Tag Archives: Rock Creek Bridge

Through My Lens: New Rock Creek Bridge Attraction on Route 66

2 Replies

Here in the USA, a big deal this year is that it is the 100th Anniversary or Route 66. The cross country highway between Chicago, Illinois, and Santa Monica, California. Made famous in the book, “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck telling of the migration of people from the Midwest to California during the depression. It has since become a destination in itself of people wanting to make the trek. All up and down the length of the road, individuals, cities, and states are sprucing up their attractions along US 66 for this year.

Rock Creek Bridge 1_HDR

Oklahoma is full of Route 66 attractions and I have been to almost all of them. The Tulsa area has its share, including Rock Creek Bridge near the suburb of Sapulpa. The above photo was taken in 2021 when one could still drive across it.

Below is two years ago when it was blocked off because of safety concerns. You could still walk across it with no problems.

What has happened since then is that plans were made and money was spent and a grand opening was held this past April making this bridge a destination.

They have parking areas, picnic tables, lights.

And walkways so you could legally get an angle to get better photos of the bridge. Before you might have to venture out to some pretty thorny, snaky areas, to get a shot but now you can do it safely. They still have that big ugly power pole to deal with but it’s authentic.

You still can’t drive on it. But that is okay. This is the view from east to west. I think the bricks are mainly original.

And this is from west to east. Yep, I used a filter on the photo because the sky was white and not too pretty.

And a sign and sitting area, just waiting for people to make selfies.

And an old vintage truck is installed.

And an old decorated, still in service, oil tank as a background.

It’s nice to see things spruced up.

Here is a link to an article by the National Park Service on the Bridge, and here is a link by a local television station that covered the grand opening festivities.

I am linking with Through My Lens

Rock Creek Route 66 Skywatch

Recently I went to the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa to check out the Rock Creek Bridge. A must stop for Route 66 fans especially since this year is the 100th year of Route 66’s existence. The bridge is open to foot traffic only.

From there I ventured back into Sapulpa and found this Umbrella Alley. I love all the colors. The day I was there the wind was blowing pretty hard through the alley and the umbrellas were dancing. As they say in the musical “Oklahoma”

**“Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain,
And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet,
When the wind comes right behind the rain.”**

If you love wind. Move to Oklahoma, we have lots for everybody.

I also found this brand new place, The Waypoint Lounge! I was sure it was a bar for geocachers. But alas, it is an event space with lots of amenities. Check the link. It is hard to make money off of geocachers. They really like free stuff.

Back home, a view down the road in my neighborhood.

I don’t have copyright

And I finished a jigsaw puzzle. I google lensed it and it is Hallstatt, Austria. Sure is pretty place is what I think.

NGC 6357/Pismis 24 (Chandra/Webb)
I don’t have copyright

And from our outer space. This is from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope augmented with data from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. It shows “Nebula NGC 6357 that contains Pismis 24, a young cluster of stars about 5,500 light-years from Earth.”

To me this is breathtaking.

So that’s a wrap for this week. I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

Our World – Rock Creek Bridge on US66

Rock Creek Bridge is an old school truss type bridge located on the southwest side of the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. It is pretty fragile and not rated for automobile traffic any longer and US66 traffic roars by on the adjacent modern bridge and you can park here and inspect it all you want and imagine the hundreds of thousands of cars who passed over it on vacations and work trips. Maybe you drove over it at some point. I love the old Route 66 landmarks such as this.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday