Tag Archives: Our World Tuesday

Our World – Rock Climbing and More

Saturday I ventured to a popular rock climbing area in Tulsa near Chandler Park here in Tulsa to meet IRL a couple people I knew through social media, Tim and Brittany. They are rock climbers and they were going to let me use my drone to video them doing what they do. I’d never been close to the sport before and I guess what I learned is that I don’t have enough upper, lower, or core strength to even get off the ground.

I was impressed with the whole rock climbing infrastructure in the area. Previous climbers had already installed a lot of the bolts and pins they use for their safety ropes and harnesses. They told me that there is an app (of course, there is always an app, right!) that maps out the areas and routes. So I got to meet Tim and Brittany and learned a little about their sport. The video is on their youtube channel. Check out their other videos, they are very active. They hike, camp, bike, and go kayaking in addition to their rock climbing adventures and do a good job editing their videos. Give them a like and subscribe to see their other adventures.

I was flying in tight quarters between trees and the face of the rock so I wasn’t keeping up with the climber as I should have some of the time. Still it was nice to go somewhere besides my back yard to fly the thing.

They had offered to bring an extra harness so that I could try it. I’m like thank you but no. At my age gravity is not my friend!

Gilcrease Expressway Construction Update

After we parted ways I stopped nearby where the State is building a new expressway in west Tulsa. I got the drone out and started taking it up and due to high winds I had to call it off plus some small bird was flying around the drone in a not very friendly manner so I called it quits and brought it back down. Still not a bad shot.

And here is yours truly, the drone pilot in my element. Tshirt, boots, and hiking boots, I have totally gotten worthless. I love being retired. Maybe I can buy this old gas station and get it going again. Whaddya think. Maybe not is what I say.

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Our World – Cry Baby Hill – Tulsa Tough Bike Races 2021

One of the huge sports events in Tulsa is Tulsa Tough. A series of bicycle rides and races over three days that includes everything from a “Townie Ride” of a few miles to long distance rides and everybody’s favorite the Criterium Races which are short races on a closed loop of multiple laps. The criterium races attract professional riders from all over the world. Most of the riders though are talented amateurs.

Last Year’s Tulsa Tough was cancelled as were all sorts of other events all over the world. This year it was back bigger than ever.

I participated in the the shortest distant event two years ago at about 30 miles and got my butt thoroughly kicked. I didn’t even finish. We were going by where my car was parked and I was like, I am cutting this agony short. I hope you are not too shocked by my cowardly craven decision. If you are, that is kind of your problem (just kidding folks.)

So Sunday it was hot and I went out to the Criterium Course, officially something like the RiverParks Criterium but everybody calls it CryBaby Hill. It is a short course that starts on the Riverside Drive and then climbs up a steep hill and then comes down the hill and turns back on to Riverside a turn well sharper than 90 degrees. Do this about 14 times and you have the race. Sunday it was done in 90 degree temperatures.

These guys and gals are very tough and very fit. I walked one loop Sunday and I was done. I left well before noon before it got hot.

So you got a race going on but you also have a big party that has approached legendary proportions. I’ve always left over the years before the legendary part.

I’ve never spent too much time on Crybaby Hill. For one thing it is in residential neighborhood with no sidewalks so it is kind of crowded. Plus I don’t do well when I’m hot. I’m told the party really gets crazy after 3 pm.. Well Sunday I was gone before noon. So sorry, I missed it.

I think everybody is really glad to get back to normal. I just hope that we are not doing it too soon. I don’t feel too threatened since I am vaccinated and try to stick with outdoor events. Our world has forever changed though. But for these last three days Tulsa celebrated a return to normalcy.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday come check it out!!

Previous Years Tulsa Tough Posts

2015 Crybaby Hill Report

2016 Crybaby Hill Report

2017 Crybaby Hill Report

2018 Crybaby Hill Report

2019 The Year I actually participated in Tulsa Tough. Epic Failure with a good name “Grand Fondo” and a heck of bike ride. Didn’t go to Crybaby Hill

Our World – Memorial Day and More

It’s Memorial Day in the USA. A day where we honor those who sacrificed their lives for their country. It’s also a day were we honor all of our passed on relatives, forefathers, and friends. The cemeteries are very busy with people bringing flowers and sprucing up the grave sites. It’s a great day for remembering.

I am not aware of any family members who actually died in combat but I have plenty of relatives who served their country. My brother and brother-in-law both. (We have to remember that family members of servicemen and women also served as they suffer hardships when their families are deployed.) A niece’s husband is in the armed forces now. My father, at least two uncles, and many others also served.

It’s a great day to honor these men and women.

