Life’s an adventure!

• Your life is what you make of it and I choose to make mine an adventure!

Traveling, discovering and seeing new places is one of my favorite things to do, I travel as much as my job allows, which means a lot of short trips close to home and an occasional longer journey to a new place I’ve yet to explore.

I love big cities, their museums, history and different cultures but I am mostly drawn to nature and the beauty of God’s handiwork.

I have purchased a National Park Passport and I am anxious to visit as many as I can along with some of the state parks in my area.

I find myself taking a lot of photos so I will never forget the places I’ve been and seen. Recently I’ve been thinking that a travel blog would be a great way to document my adventures although I’ve never blogged before, this will just be one more adventure I will try my hand at and embark on.

Colorado ~ Fall Adventure 9.2.17 Part III Royal Gorge

This bucket list trip was an impromptu 4 day adventure over Labor Day weekend. The main purpose of the trip was white water rafting, then to fit in all the things we wanted to see and do after that.

We stayed in Canon City, Colorado the first night, it was a 7 mile drive up to the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park.

Before we went into the park we drove up to the campsite to take a look, the view was breathtaking! I could definitely feel God’s presence as I always do when I’m in the mountains. It makes you realize how small we really are in the scheme of things.

We dove up a little further to see the view of the Royal Gorge & Bridge. I had to hike a short distance to get close to the edge to get the picture I wanted, I’m am NOT a fan of heights but I couldn’t resist!

The picture below shows how close I had to get, to see the full gorge without any obstructions.

You can see the Gondolas crossing too!

I was in awe of the beauty all around me, It seemed like I couldn’t take it all in and photos definitely don’t do it justice!

We made our way to the bridge, the Arkansas River has carved a canyon out of the red granite for millions of years.

It is only 40 – 50 foot wide but it towers over 1,000 feet. The Arkansas is one of the longest rivers in the US.

This is a replica of the water clock that kept time for 30 years before the Royal Gorge Fire.

View of the far side, they had a band playing 🎶

Wooden slats cover the bridge, the crossing wasn’t scary like I imagined it would be. It was a little nerve racking when the car came across it though. Flags from all states line the bridge on each side.

Oklahoma is OK

Zip lines looked scary! Wish I would have done that!

We did ride the gondolas though!

See the Royal Gorge!!

Thursday Doors ~ from random travels 11.16.17

Courthouse on the Square – Denton County, TX

Harweldon Mansion

Harweldon interior door

The Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile – Pawhuska, Ok

Pawhuska  Ok  Interesting and sketchy!

Pawhuska OK

Norm’s Thursday Doors

Love ❤️ three day weekend adventures!

Monday was a holiday for me and I refuse to sit in the house this time of year! It was abnormally warm at 87° here in Oklahoma. I was hoping to drive south a couple hours to the Ouchita National Forest by the Arkansas border and see the changing leaves on the Talimena National Scenic Byway but I am a couple weeks too early. So my dad told me to check out Cedar Lake down in the valley outside of Talihina.

A small 78 acre lake in a beautiful valley, it is the home of the Oklahoma State Record Largemouth Bass at 14lbs 14oz…  I was hoping to find someone to ride shotgun on my road trip, so I wouldn’t have to go solo. Low and behold my oldest son who just so happens to be on a college fishing team, had finished his classes early and said come pick me up. I was ecstatic, to spend the day fishing with him!

These stairs caught my interest, love the feeling of this photo.  I was very anxious to get my fist look at the lake!

Doubled up on this cast, love catching these little bass with my new ultra light spin cast with 4lb line. It’s a fight every time!

The smell of pine was so strong and lovely!

Gorgeous end to a great day!

Got to make the trek home through a big storm that popped up unexpectedly, but overall a beautiful adventure making wonderful memories with my son. Priceless!

Thanks for reading!

Thursday Doors: from random travels ~ 10.12.17

This is a really rustic eating establishment/saloon with original wood floors and the old intricately carved wooden bar. A real Old West feel in New Braunfels, TX

Collegiate English Tudor home built in the 1920’s 15,000 sq ft. I get to hang out here a few times a year!

Downtown Tulsa Oil Boom building

1930’s Castle I hiked to in Davis OK.

In the Arbuckle Mountains

NORM’S THURSDAY DOORS

Solemn Hollow

This is My Happy Place, this is where a part of my heart will always be.

My kids ran, played, explored, fished and hunted on this 47 acres on Lake Hudson for eleven years, Two of them came straight from the hospital to call this home.

They learned so much about life and life lessons from the great outdoors here and acquired a love for nature.

