Pondering A Labor Day Weekend Visit To Turner Falls Park In Oklahoma With A Stop For Coffee At WinStar World Casino

In the picture you are looking at the biggest waterfall in Oklahoma.

Turner Falls.

In Turner Falls Park in Davis, Oklahoma.

That is my little head barely out of the water, directly under the raging water of Turner Falls.

The visit to Turner Falls Park that found me getting wet was during a very HOT August day in the year 2000.

A couple years after that visit to Turner Falls Park I returned, with Gar the Texan, on a cold winter day, with that cold winter day being the first Saturday of the new year of 2002.

I know the precise date of that winter visit to Turner Falls because I just looked at the Turner Falls Park in Winter webpage I made documenting that visit.

On the winter visit to Turner Falls there was a lot more water raging over the falls than there was during the August visit. So much water was flowing through Honey Creek that it was flooding over one of the creek crossings one crosses to get to Turner Falls.

The reason Turner Falls Park came to mind this morning is I noticed a HUGE jump in visits to my Turner Falls Park webpage when I checked my website stats.

For a second or two I wondered why there was a Turner Falls Park webpage visitor's spike. Then I remembered this is Labor Day Weekend.

Turner Falls Park will likely be packed with visitors this Labor Day Weekend, to the point access may be denied to late comers. It is a big park, but there is only so much parking in the park.

A Labor Day Weekend drive up to Turner Falls Park sounds like a really fine time. With a stop at WinStar World Casino on the way north, or the way back south. WinStar World Casino has one of the best buffets I have ever buffeted at. With what may be the most tasty coffee I have ever tasted.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head On The Tandy Hills While I Think About Drinking The Best Coffee In The World In Oklahoma

In the picture it is a little after noon looking west from the Tandy Hills at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, with a rare shroud of cloud overhead.

That shroud of cloud had a few raindrops falling on my head, but not enough to dampen my regular overly sunny disposition.

The hills were cooled to the low 80s today. Very pleasant. The outer world has since heated up to around 94, coming up on 4 in the afternoon.

It is highly unlikely today will hit the 100 degree mark. So, maybe the HOT nonsense is over for the year.

Changing the subject from HOT temperatures to HOT coffee.

Of late I've found the need to amp up my coffee consumption to counter going in to low energy mode in the late afternoon. I have never learned to make good tasting coffee.

I do not mind my bad tasting coffee in the morning when it is primarily used for perk me up purposes. But, in the afternoon, I would like coffee that tasted better.

Years ago I met up with Miss Chris McMoosejaw up at the WinStar Casino in Oklahoma to have a very long lunch at the buffet. After the buffeting was done we had coffee. We ended up staying there at least 3 hours drinking coffee. With us both being from the Coffee Capital of the World, that being the Pacific Northwest zone centered around Seattle, we know good coffee.

We both agreed that coffee we were drinking in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma was the best we'd ever had. Eventually the nice Okie who kept our cups filled fetched us the information as to what brand of coffee it was we were drinking and how it was brewed. That information has been lost in the fog of time.

Sometime after that first exposure to the best coffee in the world I returned to WinStar with another Pacific Northwest coffee drinker. Again the Okie coffee was proclaimed to be the best ever.

I must remember to Google for "good coffee" after I'm done blogging and drinking this bad coffee I've currently brewed.

Turner Falls Park in Oklahoma On The 4th Of July

That is me and Big Ed sitting outside Outlaw Cave at Turner Falls Park in Oklahoma.

I'm thinking Turner Falls Park might be a fun 4th of July destination. Going to Turner Falls is always a nice escape from Texas.

First off, it's in Oklahoma, which is not Texas.

Second off, Turner Falls is in a sort of mountain-like zone called the Arbuckle Mountains. My zone of Texas is mountain free.

Third off, there is the waterfall. I do not know where the closest Texas waterfall to my current Texas location might be. Pedernales Falls down by Austin? I have no idea.

If I go to Turner Falls on the 4th of July I'll be able to do some pleasant swimming in the pleasantly temperatured water of crystal clear Honey Creek.

