We also reached the first Oasis on the Jigmap. The Turner Falls Park Oasis is near Davis, Oklahoma. From the official park scrolls:
“Turner Falls Park, the oldest park in Oklahoma, has received national publicity and has served as a classroom for the naturalist. Many springs from the world famous Arbuckle Mountains form Honey Creek which cascades down a seventy-seven (77) foot fall to a natural swimming pool making the majestic Turner Falls the largest waterfall in Oklahoma. The park is accented with beautiful picnic areas, nature trails, caves, geological wonders, and two natural swimming pools very unique in nature.
“The Turner Falls area has been described as one of the three geological windows into our past, including the Grand Canyon and the Black Hills of South Dakota.
“As early as 1868, Turner Falls was known as a popular recreational area. The City of Davis operates the park and you are welcome to enjoy the 1500 acres of fun in the ‘Heart of the Arbuckles.’
“Turner Falls Park in Davis, Oklahoma is the best Arbuckle Mountains family destination. From Dr. Collings’ Rock Castle to the 77ft waterfall, Turner Falls Park offers unforgettable fun for the whole family.”
Since the Jigmap allows us to move in seasons as well as space, we arrived at the Oasis during early summer. The Oasis teemed with people, and our camels caused many comments.
Here are some photos:
A long view of the park
The 77 foot waterfall
One of the caves
A bit of Dr. Collings' Rock Castle, which was built by a poor couple and their son working for an eccentric doctor during the 1930s.
We spent several days at the Oasis. Our headman Franklyn, for some reason, was nervous during the whole time we were there. He kept urging us to continue our journey. But we and the bearers were content to enjoy a few days respite from the White Road.
Still, Jericho is a long way away so eventually we packed up and continued on. We are two days past the Oasis now and fallen back into the rhythm of the journey. I am still insisting that we keep a watch each night. This made Franklyn quite surly. He says there is no need because the three bearers simply wandered off.
"Perhaps so," I said. "But we will continue the watch."
He looked as if he would have argued, but Lady Roen, Sir Sanako, and Lady Sara supported my position. He slunk off, grumbling. I will keep a closer eye on him.
It's now time for the evening meal, and it's my turn to cook. More soon.
It is a beautiful place and fun to explore. I wonder what Tech is cooking tonight? The journey is fun, but I think I should be covering more ground.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have known... I had some really nice pictures from there... as well as some from the "great flood of '06". I would imagine Tech is going to cook something green (by cook, I mean fry... but at least it will be green!) With a side of fresh greens (if it's good enough for the camels, it's good enough for us), and perhaps some green tea, to wash it all down!
ReplyDeleteWell, good people... in scouting ahead, (and searching for those awful salad greens for Lady Kirsten), I seem to have amassed some decent distances these past few days. Saturday: 2.9 Sunday: 1.3 Monday: 2.7 Tuesday: 1.5 ... That monday total did include my adventures with slow cooking swine over low heat and lots of smoke. Not that that took a lot of work, it was just a lot to find wood, start a fire (the clicker doesn't work), and walk back and forth to check the temp and smoke levels. I wish I could have shared it with you, but I was afraid Lady Kirsten wouldn't have let me near the camp if she even heard the letters B-B-Q! If anyone cares to partake, you'll have to step away from the yoga mat and meet me at the Eastern edge of the camp around midnight.
Hey, now, I've got enough Okie in me to never deny anyone their BBQ! Especially if it comes with a side of slaw done right (with a vinegar-based dressing, not one of those icky mayo-based ones). Oh, and okra. Gotta have okra with BBQ. Yummmm.
ReplyDeleteMy mileage total for the week: 8.4. Took advantage of yesterday's warm weather!