State parks are getting more visitors
Believe the hype. It worked. When the summer travel season began in May, analysts predicted high gas prices would keep families close to home. They would spend more time at closer locations, heading to state parks instead of far-off funlands.
And you did. Park visitation at the state’s parks in May was up by 100,000 compared to May 2007, according to figures from the Department of Tourism. Pretty good Oklahoma. You are following the national trend. The word staycation is etched into your brain and you’re opting for tents instead of king-size beds and water slides.
Be grateful you live in Oklahoma were state parks don’t charge an entrance fee. It’s free to spend the day in an Oklahoma park and have a picnic. Free…I repeat free. In some states you could expect to pay $5 or more just to get into a park. National parks are nearly double that.
As the Department of Tourism looks to make improvements at parks around the state, the increased visitation numbers can’t hurt when asking for additional funds from the Legislature. It’s more bang for their buck.
On top of that, it’s nice to know that more people are seeing the diverse landscape of Oklahoma. More people are sitting around campfires and talking. More people are hiking, biking and taking in the natural beauty. All without the aid of cellphones, laptops and televisions. Sounds good to me.
Happy Trails.
Julie Bisbee
State Writer
Beat the heat at the lake
After I got over the shock of my electric bill last month, I’ve decided to beat the heat in a different way. I’m setting that air conditioner on 83 and heading for the lake.
Last weekend we went to Arcadia Lake in Edmond. There was a cloudless sky and the temperatures were already in the 90s, it wasn’t even noon yet. Our cooler was packed with hotdogs, water and the making for smores. Getting there that early you don’t have to fight for a shady picnic spot, and we got one within walking distance to the beach.
It was a great day to be at the beach. Hot as blazes. Boats whizzed around the lake. With the aid of SPF 45 (that’s right! I’m fair.) I was able to lay on the beach and read a little bit. Relaxing, and knowing that my electric meter wasn’t running like crazy. It was great.
But if you’re heading out to Arcadia Lake with children under 12, don’t forget the life jacket. It’s required and Edmond Police won’t hesitate to give you a ticket if your child isn’t wearing a life jacket on the beach. In the time I was there on Sunday, I saw two families get tickets both complete with fines.
For more information go to the city’s Web site.
If you’re wanting to leave the metro area, there are always state parks with lakes. Lake Thunderbird is a favorite, and usually crowded on the weekends. Lakes Texoma and Murray are also top picks.
But what about Keystone Lake or Fort Cobb? There’s plenty see and still lots of water. For more information on state parks and lakes go to http://www.oklahomaparks.com/
Julie Bisbee
state writer
Can you dig some brisket?
Thanks to Polynesian hunters of yore, who in their infinite cleverness endeavored to toss their daily kill into a pit of fire — cover it with rocks and dirt — and unearth for the next day’s meal, the barbecue universe was born. In homage to those fine gents and their bone-based body piercings, my good friend and colleague Jesse Olivarez and I recently dug our own pit for an afternoon barbecue.
To summarize, we did this:
Dug a hole approximately 3 feet deep by two feet wide, dropped bricks into the bottom of the pit, burned 4 cubic feet of pecan wood down to embers, and used three bricks set on their side to work as an altar for the object of our worship: a 9-pound brisket.
The brisket was trimmed, then given an light mustard coating. A rub was applied (recipe below) then the brisket was put in foil with a little apple juice and butter. After wrapping it tight in the foil and placing it in a roasting pan with handles, the whole bundle of joy was wrapped in water-soaked newspaper (one saved from last week, of course). Then we covered the hole with a piece of plywood and covered it with dirt, making sure the pit was airtight. Sixteen hours later, we exhumed the beef and ate…and ate…and ate…and ate.
Brisket rub:
1 cup premium light red chile blend
½ cup paprika
½ cup garlic powder
¼ cup Kosher salt
¼ cup black pepper
¼ cup light brown sugar
Mountain bike near home
You might think Oklahoma is a bad place to mountain bike. Not so.
There are many trails in Oklahoma that will challenge, many of which are closer to home than you might think. I bought my Gary Fisher Sugar 4+ nearly 3 years ago and have logged many hundreds of hours on Oklahoma Trails.
I have bruised, scarred and bled from falls. In other words, some are quite challenging. But as I have always said, “If you’re not falling, you’re not trying hard enough.”