And do some hiking on semi-mountain trails. Run up the stairs of the castle. I recollect straining my shins real bad doing that on a previous Turners Falls winter excursion.

Exploring Outlaw Cave is not all that much of a spelunking adventure. It is no Carlsbad Caverns. Or Lava Beds National Monument. But it does require some flexibility and a willingness to crawl.

The world's 5th biggest casino, WinStar World Casino Resort is on the way to Turner Falls Park. I'm thinking, either pack a picnic or stop at WinStar for their buffet. The picnic option seems to sound more like a 4th of July thing to do than a casino buffet.

I don't know how anyone could have any trouble finding Turner Falls Park. But if you are one of those who require a map to find anything, I've made one that will show you where to find Turner Falls.

Turner Falls Park In The Arbuckle Mountains In Oklahoma

Every year around this time the number one most visited page on my Eyes on Texas website becomes Turner Falls Park in Oklahoma.

Apparently a lot of people want to visit a waterfall, rare in these parts, see some mountain scenery. Also rare. Go swimming in the crystal clear water of Honey Creek. Go hiking, cave and castle exploring. Do some camping. Stay in a cabin. Or just go for the day for a picnic.

Turner Falls Park has several concession stands selling a variety of good stuff. Like snow cones. And other edibles.

On weekends you'll find arts and crafters selling their wares.

The first time I drove north, out of Texas, crossing the Red River to Oklahoma and then north past Ardmore, I was perplexed at signage indicating I was passing over or through something called the Arbuckle Mountains. Mountains? I saw no mountains. The freeway has a scenic overlook. I stopped. I saw nothing scenic.

And then, on an August Saturday, early in this century, Turner Falls was the destination. Turner Falls is only a few miles west of Interstate 35. Soon after you exit the freeway you find yourself surprised by what amounts to being sort of scaled down mountain type scenery. Complete with a mountain type, twisting and turning road.

You come to an overlook which looks down on Turner Falls. That is that view, zoomed in the photo at the top.

Back during the Great Depression the CCC built trails in Turner Falls Park, including a rock trail that leads from the overlook to the Honey Creek valley below. This is one of several locations in the Turner Falls zone that are not comfortable for anyone with any degree of acrophobia.

In summer Turner Falls falls a bit less water than it does after a heavy winter rain. When I saw Turner Falls in August the falls was a pleasant trickle that you could swim under. When I saw Turner Falls in winter that same activity would have likely been not a good idea.

That is Turner Falls in August in the picture, being a pleasant trickle of a waterfall. That is yours truly being that little pinhead in the water, with the falls hitting me.

I have met locals who claim to have never seen a waterfall. I've also met locals who claim they've never ventured north to Oklahoma. I've also met locals who claim they've never seen a mountain.

I'm thinking if you are a local, as in Texan, and have never seen a waterfall, mountain or Oklahoma, have yourself a fun daytrip and head north to the Arbuckle Mountains this summer.

Heading to Turner Falls you'll drive right by the 5th biggest casino in the world, that being WinStar World Resort Casino, just a couple miles north of the Texas/Oklahoma border. It was in that casino I had the best coffee I have ever tasted. And a really good buffet.

Saturday Night At WinStar World Casino Resort With Four Tops, Temptations, Monopoly, A Prius & Delores de Loca

That is not the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel you're looking at. The ceiling you're looking at is not in Italy, it's in Oklahoma, in the WinStar World Casino Resort. Or, is the proper word order WinStar World Resort Casino?

I'll find the answer to that question tonight.

Yes, I am heading north, across the Red River, to Oklahoma and the town of Thackerville.

Yesterday Miss Tex-Mex, aka Delores de Loca, called to tell me she had tickets to see The Four Tops & The Temptations, tonight, at WinStar.

I am not a huge fan of going to music concert type things. Particularly to listen to bands whose heyday was long ago, about whom I do not remember a single song.

