National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

In December I went to Oklahoma City for a short visit and while there I toured the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.  I had originally planned the visit just to fill in a little extra time that I had while visiting the City, but the visit turned out to be down right enjoyable. Now a compliment like that from someone who knows absolutely nothing about rodeos or cowboys ranks pretty high up on the list!  There truly is something there for every taste, even if you think you have 'none' you will find yourself surprised at how you enjoy this place.

They have a museum movie which is very nicely done and gives some highlights of things you can spend a little more time with in the museum.  In the far end of the entry you will find a stunning sculpture of 'The End of the Trail'

 
It marks the end of the Trail of Tears.  The exodus of the Native Americans to Oklahoma.

There are several exhibition wings with various items on display.  For example, one wing shows saddles; so many saddles that it boggles the mind.  There are working saddles, parade saddles, ornate saddles and many others from foreign countries and  different cultures.  If you thought you knew about saddles before you walked in; you would be blown away at the variety and workmanship.

Out of one exhibit and into another and you will find yourself looking at horseshoes.  Never could I have imagined that there were so many different kinds and shapes.  Then it is on to ropes, stirrups and lassos; it just goes on and on.  Each area is more interesting than the last.

I wandered down a cowboy hall of fame, sure that I knew no one there...then I saw a very nice bronze statue of Ronald Reagan, so I guess I do know more than Roy Rogers!  Just off to the left was a small circa 1900 Western cattle town aptly named Prosperity Junction...it was like stepping into a time warp.  You really got the feeling that you were visiting a real cattle town;  it was so nicely done.

A little further down the hallway and I found myself in a rodeo exhibition ring complete with bucking broncos, clowns and cowboys everywhere you looked. There was quite a history on display and one could learn a lot here. 

There was also a Native American Gallery, Western Performers Gallery, Joe Grandee Museum of the Frontier West and so much more.

I only spent two and a half hours there but I could have easily spent four or five hours and really learned a lot about this fascinating part of our history.  As a matter of fact, next time I am in Oklahoma City, I will definitely plan another trip.  Because it was winter, I did not get to see any of the beautiful gardens and grounds of the museum.

I did get to see a temporary exhibit of National Geographic Photographs that showed some nostalgic western scenes.  There was no warning not to take photos so here are some of the highlights of that exhibit

 A starry night out in Utah somewhere...

Here is how you hitch a horse to a parking meter...

Cherokee Heritage Museum, Tahlequah, Oklahoma

I visited the Cherokee Heritage Museum and the nearby historical village with my cousin, last week. The Museum building houses an extensive display of the history of events around the Trail of Tears. No pictures are allowed inside the museum. So I asked the fellow I got the tickets from if I could take his picture, reluctantly he said yes, his name is Justin


I usually get annoyed when these limitations are made, but in this case I really felt it was to honor the memory and history of the Cherokee and felt quite good about it. There were more than several videos and interviews with elder tribes-people about the effects of the banishment. It was quite moving. Words cannot describe certain things; it was akin to my first visit to The Wall in Washington DC.

We were allowed to take pictures as we toured the Cherokee Nation Ancient Village, so I got lots. Here, our guide started the tour with a comparison of a summer house and a winter house (in various stages of completeness) It seems each family had one of each and they usually sat next to each other. She did not explain why, but I suspect it had a lot to do with the weather conditions. The peaked house is the summer one; the other is winter.


Several native Cherokee men work on making arrowheads and arrows. The fellow making arrowheads was very good at the craft and was more than willing to show all the intricacies involved in making one from a rough stone.
We also saw a demonstration of how blow guns are made, along with the ammunition and a demonstration of actual use. They use deer sinew to affix fur to one end of the arrow. The fur fits snugly in the blow gun and one strong blast of breath send it to its target. Silently and deadly.
There was also a demonstration of the double sided basket weaving that is a trait of the Cherokee.
If you find yourself in northeastern Oklahoma, I highly recommend visiting this treasure.

Kayaking the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma

The weather forecast for mid eighties and no rain was all I needed to hear for me to decide to take a kayak trip down the lower Illinois River at Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It is 68 miles of crystal clear water and class 2 rapids. It has been several years since I visited this river but it was still very nice. The water temps were perfect for paddling with my feet in the water.

On this trip I noticed that there are very large fish in this river. I mean really big; at least 2 feet and several different kinds, but I am not a fish expert so I don't know which ones I saw. I looked up some propaganda on the river and found out that it is stocked every other week in July and the listed fish were: rainbow and brown trout, record stripers (those were probably the huge ones I saw!), walleye, crappie catfish and bass. I was amazed that I saw only two fishermen during my 12 mile trip!

I was using a sit on top kayak, something I have never done before. If you are on a very calm river they are fun, but I would not want on if the water were just a deeper or rougher.

The only complaint that I have is that the river banks were littered with pop bottles and the like. It was very discouraging to see that people come to enjoy the river and leave their garbage strewn all over. If I had a bag I would have picked some of it up, it was truly disgusting. Maybe I will ask the outfitters to give bags to the folks who float so they can help put it back to its pristine condition again...

here are a couple of shots I got along the way; my camera is not waterproof, so I only got a couple.

I did not get any shots of the fish, but the turtles were nothing to sneeze at either...Here are three huge ones in and among the fallen trees, click for larger views



When I got home I noticed that my sunflowers finally bloomed!