I routinely ride Bluff Creek, which is just about a 5 minute drive from my house or a 10 minute ride. The trail is difficult in spots, but I have ridden it so many times I can usually get around the 3 1/2 mile trail in about 25 minutes or less, depending on how I’m feeling that day. These days I usually ride two laps and that amounts to a healthy workout.
My auxiliary trail is out on the east side of Lake Stanly Draper. This trail definitely has some trickier spots and is much longer, but the green (easy section) can be ridden with a confident ease, even by novices.
Clear Bay down at Lake Thunderbird is one of the best in the state. The only trouble is, it’s quite expensive as far as gas goes and quite time consuming for me to make the trip down to Norman.
I’ve never been much for running or jogging, so mountain biking gives me the best of both worlds. I get a good workout and I am outdoors where I am most at ease. The competition against self is great.
If you want to get into mountain biking, know that there are many great trails in not only Oklahoma, but neighboring Arkansas and even Texas. But a good piece of advice? Don’t skimp on buying a bike. Spend the money. You will pay for it.
Going out to the local Wal Mart or Target for a mountain bike is ill-advised. They may seem up to the challenge, but those bikes will crumble on some of the tougher sections of trail.
You must always, ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Here’s a link to a great site with information about some regional trails and just Okie biking in general.
Get outdoors.
Best,
Augie Frost
Head for the mountains!
If you’re a reader of this blog, surely you saw Augie Frost’s post on his first 14er conquest. He bagged Quandary Peak, a 14,265-foot mountain in Colorado, and from what I read, it was quite an experience.
If it made you want to try it yourself, be sure to pick up Sunday’s paper, whip out the Sports section and check out the Outdoors page. There you will find a bunch of information about what you need to get started on your own quest to conquer your first 14,000-foot peak.
If you’ve done one of these before, feel free to comment here or e-mail me at bdoucette@oklahoman.com and I’ll post your trip report. Photos are welcome!
See you on the trail, folks.
Bob Doucette
Gastronomical Trainwreck Scheduled in Catoosa Saturday
The tables will be turned in the barbecuesphere tomorrow in Tulsa. Rather than pigs snorking down on feed to be fattened for a future in falling-off-the-fork fare, it’ll be the humans getting a facefull of feed.
The Cherokee Casino hosts the World Barbecue Eating Championship where $10,000 will go to the man, woman or child who can take down the most pork sandies from Runt’s Barbecue of Broken Arrow.
This a Major League Eating/International Federation of Competitive Eating certified event, so come on out to see who from the Gong Show-level cast of characters will compete in the Casino’s poker room.
Sorry, registration has closed, but who can resist this kind of gluttony in action. And watch out for those reversals, they won’t be pretty with barbecue sauce.
Forks fly at 1 p.m. 777 W. Cherokee St., in Catoosa.
“Hello from 14,200 ft.”
It’s a vicious cycle.
Every step makes every breath shorter. Every step means less available oxygen as you inch your way up the mountain. The less oxygen there is, the faster your muscles fatigue.
But you climb on, one foot in front of the other, promising yourself that no matter how much it hurts and how taxed your lungs are, you can go five more steps before resting.
Stopping seemed to induce vertigo, so I just pressed on as best I could. In retrospect, I think the altitude affected me more than I thought it was while on the mountain. By the time I had come to just 1,000 feet from the summit of Quandary Peak, I just wanted it too badly to allow myself much rest.
I paced myself by taking short, choppy steps and fell into a rhythm that pushed me up the mountain. People often say that outdoor sports such as biking or climbing or kayaking are man vs. the elements. I would mostly agree, but by the time I had emerged from the tree line, I realized it was going to be Augie vs. Augie.
It takes reaching deep inside yourself to squash all doubt. Turning around and heading back down is not an option. At high altitudes, seconds slow to minutes and the summit seems to grow taller despite your upward effort. False summits are completely demoralizing.
But you go on.
And when you win, when you reach the summit and sign the regristry that forever proves your triumph, the pain and the aching turns into a joyous intoxication of soul. For me, hitting the 14,000 foot mark was a very spiritual thing. Many that I passed and those I shared the panoramic views with said it would not be worth the pain if not for the view. Not true of me.
For me it was beating myself, conquering a challenge and inwardly proving I have the guts to keep pushing on. It was about setting and meeting a goal. That’ s a special feeling, one that has my soul still a bit drunk on triumph, even a week after the fact.
