Tag Archives: Arkansas River

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.

Here is a closeup of them. I find them kind of comical on land. They are very graceful in the water and flying.

And here is five miles north at the newly reconstructed Zink Lake Dam. They were paddling around fishing.

Another closeup.

And maybe 50 yards downstream of the dam this group of pelicans and great blue herons were trying their luck in the shallows.

The pelicans and herons seemed to tolerate each other’s presence pretty well.

In the calm waters up stream of the dam a flotilla of geese were cruising.

I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out.

Skywatch Friday – Sunset, Eclipse, River Views

I went on a walk one evening and found this sunset at the end.

We got a new backyard fence a couple months ago. I finally got my weather station reinstalled.

My sister and her husband came to visit. One day we had an eclipse party in the backyard. Everyone had the special sunglasses except for Kodi the dog but he doesn’t care about eclipses so it was all good. After this shot, I wished I had thought to launch my drone. Not to look at the eclipse but looking down at this group as it went up in the air. It would have simulated the rapture for me. Don’t worry, I’m not a rapture but I thought it would have been fun to simulate it.

I took a short bike ride and checked out the water behind the new dam on the Arkansas River here in Tulsa. The river sure looks like nice full of water.

I feel kind of guilty because the Arkansas River is braided prairie river. They have sandbars and multiple channels and support lots of wildlife. So I am conflicted. But the “new” river sure makes nice photos.

And another Lego animal from our trip to the Tulsa Botanic Garden a few weeks ago.

So that is it for this week. I am linking to Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.

Skywatch at Tulsa’s Gathering Place

Last week before the weather got bad son Logan and I had a walk at Tulsa’s Gathering Place. One of my favorite spots is the sensory garden. All sorts of fun stuff here including mirrors and a geocache.

We checked out one of the play towers. When there are no kids around I have been known to climb up into these things. We just looked at it today.

And the beach. Too cold for anything beach related besides taking photos.

And the small lake, not much happening there.

I love the big timbers holding up the elevated trails. They have trails going this way and that and some of them cross over others. It’s quite the maze. Fun though!!

I violated a photography rule by shooting into the sun. I also got a crooked pic. Somehow, it worked for me.

And the roof the boat dock.

And then we ventured over to the nearby Arkansas River where the a new dam and pedestriana bridge are being built. The stuff in the foreground is where a new kayak park is going in. All this is going to be ready late next year.

And we saw two Cats.

And a Deer!!

Nope, this is not in Tulsa. I finished another jigsaw puzzle on my ipad. This one kicked my butt pretty good. I’m getting to where I like the tough ones.

If you want to visit the Gathering Place check out their web site. It’s free!! Bring money for drinks and food but you don’t need tickets or anything. Just come on down. Tell them I sent you.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday. Check it out. You’ll like it. I promise.