it was ok picture post
It's been so long since my last non-food picture post, i was thinking of rolling Oklahoma and Texas together in one bumper edition, but looking back now i want to give Oklahoma its own entry. I didn't take a lot of photos cycling through the state, but i hope this gives you a bit of an idea of what i came across.
The opening shot is from Bell Cow Lake, a fantastic little spot that i escaped to after spending my first couple Oklahoma days in a freeway motel. The camping was cheap and i had a nice, sunny morning.
After packing up i passed through Chandler, which is a small town with a bunch of Route 66 paraphernalia about the place. This is a restored Philips 66 gas station building.
Also in Chandler there are a bunch of hippie-ish murals, which i guess also try to evoke the Route 66/Summer of Love feeling. This was an odd little store with some fun artwork. In the background on the left you can see a "let there be peace on Earth" mural, and behind that the hilly, woodsy landscape that makes up this corner of the state.
I struggled to find good campsites in Oklahoma, but after a massive pain in the ass trying to book it, i scored this spot in the Lake Thunderbird state park. It was right on the bluff above the waterfront.
Sunset view from my campsite on Lake Thunderbird.
One of the fun things about cycling around America during this time of year is that people put out ridiculous Halloween decorations. Some of them are extremely elaborate, although if you've lived in or visited the US before then after a while it all starts to look a bit samey - lots of the props people use are sold at Walmarts and Targets all across the country. But this is a unique one - some rancher used a hay bale and some pipe to create a massive spider!
America is the land of Putting Shit On Poles So You Can See It From The Highway. There was one corner i cycled past in Denison (Texas) that had about 50 poles with all kinds of chain stores, fast food outlets and God knows what else on the same block. Unfortunately i didn't get a picture because the best angle was from the highway where i couldn't easily stop. But sometimes there is a really bizarre Thing On A Pole. This one is from somewhere around Pauls Valley, i think. There's something amusing to me about having a torpedo and also a garbage can on a pole.
I didn't take many "on the road" shots in Oklahoma, but here's one in Wynnewood that shows the ubiquitous burger chain Sonic and the smoke stacks of an oil refinery. It was interesting cycling into this town, because you pass a very green swampy fieldy woodsy section, and from a distance the chimneys looked like the Emerald City from Wizard of Oz. That picture didn't come out, though, so here's a more realistic shot of what the vast majority of American roads look like around railroads and industrial areas. Lots of unused space that someone pays to keep green and mowed.
Just a little snapshot of my campsite near Davis. Nothing special, i liked the colors.
Heading out of Oklahoma, first you gotta cross the Arbuckle Mountains. They're not much of a mountain by west coast standards, but after a month in the prairies and tediously rolling hills they felt pretty epic.
Going through Oklahoma i found it a bit frustrating to find campsites, and i got a bit annoyed when a dog or two chased me down the road. But that was before i got to Texas, where it became much more frustrating to find campsites, and where dozens of dogs have chased me down the road. So, on reflection, Oklahoma wasn't so bad.
I am currently taking shelter in a motel from the storm passing across Texas. We're on tornado watch, but it doesn't look too bad out there. I think i will go out to the movies in a bit to see Dune.
The opening shot is from Bell Cow Lake, a fantastic little spot that i escaped to after spending my first couple Oklahoma days in a freeway motel. The camping was cheap and i had a nice, sunny morning.
After packing up i passed through Chandler, which is a small town with a bunch of Route 66 paraphernalia about the place. This is a restored Philips 66 gas station building.
Also in Chandler there are a bunch of hippie-ish murals, which i guess also try to evoke the Route 66/Summer of Love feeling. This was an odd little store with some fun artwork. In the background on the left you can see a "let there be peace on Earth" mural, and behind that the hilly, woodsy landscape that makes up this corner of the state.
I struggled to find good campsites in Oklahoma, but after a massive pain in the ass trying to book it, i scored this spot in the Lake Thunderbird state park. It was right on the bluff above the waterfront.
Sunset view from my campsite on Lake Thunderbird.
One of the fun things about cycling around America during this time of year is that people put out ridiculous Halloween decorations. Some of them are extremely elaborate, although if you've lived in or visited the US before then after a while it all starts to look a bit samey - lots of the props people use are sold at Walmarts and Targets all across the country. But this is a unique one - some rancher used a hay bale and some pipe to create a massive spider!
America is the land of Putting Shit On Poles So You Can See It From The Highway. There was one corner i cycled past in Denison (Texas) that had about 50 poles with all kinds of chain stores, fast food outlets and God knows what else on the same block. Unfortunately i didn't get a picture because the best angle was from the highway where i couldn't easily stop. But sometimes there is a really bizarre Thing On A Pole. This one is from somewhere around Pauls Valley, i think. There's something amusing to me about having a torpedo and also a garbage can on a pole.
I didn't take many "on the road" shots in Oklahoma, but here's one in Wynnewood that shows the ubiquitous burger chain Sonic and the smoke stacks of an oil refinery. It was interesting cycling into this town, because you pass a very green swampy fieldy woodsy section, and from a distance the chimneys looked like the Emerald City from Wizard of Oz. That picture didn't come out, though, so here's a more realistic shot of what the vast majority of American roads look like around railroads and industrial areas. Lots of unused space that someone pays to keep green and mowed.
Just a little snapshot of my campsite near Davis. Nothing special, i liked the colors.
Heading out of Oklahoma, first you gotta cross the Arbuckle Mountains. They're not much of a mountain by west coast standards, but after a month in the prairies and tediously rolling hills they felt pretty epic.
Going through Oklahoma i found it a bit frustrating to find campsites, and i got a bit annoyed when a dog or two chased me down the road. But that was before i got to Texas, where it became much more frustrating to find campsites, and where dozens of dogs have chased me down the road. So, on reflection, Oklahoma wasn't so bad.
I am currently taking shelter in a motel from the storm passing across Texas. We're on tornado watch, but it doesn't look too bad out there. I think i will go out to the movies in a bit to see Dune.