Oct 9 Ride (with Pics) in western OK.

[trumpetguy]

A couple of weeks ago, I made a solo ride through western Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Saturday, my wife went with me and we visited one of the locations I had seen on the earlier ride -- Cheyenne, OK.

We stopped at the City Park to have a picnic lunch and took pictures of some of the flowers still blooming in October.

We also looked around at the complex of museums, pretty amazing for a small town. There is a log cabin, a restored Santa Fe RR depot, a one-room schoolhouse, a country church, and an early home, all moved to the site from their original locations and restored. In addition, there is a Veteran's Museum and a Pioneer Museum with great displays. The museums were closed (sign said open, but they weren't) so we couldn't go in.

 

[trumpetguy]

After a quick fuel stop, we headed just outside of town to the National Park Service's Black Kettle Visitor Center near the site of the Battle of the Wash1ta (fie on the profanity filter here, which won't even allow the spelling of a non-profane geographical location!).

We then rode 1/2 mile to the site of the Battle itself, in which Custer and some of the 7th Cavalry staged a pre-dawn raid on the sleeping Cheyenne village of Chief Black Kettle and slaughtered 40 or so Cheyenne, many shot in the back, and many of whom were women and children. Ironically and tragically, the village was the wrong one. The village containing the raiding Cheyenne warriors that was supposed to be the target of Custer's attack was several miles away.

At the battle site, we took a hike on the Interpretive Trail, which weaves through the village and points out significant parts of the battle site.

There were many wildflowers still in bloom:

The Wash1ta River near the massacre site:

The water is very clear this time of year.

One of the ridges behind which Custer's troops hid until dawn:

Tall prairie grass near the area where the 875 ponies owned by Black Kettle's village were slaughtered by Custer's men.

Native sunflower (about 7 feet tall):

 

[trumpetguy]

Fall foliage is beginning to be colorful in western Oklahoma:

The best part of the trip was my wife saying, "I think I'm about ready to go on a long bike trip with you."

 

[Allie]

Wow! Thanks for the moto photo journal, I love being able to 'travel' that way! Best to you and your wife on future journeys

 

[Steve]

Nice report there, trumpetguy. :clap: :clap:

Just goes to show others that western OK is not all desert and desolation.

.

 

[7981GS]

Thanks for sharing your journey.

Daniel

 

[cowboyup3371]

Great pictures...Thank you again

 

[DanTheMan]

Nice report there, trumpetguy. :clap: :clap:

Just goes to show others that western OK is not all desert and desolation.

.

My wife said it looks desolate to her. Did you see any operating gas stations or restaurants in those scenery shots? She said it looked just like my ND/MT/UT traveling photos.... I know she'd be worrying about where the gas station might be......:-\\\

She did give very large bonus points for the flower pictures, but when she saw your wife was riding pillion, she figured there was a little added push to take those photos instead of vehicle and interesting old structure photos..........

 

[trumpetguy]

My wife said it looks desolate to her. Did you see any operating gas stations or restaurants in those scenery shots? She said it looked just like my ND/MT/UT traveling photos.... I know she'd be worrying about where the gas station might be......:-\\\

She did give very large bonus points for the flower pictures, but when she saw your wife was riding pillion, she figured there was a little added push to take those photos instead of vehicle and interesting old structure photos..........

LOL

I don't like taking pictures with man-made structures if I can avoid it! Those look the same EVERYWHERE! Nature is different everywhere, even if only a little different. Less than two miles from all the photos is the small town of Cheyenne with a couple of motels, a couple of restaurants, two operating gas stations, and even flush toilets!

Occasionally I'll take photos of interesting old buildings, but new ones are so generic. Maybe that's why I like my old motorcycle, too -- it's not generic!