Our World Tuesday

Working the Tulsa Ironman Triathlon

We had a major sports event here in Tulsa Sunday. The North American Ironman race. A triathlon race covering over 2 miles of open water swimming in a lake starting a dark thirty in the morning, a 112 mile bike ride through the Osage Hills and finishing with a marathon distance run up and down Tulsa’s RiverParks trails. And no I didn’t participate in the race. I helped out an aid station on Sunday afternoon on the marathon course.

It seemed like most of the racers were from out of state. I was told it cost about $900 to enter the race. It’s like what!!!! Oh well. The organizers really had their act together on this. They can bring a lot of resources to bear. From my point of view as a volunteer they made it very easy to sign up and they broke the tasks down so even I could understand it.

I was in charge of Gatorade. I didn’t have a lot of takers. For one thing they had lots of aid stations so it wasn’t like they were famished when they got to us. I think another thing is that runners would rather have salty type foods or even pickle juice than Gatorade. Back in the day when I was running longer distances Gatorade didn’t sit too well with me. But hey, anybody that wanted some, I was ready! We never really got swarmed during the race. By the time the racers got to the running event, they were pretty well spaced out.

I was amazed by the racers. You have to be very dedicated to do this. You can’t really fake it to make it on a triathlon. The early front runners were running like there was no stress. When I left Sunday night at 7:30 there were still lots of runners just starting their second loop. I was thinking oh wow, are they going to make it another 13 miles or so. Out of all the people I saw I observed only a handful that were what some might call overweight. I saw a lot of people my age or older, probably the majority of them were women who looked very fit.

I was getting kind of hungry and the race organizers got pizza for the volunteers. Sign me up!!

I think the Ironman is coming back to Tulsa for two more years. I’ll be there, volunteering.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday, come and check it out.

A Visit to the “Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum”

Earlier this month I visited the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. You can’t miss it, it is right on Route 66 and has this gigantic gasoline pump outside.

Ironically the museum has connections for charging electric cars in their parking lot.

And then when you walk up to the entrance you pass these front ends of various cars on your way. Do you know what they are? I don’t, but I do know that there is a geocache nearby that I found a few months ago. The really good stuff though is inside the building.

They have a “Special Built” Maserati. Very swoopy. It is not very high. I imagine it can go really fast.

Pure function on the interior though. Not too much luxury but have you seen so many drink cup holders? (I am not sure that is what they are.)

Then a little 1958 BMW Isletta. I think it is kind of cute.

Here’s a 1967 Amphicar, made to travel on the road and in the water. Made in Germany not many were made. I remember the 60’s when I was in grade school. We were lied to, by now all cars should be amphicars and not and fly as well. What happened to the future of the Jetsons.

Here’s the propellers underneath the car. I watched a couple of videos about the car. One of them said that the problem is that the Amphicar combined the worst properties of a car with the worst properties of a boat.

I don’t see anybody wearing a lifejacket. I don’t think it would do very well in any sort of waves.

Here is a 1958 Messerschmitt. I don’t know what the model is. The guy at the museum said that Messerschmitt was forbidden to build aircraft for a while after WWII so to keep things going, they built cars.

A 1947 MG. There is nothing like British Sports Cars in my opinion. Yes they were not very reliable and expensive to operate and maintain but they are beautiful.

This car is owned by a friend of mine and is on loan to the museum (as most of the cars seem to be.) It is a 1955 Jaguar XK 140-MC. Talk about smooth beautiful lines this is it. I always loved Jaguars. Not the modern ones though. They are now expensive Fords in my opinion.

And they have lots of other cars and car memorabilia. Check their web site for more info. I think they are open Tuesday through Sunday. Cheap to get in, $6.50.

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Our World – Rock Creek Bridge on Route 66

Rock Creek Bridge is a single lane steel truss type structure located on an original section of Route 66 in the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa. It was built in 1924 when the road was called the Osage Trail. It is not in bad shape for being almost a hundred years old even though it is now rated for no more than four tons. The modern Route 66 is off to the south a couple hundred feet or so more and has a more modern concrete bridge.

This bridge was part of ten Route 66 locations featured in a new type of Geocaching called Adventure Labs. They don’t require you to find actual containers or other physical objects. It’s a lot of fun if you don’t feel like disturbing snakes, getting spider bit, or explaining yourself to the local authorities. Read the link to find out more.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

Our World – Oklahoma Land Run Memorial

April 22 last week was the 132nd anniversary of the 1889 Land Run in Oklahoma when a guestimated 50,000 settlers seeking free land rushed into the area in central Oklahoma from all directions. It was a mess.

You ever hear of the Oklahoma Sooners? Those were the people who sneaked into the territory ahead of time. Anyway, one had to find a plat of land and then run to the nearest land office and file your claim.

