Tag Archives: Oklahoma

Hiking the Keystone Ancient Forest’s Falls Trail

Me and a friend of mine have been going hiking together Friday mornings for a few months. Mainly on Turkey Mountain but we have branched out to the Mooser Creek Greenway and Oxley Nature Center. Early this month we decided to tackle the Falls Creek Trail at the Keystone Ancient Forest about 20 miles or so northwest of Tulsa. I have hiked some of the trails there and late last year participated in a trail cleanup day there but have never hiked the Falls Trail which is supposed to be very difficult.

So we got to the visitor center and was perusing the map when one the volunteers came out and we talked about the trail. He said parts of it were really difficult and rough but doable. On the map above the Visitor Center is at the upper right hand corner where the yellow and red trail come together. The Falls Trail is the orange trail that loops off of the red trail. The Falls Trail map is kind of scraggly. My experience is that trails that look scraggly on a map are pretty rough on foot.

So we walked down to the trailhead for the Falls Trail and ran into this warning sign. The guy at the visitor center said that they have quite a few rescue calls from the Falls Trail but that is mainly in the summer. He said people head in without water and not properly prepared and run into trouble.

The first mile or so was just winding through the woods but soon enough we encountered rocks and erosion and unstable footing. Onward we went, slowly. My hiking buddy moved way ahead of me as I was tip toeing through the rocks.

Here is a little overhang we encountered. I took a photo of this, and then I guess that I forgot about because I hit my head on it as I was going slowly watching my feet. It knocked me back and I lost my balance and fell on my back. No harm though, I wasn’t going fast so I didn’t even have a headache. I had a big bruise on my back. So I picked myself up and kept on going.

We went along a couple of ravines with some cool rock formations across the way.

My phone camera doesn’t give a good sense of the depth. There was probably about a 30 foot or so sheer drop off from the trail.

There was some water pooled up at the bottom of the ravine. I think the Falls are sporadic depending on recent rainfall.

This is the main falls. As you can see it is pretty dry. There is a pretty good dropoff on the other direction.

Past the Falls the trail was a lot easier. We took the clockwise direction on the trail. Turns out a friend of mine used to lead hikes at Keystone. He told me that most people take the clounterclockwise route to access the falls and then return the same way rather than complete the loop encountering the rough and rocky trails on the clockwise direction.

Screenshot_14-1-2026_94827_connect.garmin.com falls trail screen shot

So we had a lot of fun and enjoyed a scenic and challenging trail. So we’ll have to figure out where to go next.

The Keystone Ancient Forest is owned by the Nature Conservancy and administered by the Sand Springs, Oklahoma Parks and Recreation Department. Check their web site before you go because access, although free, is only open for certain hours per day. It’s a popular place on nice weekend days and their parking lot can fill up so plan accordingly. They have other easier trails to hike if you want to do something not quite as challenging as the Falls Trail. They even have an ADA compliant trail designed for wheelchair access and they have a couple of all-terrain track chairs to ensure access for everyone regardless of mobility issues.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday.

Dirty Window Cross Country Road Tripping Skywatching

We drove from Tulsa to Colorado Springs last week. The drive takes all day. My wife and I take turns with the driving. When I’m driving, I just drive. When she is driving, I google all the small towns we pass and give her interesting (to me its interesting) tidbits about the town’s history, attractions, or culture. When I’m not doing that, I take photos.

The entire trip is across the Great Plains of the Midwest. To many they are very boring. I love them. I look for things. Is the land grassland or crops? I’m on the lookout for pipeline infrastructure and try and guess if it is for liquids or natural gas. I also look for wind farms. About 11% of our electrical needs come from wind. Think about all the carbon dioxide not being put into the air because of windfarms. That number is from 2022. I bet it is more than that now.

I love grain elevators. They are so photogenic. When you are up close and have good light. Not so much when you are shooting through a dirty window.

