Tag Archives: Arkansas River

A Midmorning Paddle on Zink Lake

Last Monday, I finished my morning reading tutoring at an elementary school here in Tulsa and decided by gum I was going to go kayaking.

So I ventured to the Arkansas River, upstream of Zink Lake Dam and rented a kayak for a couple of hours from the vendor there. I helped her carry it down to the new kayak launch that the city of Tulsa had installed. It was pretty cool. You put your kayak in slot where it is partly in the water and then you push against the handrails and you are launched!! No wading in the murk to get going.

I’ve been kind of in a funk lately. One knee is giving me problems and I got a steroid injection a month ago. It worked great for a week or so and then it started aching again. So think I do too much but then I don’t do anything which is not good. Well Kayaking is very knee friendly!!

I cruised past some redone murals on the river shore.

I thought the kayaking was cool. I’ve been running, walking, and bicycling both banks of the Arkansas River and Zink Lake for over 30 years. Now I was in the water and seeing things I’ve never seen before. A completely different perspective.

I love this view. It is cathedral like. A cathedral with graffiti.

There was hardly a breeze, the temperature was slightly on the cool side and the sky is beautiful.

The new Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.

Headed back north with a view of downtown Tulsa where I worked for 30 years. I was waving at my former coworkers.

The very beginning of the vegetation changing color.

One of the two boat ramps on the west side of the lake (or river.)

Headed back under the 21st street bridge.

Checking out the RiverWest Festival Park. RiverParks is having their annual Oktoberfest soon.

And now back to the Kayak dock. I had a great time!!

I’m linking with My Corner of the World

Skywatch Friday – To the Moon and back to Earth

Wednesday night was the Full Harvest Moon in Tulsa. Fortunately we had clear skies in Tulsa.

A friend in Arizona asked me if we had a lunar eclipse going on and I said, not as far as I know. Right after that the local news came on with a shot of eclipse so I grabbed my camera and went out and got my own shot.

Went on a bike ride again earlier this week. My knee held up pretty well and I was kind of babying it a little anyway. Anyway, I took another photo of our brand new dam and pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River here in Tulsa. This is a view from the southwest side.

And this is a view from the northeast side. The river sure looks good with water in it.

And I rode back to my car down the east side of the river. Stopped for this photo. The hill on the other bank is the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area.

Sunday night I was taking our refuse and recycling carts to the curb for weekly pickup and I noticed this reflection of the sunset. Photographers are always droning on about leading lines. So after nearly 70 years of picture taking I finally got a leading line. So proud of myself.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.

“Saturday’s Dam Critters”

Last Tuesday I loaded up my bike and went for a ride on the RiverParks trails here in Tulsa mainly to check on the brand spanking new pedestrian bridge and dam across the Arkansas River. I purposely missed the “Big Dam Party” that RiverParks put on for the opening over the Labor Day weekend.

So here is the new bridge, 1000 feet long from bank to bank. The dam is just on the other side of the bridge.

After big crowds during the party, I had the bridge to myself.

Down below the dam I saw this Great Blue Heron.

And a great egret.

And at one spot there were a bunch of egrets and blue herons together.

And three cats resting on the riverbank. Actually one cat and two Komatsu’s.

And a human critter jogging.

And two other human critters walking their dog.

And some oil and oil product storage tanks for the nearby refinery. A human critter on the bridge asked another human critter what they were for and the person said that President Biden outlawed oil storage in city limits and they were pretty sure that the City of Tulsa took them over to store water in case of a drought. Okay then. (Not true by the way).

I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters

Skywatch Friday – Dronephotography and my own Dam Party

This is from Tuesday evening.

From a week or so ago. Part of a series of photographs showing that it was raining all around us except where we live.

And a cheerful morning sunrise

And an optimistic Labor Day. I fly my flag right side up!!

And a long last, the new Dam and Bridge across the Arkansas is done. They had a whole multi day party to celebrate over the Labor Day weekend called the “Big Dam Party.” I missed it all. I got out there Tuesday morning and checked it out myself. I had my own dam party.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

Riding the Arkansas River Loop

The other day I went on a bike ride on the RiverParks Trails around the Arkansas River in Tulsa.

I always check my weather app to check the prevailing winds. I like to go against the wind on the outbound leg and with the wind on the inbound leg. So today I started on the south end because the wind was from the northwest. I crossed the 71st bridge. It is always nice when the river has water in it.

Got across the bridge and hung a right onto Elwood to pass through Turkey Mountain.

I love riding the west side trails. I haven’t done it too much since the last several years since some of the trails have been closed for construction of the new Zink Lake Dam.

This fully enclosed bridge over Mooser Creek always tickles me. Why is it enclosed?

I got up to the soccer fields and checked out the detour map. The trails are opening back up on Labor Day Weekend. They are having a Big Dam Party to celebrate the completion of the Zink Lake Dam, construction of the new Pedestrian Bridge, and reopening of the closed west side trails. I’ll be celebrating, at home, and I’ll check out everything when the hubbub dies down. That’s how I roll.

Oh, yeah, I found a geocache near the sign.

And a guy passed by on this recumbent three wheeler complete with flags. Thankfully, they were right side up.

I deadheaded up the trail past the old PSO Power Plant. I love old infrastructure, even when it doesn’t run.

And go to the sign, “No Public Access” one sign says, the other says “No Bicycles or Scooter.” If you look to the right of the gate, it is propped open and there is a well worn trail there.

I had been wondering how these folks were getting to the river to go fishing. Now I know!! I don’t have a problem with it. These people have had to walk about a mile to get there and by gum. They deserve to fish!! (I am not being sarcastic. I love it when rules are bent to the will of the people, unless it is an insurrection of course.)

So I turned my bike around and headed back down to the soccer field and headed out on the trail detour.

