Oklahoma on the back roads

[Boondocker]

On my summer trip, for the first leg, I will be departing from middle TN and heading over to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I was thinking it would be fun to get off the interstate once west of Arkansas. So, what should I think about doing while on the blue highways of Oklahoma?

[Caryl]

We just went through Oklahoma on Rt 64. There are neat side trips around Bartelsville and Tulsa--Wooloroc Museum (Frank Phillips of Phillips Petroleum collection), Will Rogers stuff, and a Frank Lloyd Wright Skyscraper in Bartelsville. There are the Salts Flats too--a neat wildlife area. Rt. 64 is along the Kansas border and through the Oklahoma Panhandle and you see wheat fields and oil wells everywhere. There are lots of cattle ranches--brush up on your breeds and see what you can spot. It is really nice in the spring--no farm vehicles and few trucks. You end up in Raton NM and can wander through the Cimmaron Canyon, which is stunning, to Taos.

If you go this way, notice the uplift when you get to the Llano Estacado (sp??) It is the uplift that runs from Mexico to Canada that makes the Rocky Mountain Plateau. For all the geologists out there, I am probably saying that wrong, but the land suddenly changes after a few turns and bumps upwards. As a child (I am orginally from Oklahoma) on those long, hot summer trips in the 1950's, my brothers and I would try to be the first to notice it because it meant our first really cool night's sleep that summer in the tent when we got to Raton. Ah, those were the days!

Cheers,
Caryl

[thecatsandi]

Oh oh. Route 66.
Comes on and off I-40 all the way to near the grand canyon.

[eubank]

What's left of Highway 66 does have a lot of romantic/historical appeal, but Highway 64 is a bunch more scenic and still exists! It sort of ends on the signs near the four corners. You just keep on going across northern Arizona (Navajo reservation and the edge of the Hopi reservation) down through Tuba City and then into the south rim from the east entrance.


Lynn

[rseagle]

I just heard this week that Oklahoma announced that the Watermelon will be the official State vegatable. While in OK, make sure to eat lots of vegatables.

[empresley]

South of Tulsa in the small town of Morris you can stop and pet some horses & give my daughter a hug. Tell her it's from Dad. Michelle and son-in-law Bud are sweet kids who are working hard to build a cutting horse ranch. Just erected a new covered practice arena that I have not seen yet.

em.

[herrgirdner]

Not to be negative about this, but.. I was born in Bunch. We had a lot of dirt roads back then, and one day a nice shiny Kaiser stopped by my uncle's place and the driver asked how to get to Sallisaw. Uncle got a stick and drew a map in the dust by the side of the road. The guy driving, said; "My God, ain't there no road signs in this state?" Uncle said; "Stranger, if you have to ask, you don't belong."
I think they have paved a lot of them since then, but the signage hasn't got much better. I'd get some good maps, a boat compass, and a GPS, if I hadn't been there before.
That being said, there some passable roads in Oklahoma. Woolaroc is nice, too.
regards

[waynemorgan]

fuel up soon and drive all the way thru
i lived there for 40 years and camped all over the state
there are some great sites and camp grounds at state parks ,some are hard to get in to like red rock canyon west of okc ,the best are in the south east like beavers bend.i think is the best........have fun.................

wayne (ex-oike)

[SmokelessJoe]

Rodney,

I was on a not-too-busy Interstate when I entered Oklahoma a couple of summers ago and pulled up to the State Information Center.

This Canadian hadn’t noticed the license plates that read OKLAHOMA, Native America yet but I did notice the slogan on the T-shirt of the striking woman at the travel counter, even if her long black hair partially obscured it.

When I asked, pointing to her sweater “ Are you native American?” she shot back “I don’t need any T shirt to tell me that I’m Native American”.

After she excused me my faux pas, she loaded me down with information and welcomed me with a giant Oklahoma smile.

It was one of the nicest welcomes I’ve had anywhere.

Oklahoma is a great place, both in the larger cities and along the back roads.

The National Memorial at the site of the Oklahoma City Bombing is a very moving experience, especially if you see it at night.

Take your time to really enjoy Oklahoma, Native America.

Sergei

[BDandTTs]

As Caryl said ... "There are neat [COLOR=orange! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=orange! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]side [/font][COLOR=orange! important][FONT=verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif]trips[/font][/color][/font][/color][/color] around Bartelsville and Tulsa--Wooloroc Museum (Frank Phillips of Phillips Petroleum collection), Will Rogers stuff, and a Frank Lloyd Wright Skyscraper in Bartelsville."

We stopped in Bartelsville for a few days on our trip last month and stayed at Osage Hills State Park about 10 miles from town.

The Wooloroc Museum was interesting, many early southwestern ceramics and nice Navajo rugs, but the exhibits were not well documented.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower is a must see and tours are given twice daily. Several floors have been converted to a hotel and the rooms may also be seen if they are vacant. Have lunch or dinner in the top floor restaurant.

Forgot a hat in the restaurant, so returned the next morning for this shot.