I love hay bales as well. There are hay bale enthusiasts that regard them out the field as an art form. I guess I can see that. Back when I was building pipelines I talked to a lot of farmers about all sorts of things and cutting and baling hay was fascinating. If you don’t let the hay dry out enough before baling it, it will have spontaneous combustion and start on fire where it is. Hopefully in a field, if you are unlucky it will be on your trailer or truck. Just one of the many useless little farming tips I picked up while buying pipeline right of way.

Most of the drive was in Kansas. I love Kansas, especially the work I did there. The thing about Kansas and business is that Kansas likes to protect Kansas based businesses and everybody can look out after themselves. That’s why I called Kansas, the People’s Republic of Kansas. Sometimes I think they took their protectionism a little too far. It’s a nice state though and the people are great.

And cows, there are lots of cows in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. I’ll give you a fun fact about cows that I bet you didn’t know. They only cows that fall into open pipeline ditches and die are prize breeding stock. At least that was what ranchers would tell me when I was trying to settle damages. Yep, they drove all the way to Maine to buy the animal, paid $50,000 dollars for it. For some reason though the cow on the bill of sale is a different color than the cow in the ditch. Ranchers tell me that can happen though. (Actually, 99,9% of ranchers are honest and just want to be treated fairly, but every once in a while you get “that guy.”

And trucks, freeways have lots of truck traffic. I have lots of stories about truckers from back when I was working. Most of them are pretty boring so I’ll spare you.

And then the sun started going down. Sunset lasted a long time.

I like road trips. The wife not so much. I get it.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – A Fall Outing at Oxley Nature Center

Last Sunday morning, I attended Church of the Trees at Oxley Nature Center.

I saw the light right after I started. I loved the sun in the forest and I love the poem that a former “Artist in Residence” at Oxley wrote.

I love short poems. I really like the title of this one, “Sunfall.” There is a reason we need to have poets. They know what to call things, and how to describe them.

Found me a new favorite tree.

And instead of stained glass we had the light filtering through these leaves.

I loved the light on the trees bordering a water pipeline right of way in the park.

And another long boardwalk.

And a maple leaf near the end of my walk.

And bonus video content, only 71 seconds long.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Backyard Bonanza 5K Race

Last week I decided to participate in a Trail Race, the Backyard Bonanza 5K at Lubell Park in Tulsa. You notice I didn’t say “run” because I was going to walk it. I figured I could walk the 5K. I hike that much once or twice a week these days.

I get there bright and early in the morning. It was 36 degrees so it was a little nippy. No wind and clear skies, so sign me up.

I brought my electric heated vest that Heather bought me for Christmas a couple years ago. Nothing but the best for me.

Plus they had a fire going. It was very warm.

Getting instructions about the race just before the start.

There were two other concurrent races going on at the same time. A 25K and a 12K or something like that. They started earlier. That is the thing about trail races. Most of them are like that so you can run as long as you want or go shorter.

Since I was walking I went through the starting gate last. I managed to hold that position for the rest of the race.

The woods were beautiful and I just went into meditation mode being aware of the sun on my face and the various sounds I was hearing and making sure of my footing.

This little tipi structure has been at Lubell for years.

The course was pretty good. Not many rocks and good swithbacks going up and down the hills. Well marked. I’ve gone off trail a couple times during trail races. Easy to do if you are not paying attention. That can be disconcerting back where you are supposed to be.

And before I knew it, the Finish Line!!

The race photographer caught me at the end in my electric vest and my number 61 tag. I love prime numbers so I was proud of my 61. I was also representing the Dallas Cowboys!

Chatted with a few people and had some pancakes that they were making. That is the other thing about trail races. They generally feed you pretty good. They also had chili but I wasn’t in the mood.

And here is the route. Started and ended in Lubell Park with an incursion into the Mooser Creek Greenway. The only thing better than trails is interconnected trails like Lubell and Mooser Creek. Notice that the distance is 3.9 miles which is more than a kilometer longer than a 5K. That’s the other thing about trail races, the distances are approximate because they use existing trails. Part of the charm in my book.