This is Spavinaw Creek, the town of Spavinaw Oklahoma is a short drive and is the Birthplace of Mickey Mantle.

Following the Trail of Tears (1839) Eastern Cherokees began arriving in the area. Before the lake was made, they say along the original creek bed that runs next to these bluffs was an Indian Village.

When they would let the water down to make repairs we would find Arrowheads and various artifacts left behind by the Native Americans.

I’ve always found this area to be very beautiful & peaceful, I call it my little piece of heaven.

I have a waterfront subdivision that I developed when I was thirty and named it for the Hollow that runs through it.  Solemn Hollow  Such an appropriate name!

Also I still have a waterfront lot and hope to live there again someday in hopes my kids and future grandchildren can enjoy it and make new memories.

Thanks for reading!

Friday’s & Fall

Happy Friday!!

Thursday Doors: from random travels ~ 10.5.17

I found this in San Francisco @ the old cannery.

Love the shotgun homes &

colors of New Orleans LA

A beautiful old church in Eureka Springs Arkansas

The sunset out of the doors at the Harweldon Mansion in Tulsa OK

Happy Friday Folks!

Does anyone know this roadside attraction from my Hometown?

My friends and I swam here in the summers when we were kids.

Now people from all over the world come to visit every year on their Route 66 – Mother Road adventures…

Get your kicks on Route 66!   The Blue Whale

Have a weekend full of wonderfulness!

Thursday Doors: from random travels ~ 9.28.17

This beautiful door is from NYC’s Theological Seminary.

Rogers State University in Claremore OKlahoma was est. in 1909, I have to think this was one of the original doors from that period.

(Home of Will Rogers) Will Rogers

Replica of The Founder of the City of Dallas ~ John Neely Bryan’s cabin, Founders Plaza, Dallas, Texas. Cabin ~ Founder’s Plaza

This red door and red tulips caught my eye while shopping in Tulsa Ok

Doors & Fire-escapes so common and a necessity in NYC.

If you love doors you can check out Norm’s Thursday Door Challenge here.

Happy Thursday everyone!!

Capulin Volcano National Monument ~ Fall Adventures 9.1.17 Part II

The drive was scenic to say the least, in the distance we could see the cone shaped mountain we thought to be the Volcano. Also we noticed cows grazing all over the beautiful countryside and there we no fences to be seen. I’m not sure how they keep up with their livestock.

Capulin Mountain is 8,182 ft, it was last active 60,000 years ago. It’s also one of the few extinct volcanoes that visitors can walk into.

Beautiful views from the top and a trail that allows you to walk the entire rim of the crater.

This is inside the crater, there is a monument at the bottom and someone is standing there reading it.

As we were leaving the park I snapped this photo, reminded me of Little house on the prairie!

We are off to Raton NM, then we will drive north into Colorado. I will post the day two adventures next. I was anxious to get into the Rockies!

Sometimes the roads less traveled lead to beautiful destinations ~ Fall Adventures 9.1.17 Part I

Two weeks ago today I was driving through Black Mesa State Park & Preserve in the Panhandle of Oklahoma, it is home to Oklahoma’s highest point at 5,705 ft. It is lava formed by a volcanic eruption 3 to 5 million years ago.

It is beautiful, and so not Oklahoma like, more New Mexico like. There are so many mesas throughout, it looks foreign to me. But beautiful country!

There are dinosaur footprints in the preserve also! Dinosaur tracks in Oklahoma

kind of hard to see but they are there!

We drove on a wild goose chase out in the middle of no mans land looking for the

Tri-State marker and finally found it!

Next we were off to Capulin New Mexico, to see the Volcano. We chose the road less traveled

which meant 17 of the 70 miles was dirt roads. Which in this day and age seemed crazy to me!

It was the most beautiful drive full of cloudy skies, sunflowers and mesas as far as the eye could see.

(Would recommend the drive for sure)

Since you have to drive slower you see more of the country side.

From this to this….

It was definitely gorgeous scenery, Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers and there was

an abundance of them.

Thursday Doors ~ 9.14.17~ Doors of NYC

Trying to learn and understand all things blog! I have happened across a Thursday Doors challenge and because I have always loved doors, I will post a few from my recent NYC trip.

                     The Plaza Hotel, It was High Tea Time!

 Walking the streets of NYC I took many photos of Doors,

Oh… if they could only speak the stories they could tell!

 

                      I love the street numbers on the doors, the are all so unique, the lights are so

old and interesting also!

                      Those details though!

Elevator doors need love too! This one is in The Chelsea Market.