Rush Springs

Destination: Rush Springs 

Home of the Annual Watermelon Festival

Miles Logged: 71 miles

 

From Porter Hill, rode out to Fletcher and Cyril. When you get to the second stop sign in Cyril continue straight. There are some fun curves. Watch out for that stop sign on the last curve. Turn right and you're back on your way to Cement. And, from Cement to HWY 81 there are also a couple of fun curves.

Both the annual watermelon festival and a fresh water spring can be found in Rush Springs' park. Riding through Rush Springs (a school, a post office, a bed and breakfast, and a library) you'll find the park on the left. The water tastes much better than from the springs in Sulphur.

OK History Lesson: Rush Springs, OK

Back in the 1850s, the Wichita had a village near the springs on Rush Creek. In 1858, the U.S. army launched a surprise attack on Comanches camping close to the area, known as the Battle of the Wichita, leaving 70+ Comanches dead. The Wichita relocated to Fort Arbuckle. By the 1870, a railroad made it to the Choctaw Nation, and supplies for Fort Sill were transported through Rush Springs. A post office was established at a local ranch, and once the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway came in 1892 the post office was relocated into what is now the town of Rush Springs. The town was incorporated in 1898. It's been hosting the watermelon festival every year since the 1940s.

 

Picture courtesy of Mac Vincent. Please click on his name for more info on Rush Springs as well as more awesome historic pictures!

0-200 kmh in 8.6 seconds

I want this bike! 155 HP.Not for town cruising, though

OK Rider Meet and Greet

Destination: Blanchard

Miles logged: 170ish

Headed out to Blanchard for a Meet and Greet with some other Okie riders. Had some awesome food, drinks, and company. Hope to do it again soon. Got off to a late start, and stopped in Apache. Kind of lollygagged a bit... Which kind of made us a tad bit late...like an hour.

So on the way there we saw this totally cool old fire truck:

On the way back, we got on HWY 8. Hadn't been on it in a while. Nice hill country, and two fun sweeper curves that would be a blast to ride when there's day light to see through the turn.

Going through Verden, it's best to watch that you stay at the 35mph speed limit.

Lake Altus

Destination: Altus

Miles Logged: 150ish

Another beautiful January Sunday in Oklahoma. The sun's out (well, kind of), so it's time for a ride.

After about 10 miles, the sun began to waiver, and once the Quartz Mtns were in sight, the sun was replaced by a haze. Would have gone exploring, but someone couldn't take another minute without a hot cup of coffee. The things I forgot to pack...

On the way back, I totally copped out and hit a boring hwy. At least for a few miles. I think it's time to invest in some nice warm gloves for next winter.

"I've been to Nowhere, OK."

And, yes, there is a T-shirt. No, I did not buy it. I know, I know. Shame on me.

Destination: Nowhere

Miles Logged: 88ish

Rode out through Apache to Fort Cobb, Nowhere, and Fort Cobb State Park. Heading back, went west on HWY 9 to Carnegie, and hit HWY 115 back to Meers. It was pretty chilly and a long coffee break was certainly called for.

At the Lake Fort Cobb, there were literally thousands of geese. Family Reunion, or something... I honestly cannot remember a whole lot from this ride. All I remember is that it was extremely COLD!!! Someone came across my blog by searching for "weird things at the bottom of Lake Fort Cobb." Hm. Maybe I should do some research because curiosity just killed my "I don't really care" cat.

This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!

2011

The Beginning of another awesome year!

Got to kick off 2011 right, so a ride was called for. I only managed to convince one other rider to join me. It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining and for some odd reason there was very little wind. Perfect for a ride. Granted, it was a tad bit chilly...

Rode out through Lawton, Cache, the Refuge, and up Mt. Scott.

Can't wait to see what adventures 2011 has in store for Blueberry and me.

Feelin' awfully Chatty

Destination: Chattanooga



Finally, an update (kinda). Hit the road to Chatty, OK. From Chatty, continued south on 36. And, decided to check out Loveland. Good to note: just because a town has a big sign, doesn't mean a thing. Loveland is located in the midst of many cotton fields and gravel roads. Funny thing is that Loveland actually has paved roads... for its 10 (or so) people. Chatty's about 24 miles southwest of Lawton when passing through Faxon.



The town originated in 1901 and was named after the founder's hometown in Tennessee. Chatty remained an agricultural community with a steady population. Check out Chatty's website.



OK History Lesson: Loveland

Loveland was founded in July 1908 as Harriston. The name was rejected and Loveland was chosen. Loveland seemed to reach its population peak around 1912 with a population of approx. 300. The grain elevators were still in operation until the 1990s. The town had a train depot, a newspaper, and school along with its post office. Last high school class graduated in '57.

It was five miles of gravely hell to get to Loveland. My guess is that a new layer of gravel had been put on. I never thought my bike would overheat in December, but it sure did. After slowly creeping to Loveland, I was surprised to find paved roads in a little semi-abandoned community.

More pictures can be found on WGR's Facebook.

Wichita Mtns

Destination: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

From Meers to Medicine Park (including Mt. Scott) 66 miles

Yet, another detour...

So my ride started out by Meers. I took a left onto HWY 115 (yes, once again I find myself on 115) and headed into the Refuge. I turned right onto HWY 49 and rode it right out of the refuge. Some fun curves once one's passed that last cattle-gate. Took HWY 54 down to 62. Reaching Indiahoma, I took a left and rode back into the refuge past Job Corps. Fun road! Just that the speedlimt is 25...And, it gets a traveler out to the refuge headquarters. Ah...the memories of... Um, never mind.

Took a right and headed back towards Medicine Park. Mt. Scott is worth a drive up for the view, so be sure to ride up the refuge's 2nd tallest "mountain."



Awesome hiking opportunites.



Medicine Park Car Show 2010

Rode to check out the street-rod show out in Medicine Park yesterday. If you weren't able to check it out for yourself, here's a little teaser of what you missed. More pictures are posted on WGR's Facebook page.

Have to say, though, I found that the turnout last year was better.

My rides have kept me out towards Medicine Park and the Refuge. And, I'm hoping to get the new tires put on this week. Because, I'd say it's about time for some new rubber...