And here I am. I won my age group in the 5K. In fact I was the only one in my age group in the 5K. It was a fun time.

After chatting with more people I headed home.

I’ll be back next year! I have to defend my title if nothing else.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday.

Kodi and Lizzy Portraits andMore!

Our Pomeranian, Kodi. A tiny little dog with big feelings!

Lizzy the cat, the matriarch of our pets. We have another dog, Sadie who never sits still. Lizzy is Sadie’s favorite squeaky toy.

A pig chef on Route 66 in Tulsa. I love the silliness of route 66 attractions.

And a retired carousel horse getting new life on Route 66. It’s ready to ride. I also love the metal cactus to the left. The 100th anniversary of Route 66 is next year I think. It’s going to be epic in Tulsa.

I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Check it out. All sorts of talented photobloggers participate.

Skywatch Friday – Williams Crossing Bridge

I was at Tulsa’s Gathering Place Monday evening for a presentation having to do with Monarch Butterflies. After the presentation I wandered over to the nearby Arkansas River to see what I could see.

The Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge was open and all lit up. Just using my old iphone I took a few photos. They are not too bad. This is a view from downstream of the bridge.

And the view from upstream. The lights reflect nicely on Zink Lake.

Across the way, on the downstream side, is Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s Tulsa Power Station. An ancient old plant that is still active. Long time ago I worked for the pipeline company that delivered natural gas to the plant. It was always the last plant to come on during high demand periods and the first to be turned off when electric requirements tailed off.

I went kayaking on the Arkansas River’s Zink Lake last fall and got this photo of the bridge and power plant together.

The Williams Crossing bridge replaced and old railroad bridge that got converted to pedestrian service back in the 1980’s I think. It was a pretty cool structure itself. Here is a photo from before it was demolished to make way for the new bridge.

I checked on construction on the new bridge pretty frequently. About once a week or every other week depending on the season. Like all construction it seemed to go slow.

I’d love to learn how to operate the machines.

I just love bridges. What can I say?

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Saturday’s Critters – Oxley Nature Center

Last Sunday morning I grabbed my camera, bug spray, and sunblock and headed to Tulsa’s Oxley Nature Center to see what I could see.

Right at the visitor center entrance I found this bush quivering with all sorts of butterflies. Can’t really see all of them in the photo so check out the short video below.

It was a good start to my outing.

I went a little ways into the trails and found this guy, a red spotted purple butterfly from what google lens tells me.

And later on I found a great blue heron looking for their lunch. A bonus turtle is in the background.

And a female cardinal with her lunch in her beak already.

Another view of the same bird.

And a very fuzzy view of an indigo bunting. Those little guys are active flitting here and then there. I am still learning how to spot the little ones and take photos of them. Sometimes I just have to be happy with spotting a glimpse of them.

So I heard a lot more birds than I got photos of them. It is nice hearing them and the Merlin app is wonderful deciphering what kind of birds there are.

Sometimes I see a lot of deer at Oxley. The Oxley staff says they are overpopulated with deer. There is lots of food for them now, not so much in the winter. Below is a short video of the fawn.

I looked all over for their mom and didn’t see it. They are generally protective of their babies.

So I wibble wobbled around the preserve for a little less than three miles and enjoyed myself thoroughly. And to part, a poem from the former Artist in Residence at Oxley, Sasha. I thought it was pretty cool. And short, I love short poems.

Thank you for visiting. I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out.

Hot Sunday Bike Ride

On Sunday, July 20 a couple weeks ago I took off on a bike ride on the Tulsa RiverParks. It was hot and I didn’t start until midmorning for various reasons so things got a little warm.

Sunday is a big day for Tulsans to get outside and ride their bikes, run, walk, whatever on the RiverParks. The traffic is mainly on the east bank so I started out on the east bank and went up and down the west bank just to get away from people.

