Milestones
- 8th U.S. state camped (SHOW ON MAP)
- Part of my 3rd Annual “Bike-A-Palooza” (SEE the Whole Trip)
Camping in Old Mountains
Turner Falls is one of Oklahoma’s tallest waterfalls, dropping 77 feet into a natural swimming pool. Turner Falls Park is located in the Arbuckle Mountains. These mountains are the oldest known formations in the United States between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. The granite rocks of the Arbuckles date back to the Precambrian Eon some 1.4 billion years ago.
My family wanted to join me for a BBQ. It was great fun. We had flame-broiled kabobs and burgers. Fantastic!
The bees and flies were expert pests. They harassed us mercilessly, until we took away their access to food and drink. Then we were left in peace. The weather was cool and comfortable.
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I never saw any other campers. I heard a few rowdy people a ways away, but they eventually got tired and went to bed.
I’m pretty sure I heard these wind machines turning all night long. I couldn’t figure out the source of the humming, until I got up the next day and saw these over the next hill.
A Family Tradition…
Much of my family has visited Turner Falls over the years. My Grandmother (Dera Romine) had a photo album with the following pictures:
Nice to see the old photos! Great place for a picnic, and nice your family could be there.
Old pic’s very cool.
Great pictures Van! Everyone of them sparkles with family memories. Dad and I dated a couple of years before we married and one in particular was a picnic lunch at Turner Falls. It was crowded and hot, kids splashing in the water, campers and day trippers all around with the falls a cooling backdrop. It was 1960. We didn’t take any photos but the memories are etched in my mind.