The other day, the moon here was 99% full and we had some scattered clouds so I took some photos. This one looks like the moon has a face, featuring a split lips. Reminds me of a cat actually so I guess this isn’t a man on the moon it’s a cat or man in the moon kind of thing.
We had some color in the sky the other day so I launched the old drone. This is looking roughly south of northwest from our house. About 40 meters up.
And this is a similar view looking straight west at the same elevation.
And this is roughly southwest.
And looking straight east. One can see the faintest tints of pink in the clouds. I love reverse sunsets.
And that is it this week. I am linking with Skywatch Friday. Come check them out.
The other day I grabbed up my hiking gear and headed out to Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness. I took my “grabbers” and a small grocery bag to gather trash. People are pretty good about picking up after themselves so I used to take a small garbage bag but I usually only find an item or two during my hikes.
I took a little side trail pretty soon after the trailhead to find a geocache.
And yep I found it. Another use of grabbers is to grab into places you can’t see so that mr snake doesn’t clamp down on my hand. That would ruin my whole day.
I didn’t see too many critters. A few squirrels maybe, no big critters. I took along my Merlin Bird ID app on the phone. It’s amazing. Turn it on audio mode and it identified: Red-eyed vireo Tufted Titmouse Carolina Wren Northern Cardinal I didn’t see a one of them!! I glimpsed small birds flitting around in the thick woods but I couldn’t vouch for any of them. One I did get a good look at looked like a small woodpecker with a redhead but it wasn’t making any sounds. I don’t know what it is though. It’s kind of frustrating but kind of fun as well. I think being able to spot and ID them will come with practice and patience.
I came upon a fallen tree on one of the small legacy trails. I took a photo of it with my Solocator app which puts the coordinates on the photos and posted it on Turkey Mountain’s facebook page and they had it cleared before I ended my hike. You gotta have the apps folks.
I got to Pepsi Lake and looked around.
I found a mess that somebody left, including a styrofoam cup and some fishing spinner bait packaging. Why can people not haul out what they haul in?
And a Pepsi can, at Pepsi Lake! All the trash fit into my shopping bag that I brought.
I kept heading north and heard some construction type noise. Excited that more trails might be under construction made me hurry to find the source.
It was pipeline construction going on. Ironically my former employer is having to relocate a line because of some highway construction and they cut a deal with my employer before that to lay in their right of way.
That’s not the way the energy industry typically was back in the old days. You had to have sharp elbows to survive. We didn’t spend too much time holding hands and singing Kumbaya with competitors let alone helping each other out. So maybe it is a kinder and gentler industry now?
So I followed the construction from a distance just to make sure that they are doing it right. I guess they are and I was getting tired so I headed back to the parking lot.
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’ve heard about drone shows that use drones instead of fireworks and I have been fascinated by the idea for some time. On July 3rd we headed to the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa to check out their drone show. They advertise it as an alternative to fireworks and suitable for small children, dogs, and people who don’t like loud noises.
Hear is a local news clip about the show
And the following are some video images of the show I captured with my phone. Sorry about the dim images. At the end of this post I have a youtube video of last year’s show as shot from a drone and has lots better video than what I captured.
Of course you have to have a flag. My videos don’t give the right impression of how big these displays are. They used 400 drones and they were pretty high up. I’ve looked at other drone shows on youtube, some of them use thousands. Most of the videos are speeded up way too much.
USA! USA!!
I’m thinking this is in honor of Chief Sapulpa, who is buried in Sapulpa.
A giant pinwheel
Ok you have to squint really hard to see this. The drones are simulating a fireworks show.
And so this is last year’s show as shot from a drone.
However you enjoy the Fourth, be safe and be nice.
Nowdays I do my geocaching on Sunday mornings. Nobody else is up for hours so I am not missed when I leave. I was chasing one at a children’s playground. I love the tree I found on the way.
The playground was a no go. I think I know where it is but I am not going to look for it when there is even one kid anywhere close to the playground. Time was, when my son was little I would turn him loose in the park and look for the cache. He’s 26 y/o, hates geocaching, loves sleeping in, and doesn’t like playgrounds any longer.
I went to the County Fairgrounds and found a cache associated with this train engine. It was my third try.
I found another one at a church where they had multiple “Little Free Libraries.” They were not just about book but things like petfood, snacks, toys, etc. I thought the concept was pretty cool. Pro hint, the cache was close to these but not in any of them.
And I found a cache associated with this Little Free Library. I have never seen a Midcentury Modern Little Library before. Have you. It was in a section of Tulsa dominated by MCM houses.
And hey, we had Flag Day recently so I got up early and flew my flag. There was only one other person in the ‘hood who flew his flag and it was upside down, on purpose and he flies it every day. I am not sure what that honors.
And for Father’s Day Heather and Logan took me to a baseball game. I am down with that any time.
Nothing better than live baseball. Nothing worse than televised baseball. Do you see a baseball and Civil Rights legend out in left field?
