Oklahoma doesn’t rank very high on most people’s list of places to go, but the Sooner State has always held a special place in my heart. I figure this is mainly due to 3 reasons…
- Oklahoma was where I took my first big solo day-trip. It was the first time I felt on my own, far from home.
- Of the 3 nearby states, Oklahoma offers the most change in scenery compared to Missouri.
- In college, when I first started ‘traveling’ on my own, Oklahoma was the most convenient place for me to get away. I have family in OKC and friends in Tulsa, so it was fun to take weekend trips to visit them from time to time.
Aside from visiting frequently, I also took up residence in OKC for a short period in 2001 while I worked at an advertising agency in their broadcast department. Here are some photos from the days when I frequented OK, divided into regions. I have a separate page for a trip I took to the Wichita Mountains towards the end of my college days…
Southwest Oklahoma
There is a small chain of mountains that cross the southwestern part of Oklahoma. They aren't huge, but are still visible from about 40 miles away.
I visited Quartz Mountain State Park a couple different times, once with Matt and another with Jason.
I climbed to the top of this mountain in the blistering heat. Summer temps here regularly exceed 100-110 degrees.
The view from the top over a narrow in the lake. The lake is just to the west of the small town of Lone Wolf.
The landscape in this direction reminds me of parts of California... rugged rocky hills covered with scrub oak.
Jason looking out across the plains.
Just west of Quartz Mountain is an area called Sandy Sanders. A lot of mesas and empty land.
I noticed the rocks along the road were sparkling. Turns out there were covered with selenite crystals. I thought this was very cool!
My old CR-V hanging out in the desert like landscape.
Jason being rad with a cool sunset in the background.
Apparently we unknowingly crossed into Texas at some point.
A great sunset somewhere on the way home.
Oklahoma City
This was the road to my apartment in OKC. Kind of in the middle of a field on the north edge of town.
My apartment, nothing fancy.
I don't remember being such a slob, but I guess I was!
The view from one of my favorite parks.
Anyone who's ever visited OKC probably knows about Bricktown.
The bombing memorial.
Each of these chairs represents a person who died. There are smaller chairs to represent the children.
OKC
Hangin with some friends one night!
Northwestern Oklahoma
A neat state park called Roman Nose.
For some reason I like to take pics of my car whilst exploring the country.
This backroad went on and on and eventually just ended up as a dead end in a field somewhere.
The view from the top of the mesa looking over the plains to the east.
Some interesting scenery along US-412 near the Cimarron River. These are the "Glass Mountains"...technically mesas, not mountains but the "glass" is selenite crystals in the ground that resemble shards of glass sparkling in the sunlight.
This area is known as "Oklahomas Painted Desert" for obvious reasons.
Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping 'cross the plains...
Fatt Matt standing next to a green field. The wind made for an 'ocean' effect but it doesn't translate very well in a photo.
Here is the town of Wakita, made famous by the movie Twister.
Many of the original props can be viewed in the town museum.
Near Wakita is a massive salt basin.
Selenite crystals form in the sandy salt flats and it is free (and fun!) to dig around for them.
Me sitting awkwardly on a post.
Inspecting one of my finds.