This part used to be scary on southwest boulevard. The road was all torn up and with gravel and such. Plus they had four lanes which made for a tight bike lane especially with tanker trucks going to and from the refinery, dump trucks and other big vehicles that are part of Tulsa’s industrial west side. Then they had a long construction project to redo the road. That was a disaster. No bike lanes, no nothing. The one time I rode it I had to ride on the west side business parking lots cuz I didn’t dare get on the road. I drove the section last week and noticed construction was over and that is why I was riding the bike lane today. I felt pretty comfortable in the bike lane.

So I got up to Route 66 and went across the bridge.

And headed back down south to the car. Didn’t take too many photos. I took some photos of some critters and you can check those out on my post Saturday.

Anyway, almost 18 miles, going slow, stopping and taking photos plus found one geocache. My longest ride in a while.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday.

Saturday’s Critters – RiverParks Ride

I went for a bike ride on the trails alongside the Arkansas River July 5. The weather broke and the temperature was quite nice for a change. I took one of “good cameras” with me and this is part of what I saw.

A slider turtle basking on a rock.

I saw a bunch of great blue herons. Lonesome sentries all up and down the river.

And several white egrets.

And one of each in the same frame.

So this blurry photo was at the far end of my camera’s range. iNaturalist thinks it might be a golden eagle. I think it might be a young bald eagle. Any suggestions?

And here is a plump of geese. I love collective nouns for wildlife and geese seem to have more than any other animal. “Plump” is new to me and I love it.

And here is a group of people fishing just below Zink Dam. I get nervous when I see this because you have to wade out there through some fast moving water.

And another group below the dam. Note the guy in the middle has a dog on a leash.

The dam and nearby trails is not open to the public yet but I guess that doesn’t apply to this couple who showed up so the guy could take photos of the woman.

And this guy, far from the dam, in a legal spot chilling, listen to music maybe while pondering the river.

I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters. Go check them out!!

Skywatch Friday – Biking in Bixby

Monday I went on a bike ride. I wanted to check out a new (to me) bike trail Bixby put in.

The new trail section didn’t have a trailhead with parking or anything. It starts at a neighborhood entrance with no parking anything so I went into the neighborhood and parked at their association play park and swimming pool just so I wouldn’t be in anybody’s way.

So I rode 15 miles on Bixby’s bike trail system. It’s oriented three segments: northeast, northwest and southern. The new leg is the northeast segment. I started at the very northern end and moved over to the northwest and then backtracked down to do the southern segment. I’ve been on the northwest and southern segments several times before.

The northeast segment cuts in behind a subdivsion and a grass farm. Bixby grows a lot of grass sod. There is less of it all the time because the farmers are selling out to builders who are building lots of subdivisions.

The bike path goes close to several strip shopping centers.

Much of it is in big spacious green belts bordering creeks and drainage ditches.

Here is the very northern end of the northwest leg. Somebody had mowed a path through the grass so I had to go check it out.

It looks like a homeowner put a gate in on his back fence and uses his mown path to access the trail. I’m hoping that Bixby and Tulsa get together and connect Bixby’s trail system with Tulsa extensive system. They only have two miles to go.

The southern leg goes in back of Joe’s Farm. The last truck farm in Bixby. It’s an amazing place and they do a great business.

The southern leg goes by the Bixby Police Department gun range. I’ve been by when they are shooting with their AR15 type rifles. They are not loud. They make an airy pew, pew, pew sound.

And then we are into Washington Irving Park.

I revisited Mr. Irving. He camped overnight here on October 12, 1832 during his tour of Oklahoma accompanied by U.S. Rangers back then. He wrote “A Tour on the Prairies” about his travels.

We have had rain so the river is up but not near flooding.

There is a map of the Arkansas River set in concrete. It is a really long river. It originates in the Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado which is only 85 miles from where my sister lives in Colorado Springs.

The old bridge across the Arkansas is now a pedestrian bridge called the Harmony Bridge. A fun area with seating, shade, and entertaining things for kids and childish adults, like me, to do.

And the turn around is this cool play park.

And doubling back to the car, this was my only stop. On Harmony Bridge looking upriver.

So that was my fun little adventure.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday.

Pelicans on the Arkansas River

I took a bike ride on Tulsa’s RiverParks trails alongside the Arkansas River. There were lots of pelicans out and about that day.

Some standing on a sandbar preening themselves.

Others jostling for position just downstream of Zink Dam.

They are such funny looking creatures except when they fly. Then they are very graceful.

Sorry for the fuzzy closeup.

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

One Extreme to the Other

We have been having storms in Oklahoma. Twenty five or more tornadoes last weekend causing lots of devastation in some places. In Tulsa we have had lots of rain. No tornadoes though.

From 50 meters over house looking northeast. Ominous clouds. The greenbelt is flooded (by design.)

Looking west. More clouds.

Monday was a great day!! I went on a bike ride on the Arkansas RiverParks trails. This is where I started, close to the south end. That is Turkey Mountain across the river there. I know, it doesn’t look like a mountain but Turkey Mountain sounds better than Turkey Hill don’t you think?

Looking across the river to the Tulsa Power Station. It hardly ever runs. It looks like they have it up and going.

And then one of the refineries on the river.

And then from the other side of the river looking toward downtown.

And toward midtown.

Since then we have had more rain!! I’ll take the sun and the rain but you can keep the tornadoes. There might be a song in there somewhere?

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

Saturday’s Critters – Pelicans and More on the Arkansas River

I went on a bike ride along Tulsa’s RiverParks trails the other day. I took my SuperZoom camera with me hoping that I would see something. It turns out that American White Pelicans were on the river that day. This is a group I spotted near where I started at 71st street. They were on a sandbar near the other side of the river.