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Washita NWR: Centennial Trail
Washita National Wildlife Refuge, OK, March 2025 The state park and campgrounds are on the south eastern edge of Foss lake, and Washita National Wildlife Refuge is on the north western edge of Foss Lake. We had to go to Washita NWR because they have a cancel stamp for the national parks book. Sadly, the…
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On the Right Tracks …
Foss State Park, OK, March 2025 Foss State Park has a lot of red clay, so many of the animal tracks are pretty clearly captured in the red soil. After looking through animal track identification pages, this is probably a raccoon track. Those should be the two fore feet of a raccoon. We saw many…
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Turkey Mountain
Tulsa, OK, November 2024 It was a nice day and we needed some sun, so we went to Turkey Mountain to hike a few miles. Turkey Mountain is an Urban Wilderness setup on the west side of Tulsa for hiking and mountain biking. It is part of the River Parks system; the home page is…
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Proof of Ancient Aliens at Devil’s Den, AR
West Fork, AR, November 2024 Devil’s Den State Park in Arkansas is a hotbed of UFO sightings. Here we can see where the ancient aliens carved glyphs into the rocks of Devil’s Den. I can only assume that they carry the same deep meaningful sentiments as human graffiti. Things like: On a more serious note,…
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Huh, I wonder if this was the first Capsule Hotel?
West Fork, AR, November 2024 This natural formation on the Devil’s Den hiking trail has an irregular, but striking resemblance to a Japanese Capsule Hotel. I guess that cave in the upper left is the deluxe capsule room? Capsule hotels are not unique to Japan, but Japan is probably best known for them. They tend…
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Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence, KS
Clinton State Park, KS, October 2024 The Prairie Park Nature Center is listed as one of the “Things To Do” in Lawrence, KS. We were not expecting much, so we were pleasantly surprised when it turned out better than expected. The nature center has more animals and animal artifacts than any other nature center we…
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Clinton State Park: White and Blue Trail
Lawrence, KS A nice aspect of Clinton State Park is that there are about 25 miles of hiking and biking trails between the state park and the neighboring Corps of Engineers Overlook Park. I walked on about 2.5 miles of the white and blue trails on the north shore of the lake. For the most…
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Dolliver Memorial State Park in Lehigh, Iowa
Dolliver Memorial State Park, IA, October 2024 Dolliver overlooks the Des Moines River Valley south of Fort Dodge and north of Lehigh in Iowa. It is unique in Iowa for its natural canyon bluffs, natural geologic formations, flatlands, and Native American mounds. The park has a campground, but there are only 30 short electric sites.…
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Kennekuk County Park with 1000 gallon tank!
Vermillion County Illinois used to be known for coal mines and manufacturing. When the coal mining ended and manufacturing decreased, parks were created. Kennekuk Park boasted a 1000-gallon aquarium. This sounds huge but turns out to not be as big as you think. Can you find the fish? The park also boasts Lake Mingo, multiple…
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Heron County Park with tower, boardwalk, etc. But where’s the Herons?
Heron County Park is in Vermillion County and started opened 2004. The park came about when Aqua Illinois, Inc. donated the land to the county. In 1992, the water was increased by 4 1/2 feet and a 950 foot boardwalk was built at a cost of $145,000. After that a 30+ foot observation tower was…