Places Visited:
Oklahoma: Tulsa, Keystone Lake and State Park, Gilcrease Museum,
Mannford
Sand Springs
2003 Travelogue# 3 Mannford, OK
Mileage: 40052 Traveled 284 miles
Keystone State Park in Tulsa County, Mannford, OK 74044
Full Hookups, 50-amps, concrete pads & picnic table, $19 with CEO discount
on a hill
Overlooking Keystone Lake facing west with semi-shade
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
It looks like we'll be leaving Texas today. Our son and daughter-in-law were wondering if we were ever going to cross the state line?
We drove from Thousand Trails to Rockwall to pick up our mail for the last time, then on to Baylor Hospital to visit our friends John and Charlotte H. Charlotte is progressing with her cancer treatments and John is carrying a heavy burden. Please pray for her healing and for them to find the strength to face each day.
The summer high-pressure dome has settled over the south central area of the country and the temperature is between 80 and 100 degrees. We tried to get away by 8 am but were happy to make it by 9. We wanted to get down the road before the pavement got too hot. Traveling with 12 tires on hot pavement is always a risk factor; just look at the shoulder of most highways and you can see lots of "black road alligators"
By 3:30 pm we had settled into our campsite at Keystone State Park overlooking Keystone Lake, about 15 west of Tulsa. After setting up, It was definitely time to turn on both air-conditioners. Our slide went out with no trouble and it appears the realignment will solve many of the former leakage problems.
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Happy 94th Birthday Aunt Nola!!
We were up early this morning to walk along the lake and around the Marina and
were surprised to see so many" tenters" along the waters' edge. One
of the "tenters", a woman, was asking the Ranger for advice regarding
the coons. They got into their ice chest and food overnight. She was most upset!
The Ranger encouraged her to put those items in the car at night and be sure
to roll up the windows because the coons were very smart and would get into
the car if the windows were down and some weighed over 60 lbs. Now…that's
one big coon! She was not a happy camper!
Today we met Darrell and Sandra S. in Sand Springs, OK for lunch at Bistro's, which was in an old Interurban Train Station that once linked Tulsa with points west. . It was fun visiting with Darrell and Sandra and we have certainly enjoyed the wonderful home grown tomatoes and salsa they brought to us.
Darrell said that he was raised in the town of Keystone, which the Lake now covers. Peg and I found a granite gravestone in one of the Parks campgrounds on a bluff overlooking the lake, commemorating the departure of the city of Keystone, established in 1900; just like someone had actually died.
We followed Darrell and Sandra through Tulsa's back roads to the Gilcrease Museum (www.gilcrese.org) where we said our good-bys; leaving us to spend the afternoon touring the Museum.
The Gilcrease collection was amassed by Tulsa oilman Thomas Gilcrease (1890-1962). A member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, he received an oil-rich allotment south of Tulsa at the turn of the century, which provided him the resources to create his own art collection. His pride in his Native American heritage and interest in the American West shaped his collection. His collection of Remington's, Russell's, and Thomas Moran's watercolors are spectacular. We were fortunate to be there when they had the watercolors out for display. They are only shown for 6 weeks and then go back to the vault so they don't fade.
We met Dick B, a docent in the Museum, who gave us a tour. His knowledge of the history that surrounded the various artists was captivating. One special area we were drawn to was the original studio of Olaf Weighorst. Dick had visited Mr. Weighorst at his studio and after several discussions asked if he would consider gifting the studio to the Museum, which he did. Now, all the artifacts he used in his Indian and Western art are in this reproduced studio. Our first piece of Western Art was purchased from an art gallery in Dallas' old Adolphus Hotel, a limited edition print of Olaf Weighorst's "Navajo Madonna".
We finished off the evening at Freddie's Steak House in Mannford, overlooking Lake Keystone. We had stopped at a plumbing supply store along the highway in Mannford looking for a replacement part. Didn't find the part but, while visiting an employee in the parking lot, did find this place for super good steaks. He even told us the best steak to order, how to have it prepared, and to ask Ricky, one of the cooks, to prepare it for us (a 22 oz boned rib eye). That's what we did, and we were not disappointed.
After returning to the motor home, Bill H., a friend I met on RV-Talk who recommended we stay at Keystone State Park, called, was in our area and stop by for a short visit.
Thursday, August 07, 2003
We had our morning walk while it was still cool. It is just great to take our coffee and hike the different trails. As we returned to the MH, I noticed my outside rear tire (passenger side) looked low. This would be a problem that I would tackle after our luncheon appointment in Tulsa with Bill H.
We had a great visit in his home, after which, he took us on a tour of the area. Some very nice oil money "digs" for sure. Bill had chosen a wonderful restaurant call Monterey Tex-Mex. Their spinach enchiladas are the best we've eaten. We appreciate all Bill has done for us to prepare for our visit to Tulsa.
Back at the MH we found our tire problem to be worse than we thought. The inside tire extension valve had torn away during our drive from Texas. An extension valve is a stainless steel webbed tube that connects with the inside tire at the stem, and is long enough to attach to the wheel covering of the outer tire, so we can check the air pressure. Somewhere along our drive, the extension was severed and the air escaped from the inside tire. Continuing to drive on the deflated tire weakened the sidewalls. We carry an air compressor, so I started filling the tire until Peg yelled, "Wait, come here and feel this". The tire's sidewalls had ballooned in many different places. Well…time to call the Calvary… these are not ordinary tires… these puppies are BIG… not a job for Rober. Out came the Good Sam Emergency Road Service card and the cell phone. They dispatched my information then called back and said someone would be here in an hour. As promised, a repairman arrived soon with a new tire, replaced the bad one, and checked the others; reporting that they were OK.
We were most thankful nothing happened on our drive leaving Texas, because Peggy drove for over 100 of those miles; this was her first time to drive 50 feet of MH and "toad" at 60 mph and the temperature was in the mid to high 90's. I must say she did GREAT.
Friday, August 08, 2003
We started our walk earlier this morning (around 7) and it was much cooler. The sunrise was the main attraction. Sunrays bounced off scattered clouds producing a pastel pinkish-orange color, which was stunning.
The phone rang, just after our walk and it was our son Scott, We put him and Cristina on the speakerphone so we both could hear the good news. They found a home in Pagosa Springs, CO and were getting ready to make an offer to buy it. Scott works for the NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) and will be in charge of a four county range program for the ranchers in his area. Needless to say, we are very excited for them.
We did chores around the MH, paid bills, and then went into Tulsa for groceries. We were having Peg's brother Jeff and his wife Carolyn B., who live in Tulsa, for dinner. It was a fun visit on our patio with cold beer, wine, cheese and burgers.
Saturday& Sunday August 12,13, 2003
We drove to Tulsa both days to spend time with Jeff & Carolyn, their two
sons, and new grandson. Helped them with the lawn mowing, did our laundry, and
visited around their pool. We said our good bys and will depart for Bartlesville
on Monday.