Still, it was pretty busy but not overly so.

I was passed by almost everybody except…

…for people standing.

I always love going by PSO’s old Tulsa Power Station electric generating station. That sign looks really nice at night.

I got to my predetermined turnaround point and rested a bit and drank some water and then reversed course. I always check the weather apps to see which way the wind is blowing. I don’t mind riding into the wind on the outbound leg, that way I have the wind at my back going back to my car.

I was one hot, thirsty, old bike rider at the end! 14 miles all told.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday.

Dedicating “The Sanctuary” at Turkey Mountain

Over a week ago, several dozen trail lovers and various politicos gathered on Turkey Mountain to dedicate a new area. The Sanctuary with 88 acres (some sources say 90) and six miles of trails. The contractor has been working on the area since last fall and it is now fully opened up. It is on Turkey Mountain but across the street from the main area of the park.

The trails were built on land already owned by Tulsa RiverParks through a $2 million grant from the Daryl and Julie Christner Foundation. Above is a family representative talking about how his dad loved being outdoors. I saw him later leading a group of mountain bikers on the trails.

I was standing right next to Oklahoma’s Lieutenant Governer, Mike Pinell. Rather than take point blank photo, I took a picture of his cowboy boots. So I am on oil and gas twitter (or X if you must) and one of the ongoing things there, tongue in cheek, is that round toed boots are lame and square toed boots are cool. You can see he is wearing round toes. I elected not to call him out on that. (True confession, I have two pairs of square toe boots and one of round toes.) His big mission as lieutenant governor is publicizing and pushing Oklahoma and he does a good job of it.

He talked about how everybody is always welcome at Turkey Mountain. He also said that Tulsa is the most philanthropic city in America and how many public private partnerships go on here. He mentioned that Oklahoma has 34 sovereign nations within our borders (talking about the Native American tribes) and twelve ecosystems.

So the speeches were limited, and then everyone was invited to hike a quarter mile to treehouse for refreshments.

So off we went. I had a peanut butter cookie and chatted with a few people I knew.

That’s the heaviest duty treehouse I have ever seen.

I studied on the posted map a little bit and decided I was going to go on a hike.

I love the trails. They are all single track and some of them are pretty rocky. So you have to kind of pick your way carefully, especially if you are an old codger.

It was a bright sunny day, and there are lots of trees so there were lots of shadows.

I head lots of birds but they wouldn’t come out and sit still for a photo.

At one of the trail hubs I found this headboard. I was thinking. I have seen that before!!

I saw it in 2014 when this was all privately owned and some outlaw trail builders built their own trails on the property. Take a look to the left and behind the headboard.

It’s an oil well! A relic of Turkey Mountain’s past. It looked familiar as well.

Heather and Logan found them selves an #oilwell on #turkeymountain #tulsa #oklahoma #igersok

So here is my wife and son at the same well eleven years ago.

So we were pioneers of the Sanctuary. Somebody got hurt crossing the road back to the main part of Turkey Mountain and the owners of the property posted it and so exploration of the property came to an end.

Enough of past history. I finished my hike and went through the moongate at the main entrance. I just love moon gates.

So a little over two miles. A friend and I hiked about three miles on a different route a few days later.

At least one Tulsa News Station had a crew there. Channel 6 news. Check the link for several videos.

I am linking with My Corner of the World.

Skywatch Friday – The Weather is Heating Up

It’s hot and humid in Oklahoma, USA these days. Yes, well it is July and that is what we get.

I don’t really mind it. We have air conditioning in our homes and cars and you just have to adjust your outdoor time accordingly and use precautions. Take water, use sunscreen, dress appropriately, (I wear a lot of tech fiber clothing that wicks perspiration away.) And try to do outdoors activities in the morning and very late afternoons.

And look out for your pets, they need lots of water and rest also.

So just get out and enjoy yourself and take lots of photos.

Skywatch Friday

My Corner of the World

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