Recently, as in the past day or two, somewhere I read someone being all excited because Crosby, Stills & Nash was coming to their middle of nowhere town. That sounds wrong. Is it Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young? Anyway, I remember them as a band from long ago, back in the 60s or 70s.

Summer of 2004 I was in Tacoma and got one of those offers you can't refuse type deals, to go see the band called America playing at the Puyallup's Emerald Queen Casino. America had a hit, decades ago, I think the name of the song was "A Horse With No Brain" or something like that.

I managed to weasel out of being subjected to America.

So, why am I agreeing to head north to see The Four Tops & The Temptations? Well, Miss de Loca has a Prius. I have ridden in a Prius, previously. But I've never had the fun of driving one.

Plus, going to the WinStar buffet was thrown into the offer. I've not been to WinStar World Casino Resort since it was hugely expanded into the 5th biggest casino in the world. The original WinStar configuration had one of the best casino buffets I've ever been to. And that covers an awful lot of casino buffets. Plus, the WinStar buffet had the absolute best coffee I have ever had in a restaurant.

Since I was last at WinStar the Oklahoma Casinos have grown up into being real casinos with real slot machines. Before that WinStar had these make believe type slot machines that I found confusing and bizarre. I am not a big fan of gambling in any form, but the new type slot machines, that I've played in Washington Casinos, are entertaining. They are more like video games than slot machines. I'm assuming this is what is in WinStar World Casino currently.

So, I may be playing some Monopoly tonight. The casino version of Monopoly that I've played in Washington Casinos, like the Muckleshoot and Emerald Queen, is very entertaining.

Wish me luck...

Befuddled In Texas By Oklahoma Casinos

So far today, this second Friday of this year's July, things have not gone well. Up to the point where I tried to go up to Oklahoma to a couple casinos, those being the WinStar World Casino and the Riverwind Casino, I was having me a good day.

I was in the pool early, the water about the same temperature as the air. I just remembered, the bad Friday started off bad way before the pool. I must have temporarily blocked the trauma from my memory.

I got up, made coffee and about 5 minutes later was sitting in front of the computer monitor. I took a sip of coffee and something other than coffee floated into my mouth. I spit it out. I could not find whatever it was. My worst case scenario is it was a cockroach. But I found no evidence.

So, a couple hours after possibly having a cockroach in my mouth, I decided to make some webpages about Oklahoma casinos. I make these things for purely non-altruistic reasons. Usually I whip them out, slap ads on them and am done with it. But it was one screw up after another. Like the Riverwind Casino. A couple weeks ago I'd made a webpage about Riverbend in Oklahoma. I kept changing Riverwind to Riverbend. You would think this is no big deal, but after you've slapped the wrong name on multiple pages, it is a big deal.

And then, somehow I put the Riverwind info on the WinStar page, and vice versa. That also sounds like no big deal, but trust me, it was very befuddling.

I made a map for the Riverwind one. After it had uploaded I saw I'd turned it into Riverbend. This involved re-doing the map in a photo program. Sounds like no big deal, and it did only take about a minute, but it's just the making the same mistake over and over again thing is annoying. Very annoying.

I have not been up to the WinStar since its name change from plain ol' WinStar to WinStar World Casino. I knew they had expanded the thing, but I had no idea it is now the world's 5th biggest casino. I really have trouble believing that. I have been in some pretty big casinos.

I'd not been in the WinStar since several years ago when Chris, then living in Ada, met me there to go to the buffet. At that point in time the WinStar building was a tent-like building. It looked very cheap. Now it looks like real buildings. And is huge. Themed, with 6 of the 10 casino plazas making like you are in a foreign city. You can walk from Vienna to Rome to Madrid to Paris, then cross the channel to London, before you take a long flight to Beijing.

The new WinStar sounds sorta fun. But I know I'd be disappointed and regret it later. I always am and I always do. Usually. I think maybe I'll go hike the Tandy Hills and see if that improves me foul mood.

The WinStar is not far from my location. About an hour and a half drive, a mile across the Red River and the Oklahoma border. Below is a video that takes you on a virtual tour of the WinStar World Casino. Who wants to meet me there for lunch?