Don’t be mistaken. The views are incredible and the sheer magnitude of where you are when you stand atop a peak is exhilirating. The world you know below seems so distant. The solitude and great expanse almost induces claustrophobia in a strange sort of way.
You don’t want to go back down, mostly because you know the hike back down is going to be brutal, but more so because the Heavens seem to be within reach. And let’s not be mistaken, the climb down is every bit as excruciating as the climb up.
Before I headed back down, I called my dad and said “Hello from 14,200 feet.” I sent the same text message to many of my friends. Yeah, I was bragging. Many were at work. I know, that’s just wrong of me.
But I am now most certainly addicted to climbing and am already planning my next ascent. I now understand why the oft considered “crazies” plan excursions up Everest. I now understand and appreciate John Krakauer’s writing about summit attempts much better.
Mountaineering is most certainly one of the more trying outdoor sports and in all its beauty and grandeur, is a symbol of man’s will to conquer the toughest Mother Nature has to offer, but most certainly within the confines of a deep respect for her.
Get outdoors.
Best,
Augie Frost
In the pictures:
The first is of yours truly atop the summit, my back to the west. The second is of the mountain taken from Coloarado State Highway 9, about a mile south of the peak. It doesn’t look near as daunting as it is while climbing. The last is of the ridge leading up to the summit. You can see the trail snake along the spine nearly all the way down. The view is looking to the east.
Mountain Info:
You can learn more about the Colorado 14′ers by visiting the below link:
For more specific information on Quandary, use the links below. I took the east ridge trail, which is left difficult – though longer – than the other routes to the summit.
http://www.breckenridgeclimbing.com/
http://14ers.com/photos/peakmain.php?peak=Quandary%20Peak
“Hello from 14,200 ft.”
It’s a vicious cycle.
Every step makes every breath shorter. Every step means less available oxygen as you inch your way up the mountain. The less oxygen there is, the faster your muscles fatigue.
But you climb on, one foot in front of the other, promising yourself that no matter how much it hurts and how taxed your lungs are, you can go five more steps before resting.
Stopping seemed to induce vertigo, so I just pressed on as best I could. In retrospect, I think the altitude affected me more than I thought it was while on the mountain. By the time I had come to just 1,000 feet from the summit of Quandary Peak, I just wanted it too badly to allow myself much rest.
I paced myself by taking short, choppy steps and fell into a rhythm that pushed me up the mountain. People often say that outdoor sports such as biking or climbing or kayaking are man vs. the elements. I would mostly agree, but by the time I had emerged from the tree line, I realized it was going to be Augie vs. Augie.
It takes reaching deep inside yourself to squash all doubt. Turning around and heading back down is not an option. At high altitudes, seconds slow to minutes and the summit seems to grow taller despite your upward effort. False summits are completely demoralizing.
But you go on.
And when you win, when you reach the summit and sign the regristry that forever proves your triumph, the pain and the aching turns into a joyous intoxication of soul. For me, hitting the 14,000 foot mark was a very spiritual thing. Many that I passed and those I shared the panoramic views with said it would not be worth the pain if not for the view. Not true of me.
For me it was beating myself, conquering a challenge and inwardly proving I have the guts to keep pushing on. It was about setting and meeting a goal. That’ s a special feeling, one that has my soul still a bit drunk on triumph, even a week after the fact.
Don’t be mistaken. The views are incredible and the sheer magnitude of where you are when you stand atop a peak is exhilirating. The world you know below seems so distant. The solitude and great expanse almost induces claustrophobia in a strange sort of way.
You don’t want to go back down, mostly because you know the hike back down is going to be brutal, but more so because the Heavens seem to be within reach. And let’s not be mistaken, the climb down is every bit as excruciating as the climb up.
Before I headed back down, I called my dad and said “Hello from 14,200 feet.” I sent the same text message to many of my friends. Yeah, I was bragging. Many were at work. I know, that’s just wrong of me.
But I am now most certainly addicted to climbing and am already planning my next ascent. I now understand why the oft considered “crazies” plan excursions up Everest. I now understand and appreciate John Krakauer’s writing about summit attempts much better.
Mountaineering is most certainly one of the more trying outdoor sports and in all its beauty and grandeur, is a symbol of man’s will to conquer the toughest Mother Nature has to offer, but most certainly within the confines of a deep respect for her.
Get outdoors.
