Tag Archives: Zink Lake

A Midmorning Paddle on Zink Lake

Last Monday, I finished my morning reading tutoring at an elementary school here in Tulsa and decided by gum I was going to go kayaking.

So I ventured to the Arkansas River, upstream of Zink Lake Dam and rented a kayak for a couple of hours from the vendor there. I helped her carry it down to the new kayak launch that the city of Tulsa had installed. It was pretty cool. You put your kayak in slot where it is partly in the water and then you push against the handrails and you are launched!! No wading in the murk to get going.

I’ve been kind of in a funk lately. One knee is giving me problems and I got a steroid injection a month ago. It worked great for a week or so and then it started aching again. So think I do too much but then I don’t do anything which is not good. Well Kayaking is very knee friendly!!

I cruised past some redone murals on the river shore.

I thought the kayaking was cool. I’ve been running, walking, and bicycling both banks of the Arkansas River and Zink Lake for over 30 years. Now I was in the water and seeing things I’ve never seen before. A completely different perspective.

I love this view. It is cathedral like. A cathedral with graffiti.

There was hardly a breeze, the temperature was slightly on the cool side and the sky is beautiful.

The new Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.

Headed back north with a view of downtown Tulsa where I worked for 30 years. I was waving at my former coworkers.

The very beginning of the vegetation changing color.

One of the two boat ramps on the west side of the lake (or river.)

Headed back under the 21st street bridge.

Checking out the RiverWest Festival Park. RiverParks is having their annual Oktoberfest soon.

And now back to the Kayak dock. I had a great time!!

I’m linking with My Corner of the World

Saturday’s Critters – On the River

Egrets and great blue herons sharing the prime fishing spot downstream of the Zink Lake Dam.

More sharing downstream of the dam.

A closeup of a great blue heron.

Here is one fishing with one leg. Or maybe sleeping. I don’t know, its eyes are open.

And a human fishing from the rocks at the dam.

Headed back to the car on the bike path I come upon this gaggle of geese.

These pics are from my bike ride early this week. My knee has been feeling much better. I woke Wednesday and I had some bad back spasms. My wife drove me to the Urgent Care and the on duty Nurse Practioner, prescribed me some muscle relaxers, and she gave me the old man side to side hug telling me that I should take a week off from my bicycling, hiking, weight training, and yoga. My wife was in there and thought it was a hoot that I am officially elderly and harmless in the medical world’s eyes. I’m good with it, I will never say no to hug from somebody nice. So this morning (Saturday) I woke up and I think I might live for a little while longer. Yesterday I wasn’t so sure. Tell you what though, the medication makes me not want to drink alcohol. I’m afraid my stash might be getting out of date.

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters

Skywatch Friday – To the Moon and back to Earth

Wednesday night was the Full Harvest Moon in Tulsa. Fortunately we had clear skies in Tulsa.

A friend in Arizona asked me if we had a lunar eclipse going on and I said, not as far as I know. Right after that the local news came on with a shot of eclipse so I grabbed my camera and went out and got my own shot.

Went on a bike ride again earlier this week. My knee held up pretty well and I was kind of babying it a little anyway. Anyway, I took another photo of our brand new dam and pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River here in Tulsa. This is a view from the southwest side.

And this is a view from the northeast side. The river sure looks good with water in it.

And I rode back to my car down the east side of the river. Stopped for this photo. The hill on the other bank is the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area.

Sunday night I was taking our refuse and recycling carts to the curb for weekly pickup and I noticed this reflection of the sunset. Photographers are always droning on about leading lines. So after nearly 70 years of picture taking I finally got a leading line. So proud of myself.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.

Saturday’s Critters – Birds of a Feather

This sight greeted me the other morning. A red shouldered hawk squatting on my trailcam in our backyard. I think he was looking for a mouse. We have bird feeders in the backyard which attracts a few birds and a whole bunch of squirrels and a few mice.

The trailcam captured this cat in our backyard a while back. I’m thinking he might be carrying a mouse in his mouth.

I went to Philbrook Museum of Art the other day. I saw this squirrel resting for the intense midday heat.

And this big ole hippo sculpture made out of car bumpers.

I rode my bike on the Arkansas River the other day and found this egret fishing in the Arkansas River.

And this group of geese hanging out.

And this cross species collection of egrets and great blue herons sharing their fishing grounds.

After years of construction Tulsa is opening up the new pedestrian bridge and putting the new Zink Lake Dam into service this weekend. I’m going to wait until the hubbub has died down a little bit before I go check it out.

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

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.

Weekend Reflections – Staycating for Spring Break

Logan has Spring Break this week. Originally we thought we might go to New York City but one thing led to another and so we are staying in town but trying to get out and do things. Wednesday we all slept in and then breakfasted at First Watch and then went to Zink Lake on the Arkansas River and walked about three miles or so.

We then went to the Philbrook Museum because I wanted to get some pics of daffodils. While there of course I had to take some pics of the Tempietto and the reflecting pool. I think more electrons have been spent photographing the Tempietto than any other feature in Tulsa.

All that is lost on some folks who walk around staring at the little screens.

Back to the Tempietto, I think it is the prettiest thing in Tulsa.aaBack to the Tempietto, I think it is the prettiest thing in Tulsa.

Wednesday night we took Logan to see the “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” with Clint Eastwood. I saw it about forty years ago when it came out and wow, I was blown away at how good it is. What a great, intense, well done, movie. Logan loved it also. Afterwards we realized it is the first R rated movie we ever took him to see so I guess it is a rite of passage.

Out of focus, and off kilter, I kind of like it that way except I wish I had the focus on the flower better.

I said something about daffodils, here are one and a half. I was trying to do the bokeh thing by messing with the speed and aperture. Next time I will figure out how to fix the focus so this is all I have for now. I’ll be posting my daffodil pics later.

Have you ever tried staycating? What is the secret.

I’m linking with Weekend Reflections

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