Turner Falls
Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of my wife's death, and for the first time in the past five years (on this particular date) I didn't really feel bad. I didn't think too much about it, and I didn't feel like crawling under a rock or dying myself. I was actually pretty happy, all things considered.
That thing people say about time healing all wounds; total crap. The wound is always there. It just scars over, you get used to it, and after a while it doesn't hurt so bad.
But I digress. I still felt I had to go away somewhere. I thought I might go someplace to get away from people and spend some time quietly reflecting. I decided that Turner Falls, Oklahoma wasn't too far away, and I'd never been. So, camera in hand, off I took. (Well, there you have it; I live in Texas, close to Oklahoma. For anyone who doesn't know me personally, that's as specific as I'm getting about where I live. What with people being who they are, and the internet being what it is, it's not wise to go around telling everyone exactly where you live. Trust no one.)
Where was I? Oh yes, Turner Falls. If you're looking for a fun place to take the kids, or somewhere you can watch fat chicks, and tattooed rednecks walk around in spaghetti strings, that's the spot. If you want to spend some quiet time reflecting, not so good. I had to climb up a steep one hundred foot hill side to find some of that quiet I was seeking. Not that I minded the climb. Heck no at all! I'm all about climbing mountains and crap. But, I was a tad concerned about running into some Deliverance style hillbillies up in dem dar hills.
That aside, it is a very pretty place, and I did manage to get some good pictures. I wouldn't mind going back on a day when there aren't so many people, and splashing around a bit. The area sits on an interesting geological formation called a karst. This is an area where the bedrock protrudes above ground and has soluble layers, usually of limestone or dolomite. Some areas of karst topography contain literally thousands of caves. Honey Creek, on which the falls sit, springs from the karst, and the water was clear and cool, even though the temperature that day was 104.
That thing people say about time healing all wounds; total crap. The wound is always there. It just scars over, you get used to it, and after a while it doesn't hurt so bad.
But I digress. I still felt I had to go away somewhere. I thought I might go someplace to get away from people and spend some time quietly reflecting. I decided that Turner Falls, Oklahoma wasn't too far away, and I'd never been. So, camera in hand, off I took. (Well, there you have it; I live in Texas, close to Oklahoma. For anyone who doesn't know me personally, that's as specific as I'm getting about where I live. What with people being who they are, and the internet being what it is, it's not wise to go around telling everyone exactly where you live. Trust no one.)
Where was I? Oh yes, Turner Falls. If you're looking for a fun place to take the kids, or somewhere you can watch fat chicks, and tattooed rednecks walk around in spaghetti strings, that's the spot. If you want to spend some quiet time reflecting, not so good. I had to climb up a steep one hundred foot hill side to find some of that quiet I was seeking. Not that I minded the climb. Heck no at all! I'm all about climbing mountains and crap. But, I was a tad concerned about running into some Deliverance style hillbillies up in dem dar hills.
That aside, it is a very pretty place, and I did manage to get some good pictures. I wouldn't mind going back on a day when there aren't so many people, and splashing around a bit. The area sits on an interesting geological formation called a karst. This is an area where the bedrock protrudes above ground and has soluble layers, usually of limestone or dolomite. Some areas of karst topography contain literally thousands of caves. Honey Creek, on which the falls sit, springs from the karst, and the water was clear and cool, even though the temperature that day was 104.
posted by Daniel at
7/28/2006 04:30:00 PM
3 Comments