I’ll make it easier on you! That’s Jackie Robinson. One of the benefits of the Tulsa AA Minor League team being associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And hey, I promised you a mystery!! Here it is. A herd of blue and grey plywood bison out grazing in the Osage Hills north of Tulsa. More on this to come.
We’ve been having scattered cloudy days in Tulsa. Those potentially turn into decent sunset shots. So if I can try and be home then and launch my elderly mini drone up to about 150 feet or from my backyard and see what I can see.
Sometimes you luck out and get some color and texture.
I love those days. The color lasts only for a minute or two and then it is gone.
I’ve learned to turn the drone to look east as well to see the soft pink of the “reverse sunset.”
Sometimes you don’t get any pink but the reverse sunset is always worth looking checking out.
I launched my drone the other day and went up 50 meters over the back yard. We had a little color for the sunset, not much, but some great clouds.
Sunday morning I went geocaching up in the Tulsa suburb of Catoosa. Came across this ammonia plant. I’m a chemical engineer so I like this kind of thing plus they use lots of natural gas both as a feedstock and for fuel for their processes.
Also in Catoosa, there are lots of pecan orchards up there. People hide geocaches near them and deer like to graze in the grass underneath. That is all coming to a screeching halt soon. They are subdividing this huge orchard. Makes me want to cry.
Went on a walk around Tulsa’s Lafortune Park. A big sprawling park that incorporates a high school and their various ball fields, a regular and par three golf course, several little league baseball fields, an American Legion baseball field, this high school baseball field as well as a softball diamond for the women, a public library, some gardens, an indoor and outdoor tennis complex, a public swimming pool, some great picnic areas and wonderful playparks for kids, and a three mile long walking/running path winding around all these facilities. I love it. Great photo ops.
Still at Lafortune, I love construction equipment.
A pond,
And lastly at Lafortune. My favorite moose.
My wife and I took a 2.7 mile hike at Turkey Mountain. Went by the hub, the highest point on Turkey Mountain. It’s about 300 feet above the lowest point on Turkey Mountain but hey it has a great view.
Looking Happy at the Start!
I ran a 5K trail race on Turkey Mountain last Saturday. When I say I ran it, I meant I walked it although I did trot some of the flat slightly downhill segments. I started out in last place but I passed a lot of people during the course of the race. Funny thing is that when I finished the race there were people already there who I had passed. I didn’t care but that happens in these races sometimes. Nobody cares especially since it wasn’t anybody who was in contention to place. I’ll have a separate post about the race later. Maybe.
Last week we went to southeast Oklahoma’s Beavers Bend State Park for a few nights. So we had only two full days and we packed a lot of fun during that time. Two hikes, a kayak ride, several dog walks and lots of sitting by the fire, making smores, grilling burgers, playing cornhole, and sitting in the hot tub.
The first hike was along the Mountain Fork River below the Broken Bow dam on what I think was an old logging road.
It was kind of fun paralleling the river.
The farther we went the smaller the trail became. It ends at about 1.5 miles in so it makes a good out and back route of about three miles.
The second hike was alongside the Broken Bow Lake formed by the dam. It was also fun.
Toe Cam!!
And we went for a short kayak paddle on the Mountain Fork River just below the dam. I’m not much a kayaker but I was able to handle the little rapids they had right at first (most would call those rapids a ripple). It was calm water and there were not many people.
It was a very calm time.
It made for some great reflections.
You may notice however that I blew out the sky on these photos. Sorry excuse for Skywatch Friday, right! I have the technology to put whatever sky I want on but that seems like cheating. And you know here at Skywatch Friday, we are very inclusive our various skies, even the ones blown out by untalented amateurs.
The family went on a little mini-vacation to Oklahoma’s beautiful Beavers Bend State Park where we went hiking, kayaking, and other fun activities. Above was from a kayak outing down the Mountain Fork River in the park. It may not fit what your idea of Oklahoma is. It’s not all cows, wheatfields, and windmills.
Our family flat out missed the northern lights extravaganza last week. We tried but there was too much light here. I had lots of photos from our backyard to the northern sky but none of them showed anything. Oh well, I think there was just too much ambient light to show anything.
I launched my drone and I got some late sunset photos. The drone’s controller was squawking at me the whole time about not enough light, blah, blah, blah. I thought we were masters of our technology but it seems to have a mind of its own sometimes. So the above is the sky to our west.
And this is to the northwest. Waayyy too much light.
We have had lots of weather here. Here is a storm cloud to the east from our gym parking lot. Generally we don’t have to worry about the storm when it is to the east but we do worry about the people who are in its path.
After we went home I launched the drone. It was kind of windy and the drone controller was telling me to get it back because the wind is about to carry it off. That has only happened to me once and I had to do the mission abort thing. It worked it brought the drone back home back against a strong wind. It is almost panic inducing. Anyway, turns out that the storm under the clouds was just rain, no rotation, no damage. Which is good.
So I was hoping for some northern light photos. I saw lots on social media and I feel kind of left out. Some wags who also didn’t have any luck posted their plain pics with some colors obviously added. I thought that was funny the first couple hundred times I saw it.