This monument is in Oklahoma City. I photographed several years ago and lately re-edited the photos. I understand that the monument has been added to.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

Our World – Turkey Mountain Work Day

DSCF0545 — Getting directions and instructions

Early Saturday morning a couple dozen volunteers gathered at Turkey Mountain for a joint project between the RiverParks Authority, who administers the Mountain, the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition, and the Herman and Kate Kaiser YMCA located at the far northwest reaches of Turkey Mountain.

DSCF0546 — Off we went to the work site. We had to pack all the tools about a mile to the new trail. Kudos to the guys who pushed the wheel barrows.

The YMCA has shut down to totally renovate their facility and are opening up this summer. It’s going to be great and one of the things they wanted was more defined and easier to hike trails to connect their property with the rest of Turkey Mountain. The existing trails are badly eroded and unmarked and many of their day campers who go off hiking get lost.

DSCF0548 — We broke up into three groups or so. Somebody had taken a gas powered blower and blew the leaves off the proposed trail route, earlier the route had been flagged. The people who made the route did a good job. There was very little confusion about what we were supposed to be doing.

So the Riverparks staff and a few of the officers from the Wilderness Coalition mapped out a new trail that should make everybody happy. Y daycampers, and the many hikers and mountain bikers that use the trail. It features some switchbacks which should reduce erosion problems.

DSCF0552 — No trees were sacrificed for the new trail! Some saplings and brush got removed.

Everybody grabbed shovels, picks, saws, loppers and got to work and we got the new trail pretty much done in a few hours. People started using the new trail while we were in the middle of building it.

DSCF0550 — A mystery. We found this whole with a dryer duct snaking out and a ladder going down. Apparently pretty deep. An old meth lab? Maybe, moonshiners used to be active on the mountain back in the day.

It’ll take some finishing touches but they started putting up my trail markers right away.

DSCF0553 — Blocking off the old trail using the materials at hand.

And we spent some time closing off the old badly eroded trail with fallen branches. It needs to heal.

We celebrated our work with a few adult beverages in the parking lot afterward. Everybody was very proud of the work done. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

So this is me working on the trail. I stole the photo from the Urban Wilderness Coalition’s facebook page. Hopefully I won’t go to jail.

And up pops a map on a facebook page showing the old and closed routes. I am stealing this map also. I am leading quite the life of crime lately. Anyway you can see the new route is longer, not near as steep, and with switchbacks. Hopefully erosion will be more easily controlled on the new route.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday

Springing Out All Over

Backyard Sunrise

Heather, Logan, Rascal, and Abby on a walk, enjoying the redbuds.

Neighborhood Sunset

Smoking Easter Dinner

Chicken and Ribs

I finally got a new bicycle.

I am linking with Our World Tuesday and Skywatch Friday.

Our World – Perpetual Motion Machine

A little bit more from my trip to the Oklahoma History Center last week.

I graduated from Engineering school back in the 1970’s and took a job with Mobil Oil Corporation at a big oilfield they operated called the West Ranch Field right near the Gulf Coast of Texas. First thing new engineers find out is that when they start work, they don’t know the first thing about how engineering is actually done. You don’t spend time solving equations, you spend your time solving problems or building stuff. There is a lot of technology these days and you don’t learn anything about the technology in school. You can click here to learn about the recent developments in this field when you start work.

The piece of equipment above is a Kimray Pump by a company called Kimray. And what it does is pumps a liquid from low pressure to high pressure for processes where you need a recirculating liquid, which there are lots such processes in industry. It does not require any additional energy such as electricity or an electric motor or anything else.

So how does that work I wondered. Such a thing is impossible and yes it is. What happens is it used for dehydrating natural gas with a chemical. The chemical gets pumped up to the pressure of the natural gas, mixes with the gas and then is run back through the machine to low pressure, where the liquid is heated up releasing the water vapor, and then cooled off then pumped to high pressure again. The secret is that a small amount of gas is absorbed in the liquid and is also released at low pressure. That small amount of gas going from high pressure to low pressure is what keeps thing going. It took me forever to make sense of it!!

So this is Garman Kimmaell, the guy who invented it. I think he is a genius. How in the world did he figure it out? The Kimray pump is still in use today. There are modifications. For one the gas released is no longer just vented to atmosphere. It contains methane which is a lot worse actor in global warming than carbon dioxide by a factor of 40 to 50 and the process also emits lots of Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene (known as BTX) which are really bad cancer causing agents. So the emitted gases are burned in fuel system for the remainder of the process.

So, I am sure that this is more than what you cared to know. I’m linking with Our World Tuesday, came check it out.

YogisDen.us

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