Best,
Augie Frost
In the pictures:
The first is of yours truly atop the summit, my back to the west. The second is of the mountain taken from Coloarado State Highway 9, about a mile south of the peak. It doesn’t look near as daunting as it is while climbing. The last is of the ridge leading up to the summit. You can see the trail snake along the spine nearly all the way down. The view is looking to the east.
Mountain Info:
You can learn more about the Colorado 14′ers by visiting the below link:
For more specific information on Quandary, use the links below. I took the east ridge trail, which is left difficult – though longer – than the other routes to the summit.
http://www.breckenridgeclimbing.com/
http://14ers.com/photos/peakmain.php?peak=Quandary%20Peak
My First Big Summit
Tomorrow morning, while all my co-workers are just getting out of bed, I will be at the base of Quandary Peak, prepping for my first summit of one of Colorado’s famed 14′ers.
To say I am excited is an understatement. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. The last time I was anywhere near 14,000 feet was on the ridge of Arapaho Basin Ski area in Colorado. But I got there by way of a ski lift, so this is a completely different monster.
I’ll be counting on my own two stems to get me up Quandary Peak, which tops out at just over 14,200 feet. That’s higher than the famed Pike’s Peak, by the way.
I’m just glad I am going to be able to get on the mountain while in Breckenridge for a wedding. I’ll check back in when I get home.
Get outdoors.
Best,
Augie Frost
On the trail: Get the right footwear
Ladies, have you ever tried jogging in heels? Any fellas out there playing hoops in steel-toed work boots? Or how about a game of soccer in cowboy boots?
Yes, ridiculous examples of things that no one in their right mind would do, unless it was some strange YouTube stunt. But people make similarly silly decisions when it comes to wearing the right footwear on the trail.
People like to be comfortable. And look good. It’s human nature. But the sensibilities of civilization don’t always translate in the wild.
A good example: On Wheeler Peak two years ago, one person in my party was wearing a pair of boots that looked up for the job, but were in fact more geared toward looking good in the ski lodge than being fuctional on the trail. The result? A blister on the back side of her ankle two miles into a 16-mile trek. By the time it was over, her achilles was so chewed up it brought her to tears and took weeks to heal.
Other times, it could be more detrimental. Turned ankles, injured or frozen feet, and a myriad of other complications caused by a simple decision of what you wear in the backcountry could mean the difference between relishing your trip with your buddies and seeking an emergency evacuation. A bad enough injury might mean you don’t come back at all.
Let me go through some types of footwear, with some pros and cons:
Sneakers: Pros are that they’re light, comfortable and breathable. Cons are that they’re not very rugged, can get soaked (hypothermia risk) and are easily penetrated by sharp sticks and cactus thorns (a concern if you’re down in the Wichitas or Quartz Mountains). Most low-top sneakers offer no ankle support, leaving you vulnerable to sprains, which is very serious business if you’re in the backcountry. Trail runners are a good compromise, but they’re still vulnerable to a lot of the things listed above. Be cautious here, and leave the sneaks at home if you’re headed into a wilderness area.
Work boots: Pros are that they’re tough as nails and can kick through stubborn brush or small rocks. Cons are that they’re heavy — really heavy — and can be fatiguing on long jaunts. Many steel-toed boots also can crimp toes on steep grades, causing toe blisters. Leave ‘em at home.
Cowboy boots: Pros are they’re tough, just like the work boots. Cons are they offer minimal traction and are downright dangerous on rocky surfaces, even worse on wet surfaces. Great for horseback, but otherwise, not a good choice.
Sandals: Pros are that they’re comfortable and if you’re walking through wet areas, you don’t have to worry about ruining your shoes or wearing soggy socks. Cons are just about everything else. No arch support, no ankle support, and your feet are exposed to thorns, sticks, bugs, snakes, cold and everything else. Flip-flops are about the worst things you could wear on a hike. Take a pair with you for puttering around camp if you like, but otherwise, don’t waste your time.
What I’d advise is a good, light and waterproofed pair of hiking boots. You can spend a lot of money on these, and they’ll last forever. I’ve got a cheaper pair that is about due for replacement after 5 years of use, but they’ve been solid. I’d also recommend wool or synthetic fiber socks and no cotton. If you’re rock climbing, specialized climbing shoes are advised. So trek in with your boots and pack your climbing shoes with you if you’re going up any vertical rock faces requiring technical skills.
Remember, trekking in to your desired destination is optional. Getting back out is mandatory.
Bob Doucette
