? (I am going to tell you anyway, so say yes, okay) I didn’t activate our lawn sprinkler system until this past weekend. It has rained so much we have not watered our yard once.
The ponds are overflowing and the vegetation is lush. I was soaking in DEET so I didn’t get any tick or chigger hitchhikers thank goodness but I was kind of dumb and didn’t take any water which was a mistake even in just a three mile hike.
It always lifts my spirits being out in nature. I didn’t really see anybody else. I love getting back home after my outings and checking instagram for Turkey Mountain. There were at least 25 other people claiming they were all by themselves. It is a testament on how big the area is that we can all be there and not get in each others way.
Do you have a place you can go to get away from it all? I hope so.
I am loving the big blue skies and the white fluffy clouds we are temporarily having. I say temporary because it clouds up and rains quite a bit these days.
The Arkansas River is still high but within its banks and it is muddy as a soaked cow pasture.
I love the big cottonwoods on the river. Even if some of them are suffering from storm damage.
Almost all the River Parks trails are open now. They had a big sinkhole to fill in and repave here. There is still considerable work to be done getting the lights going again and fixing the plumbing at the restrooms. There was considerable damage to the river banks and they are trying to figure out how to rebuild and stabilize them.
So that’s the latest with the sky situation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. How they looking where you live?
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
This is a shot of the electrical transmission substation at Keystone Dam. I don’t know a thing about such facilities but it looks a little old to me. I look at the Dam’s status every day and they haven’t generated any electricity in the few weeks I have been checking up on them.
Heather and I went to the Jimmy Buffett Concert here in Tulsa earlier this week. He put on a great show. Not only was the music good but they displayed huge high definition video of ocean, beach, and sky scenes on the backdrop behind the band. It was kind of mesermerizing. We love the beach and are headed there later this summer as part of our family vacation.
This is from my sister’s property near Colorado Springs during our recent trip there. Colorado never fails for great skies. Check out Ellen’s blog and check out her and husband Irv’s brand new fifth wheel camper.
This is a scene from the the Tour de Tulsa that I did a few weeks ago before all the rain and floods. It was only a 20 mile or so ride. I have another ride coming up Sunday for Tulsa Tough. It is going to be 32 hilly miles. I hope that I am up for it. The furthest I have ridden on my back is 25 and I was okay after it. I’ve learned that on these rides many people don’t really bust a gut, they take it leisurely. That will be me. I am one of the few people who ride them using a big heavy hybrid bike instead of one of the sleek ones. I need one with a big wide seat to, well you know, match my big wide seat. So wish me luck.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday.
I went on a bike ride the other day after work. I took a trail alongside a rural turnpike that has lots of hills and if I am lucky some good skywatch shots. I found these horses, they were not too friendly so I just have photos of their rear ends.
Headed back, some clouds showed up and threatened rain. It didn’t.
Another uncooperative horse in a pasture. We have had lots of rain and the grass is high and green.
I had a good outing of about 16 miles of some nice hills and good scenery. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
Since daylight savings time I am bicycling along the Arkansas River Trails here in Tulsa so I get to see lots of sunsets and other views of the river.
I love the old Railroad Bridge converted to a cool pedestrian bridge. It is blocked off and is going to be replaced soon.
How romantic is this, a golden sunset at the tank farm of one of our local refineries. Ah, the sweet smell of sour crude.
The redbuds have lost their blooms by now but hey, I am showing you a photo anyway.
And some purplish tones from another sunset.
Check out other Sky posts at Skywatch Friday
Wow, we had some storms Tuesday night and tornadoes all over green country. We were fine and everybody I know is fine but one unfortunate person died when their car got swept off a freeway interchange. The car was found a mile with the person’s body in it. Please don’t drive into high water folks, especially if it is moving quickly.
We are used to rain here. Tulsa gets an average of 43 inches per year and things dry out quickly. I found out in my research that the US average is 39 inches so we are not as drenched as I thought we were.
A final shot from my office window. I love the clouds. That is the Arkansas River off in the distance toward the left center of the photo.
I hope everybody is having a great and safe week!
This past Sunday I drove an hour southeast of Tulsa to Oklahoma’s Sequoyah State Park to run the inaugral Sequoyah Gravel Run 10K. They also had 5K and 15K races as well and earlier had bicycling events.
It had been raining the day before but Sunday it was sunny, and kind of cold and windy actually. Perfect conditions for running in other words. They sent us off and away we went.
I ran with Paula and Misti. This is the third race we have run together. We all kind of go at the same pace so it works out well.
There were only a few really muddy spots on the course, all easily circumvented. An environmentally conscious runner always goes right through the mud to avoid damaging the non-trail segments. And then there is me who hates running with cold wet socks. Sorry, true confessions time.
You have to look close but we came upon some riders on horses. That was cool.
Another muddy spot, nope I didn’t splash through this puddle either. Sorry.
And the finish line. Me in the middle, Paula to my right, Misti in the blue, a friend of theirs in yellow, and the legendary Trail Zombie, aka Ken Childress, on my far right. Ken is not only a great trail runner but a very generous and kind guy as well. He has directed so many races and helped a lot of people out in the sport.
We finished third and fourth males on the race so we got to share the podium also.
I give Kudos to the organizers of the race.
Thank you to the organizers, the sponsors, and the army of volunteers that it takes to put these events on.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
Spring stepped up this week after weeks of cold. And so I took my bike on the RiverParks Trails after work. Here is a shadow selfie of me on my fifteen year old Giant at work.
A little sunset action on the west bank of the Arkansas River.
A view of the soon to be demolished Pedestrian Bridge. The powers that be decided we needed something fancier to fit in with our new Gathering Place Park.
Same bridge only behind several varieties of redbuds. The white variety is actually still a redbud. Or so I am told.
More redbuds!! And my old bike. People make fun of my bike because it is very old and heavy and not sleek and I have a bell and a mirror on it. They say get something newer and faster. Why, what is my hurry?
And Monday, the Tulsa Drillers were playing an 11 am game. Well by gum, I have lots of vacation and a flexible type job so after clearing with my boss I went down a bought a ticket right behind home plate and watched me a baseball game!! No better way to spend a day. Actually if my son and wife with me it could be better. But they hate baseball, so never mind. You like my seat? The guy with the radar gun was six seats to my right. And then I went back to work after watching about six innings. I love daytime games.