I feel like a cat. I've lived through several lives: stay-at-home mom, elementary music teacher, theater photographer and now travel writer. I had visions of writing epics about grand trips but my first editor asked for Oklahoma destinations. Although my writing has extended to all 50 states and a number of foreign countries, I'm still learning about Oklahoma and love sharing my discoveries. In addition to my Edmond Sun column, my articles have appeared in AAA publications, the Oklahoman, Oklahoma Living, Association News and others. I've written two books, Insiders' Guide to Tulsa and More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Missouri Women. , ridden in hot air balloons, helicopters and a glider, but I draw the line at bungee jumping.
Oklahoma – where the winds do, indeed, come sweeping down the plains. But to the surprise of many people, Oklahoma is more than plains. The state boasts 11 distinct ecosystems offering just about everything except snow skiing and deep-sea fishing. The sun shines an estimated 234 days a year making outdoor activities a pleasure. Museums, galleries, shops and entertainment venues...
With the oil boom of the early 1900s, once-sleepy Tulsa went uptown fast. Overnight millionaires wanted a town to compete with world capitals. Tulsa became the Oil Capital of the World and the city stepped out in style. The big players have moved on but the style stays. Downtown is spiked with Art Deco towers. The largest art museums are legacies...
Compared to the Rockies, Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains are molehills. They barely scrape up enough height to meet the standard definition. Three hundred million years ago, these mountains were much higher. Huge granite boulders, formed deep in the earth even more millions of years ago now constitute the major features of the range. Wichita Mountains: Medicine Park The area is home...
Guthrie was Oklahoma’s first capital city. With a “bang” the race was on as thousands of people, lined up along the borders of the Unassigned Lands, ran or rode the train, horses or bicycles for a piece of what would become central Oklahoma. Surveyors had already plotted out city lots in Guthrie and the town was born. That was April...
Choctaw Country, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, is one of the most beautiful areas of the state. Rolling, old mountains, clear, blue Broken Bow Lake, the rushing Mountain Fork River – all make this area an appealing getaway. A tiny micro-climate in the very southeastern tip borrows attractions from southern bayous. This used to be considered Oklahoma’s boondocks – and...
What changed Oklahoma City from a sleepy, stodgy town into an exciting place to visit? Beginning in 1993, Oklahoma Citians voted to tax themselves to fund projects to revitalize the city. The success was so striking that voters extended the program twice. The result is a city so cool it has been listed in National Geographic Traveler’s list of 20...
We call it the Plains. But early explorers looked at the vast sweep of treeless prairie between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and dubbed it the Great American Desert. While it technically encompasses about a third of the U.S. and a good bit of central Canada, the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma are...
It has to be Oklahoma. Face it, the press we get is usually for a tornado, earthquake or goofy politician. Not that we don’t have those — we do! But the state is full of interesting things to do, beautiful sights to see and wonderful people to meet. The pace is relaxed and a visit won’t break your budget.
So many – but the most meaningful one was when I traveled with an Oklahoma choir to Italy. We prepared a concert – a Dvorak mass – with a choir in Siena. We’d visited the Duomo that afternoon – the cathedral was fairly dark. We couldn’t even see the ceiling but the striped marble pillars and patterned marble floor were impressive. That night (with full orchestra) as we began the “Hosanna” section of the mass, the lights on the ceiling went on, revealing a beautiful blue heaven studded with gold stars. It took my breath away. It was the moment of a lifetime.
No, but close. Unless something is a total rip-off, I just won’t write about it. I leave it out and write about the good experiences available. I don’t waste words on bad experiences and I know every place can have a bad day. I’d rather give positive alternatives.
I’ve learned that the ambiance is more important than the attractions. I spend more time just walking the streets, people watching and interacting with locals. Often, instead of going to a museum, I’ll go to a grocery store or market. I travel optimistically — expecting to see good things and meet good people. I find you get what you look for.