31 October 2009

SEASON FINALE Part 2

Welcome to part two of Land of the Zia season finale.

My last major trip of the season took me again to Oklahoma. Having found a great cabin on Keystone Lake and searched for buffalo we had a great meal at McNellies Public House in Tulsa. I highly recommend the grilled and seasoned salmon!!

Saturday night was a lot of fun! My main reason for going to OK this time was to see the DriveBy Truckers LIVE at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa.

Cains is noted for being the 'Home of Bob Wills' and if you don't know who Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys were you're missing out.






The opening act was James McMurtry, son of Larry McMurtry of Lonesome Dove, Hud and Brokeback Mountain fame.

He put on a smokin' show.

The main event; however, was the DriveBy's and they rocked the house.




















The other main event of the trip was to attend the Oklahoma City Halloween Parade aka GHOULS GONE WILD!!

My buddy T-Rob reported on it last year for this blog but I wanted to see it first hand.



There were plenty of classic cars and bands playing live on rolling floats. Lots of costumes, food vendors, souvenir tents....



...and of course...ZOMBIES!!!

The main event being the march of 1000 Flaming Skeletons. This was VERY cool to see. The end of the parade had Flaming Lips front man Wayne Coyne in his infamous giant bubble.





















The parade took place in downtown Oklahoma City.

We decided to walk a street over to the Oklahoma City Memorial where Timothy McVeigh blew up the federal building. For a full report see my link to the right from my last visit to OKC.





The chairs represent all the lives lost in that tragic event. The smaller chairs represent the children lost.





Never forget.


And so ends season four of Land of the Zia...can you believe it??

It has been a GREAT year and I'm very glad you could come along with me as I explore the great southwest.

Winter in northern New Mexico can be rather harsh but southern New Mexico can be nice. Although I don't have any major excursions planned...you never know when I might get the itch to just....drive....

Next up a recap of the year.

I'm out.

30 October 2009

One Of Our Buffalo Is Missing



Hello everyone, welcome to the Season 4 Finale of Land of the Zia.

My last major adventure of the season took me again to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma IS ok!!

Rather than stay at a hotel, the ever industrious T-Rob found some awesome cabins on Lake Keystone just outside of Tulsa, and man what a COOOL! place.



The view from the porch.







Having explored the cabin and the woods around it, we headed to a very cool place north of Tulsa near the Oklahoma/Kansas border...





The Tallgrass Prairie Reserve is the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left on Earth, encompassing 39,000 acres in what was the original tallgrass region of the Great Plains that stretched from Texas to Manitoba.




There are some great hiking trails.











Our main reason for visiting the preserve was to see the reported 2600 bison that roam free among the grasslands.

This is the only one we saw.




We saw lots of bison droppings but that is about it.

So I ask, where do you hide 2600 bison??

All the docent at the visitors center could say was...

"They're around here ...somewhere."

...to be continued...

I'm out.


29 October 2009

Damn you, Jack Frost!!!



"...Oh the weather outside is frightful......"

Autumn is only a month old and Jack Frost trying to muscle his way into MY favorite season!!! Arrrgh.

Yeah, we got snow today. Yes its cold!!! And yes, this is New Mexico in October!!

I'm ready for spring!!


27 October 2009

filler

Please enjoy this musical selection while I upload the final major post of the season...I LOVE this guy.

Ladies and gents, Bonnie Prince Billy:


26 October 2009

home.

'nuff said.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - PART DEAUX

Hey everyone help me wish JOE of MIND THAT BEAR fame (see link to the right) the HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS!!!! Congrats Joe you win a FREE trip around the sun WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

TOUCHDOWN - HOUSTON

Just landed in Houston, raining and socked in. Hope I can fly out.

I AM GOODBYE

Sigh...at the OKC airport...another adventure come and gone and the last one of the year at that. Waiting on a jet plane to Houston then on to Albuquerque. Hopefully first post tonight.

Mood: somber yet content.

9am Monday

Last day at our cabin overlooking Keystone Lake and I don't want to leave....ugh   ...I roll over and pull the quilt over my head...

25 October 2009

DBT! DBT!! DBT!

Drive By Truckers LIVE @ Cains Ballroom in Tulsa -- my ears are STILL RINGIIIIIING!!

Buffalo Hunters

In Pawhuska, OK near the Kansas border looking for bison. No luck...dang. Where the hell do you hide 2600 bison???

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Hey everyone,  I want you to help me wish my buddy Kevin aka K-Mo, the happiest of birthdays. YOU GO K-MO!

24 October 2009

OKLAHOMA IS OK



HELLO EVERYONE. I'm here on location in Oklahoma City. I just ran into 1000 FLAMING ZOMBIES - NO LIE!!! I will have a full report when I get back in town. Tomorrow: Tulsa bound.

23 October 2009

Desert of Color



The day after witnessing the sun set on the Grand Canyon we headed to a very unique national park: Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert.

Located east of Winslow, Az near Holbrook, AZ the park is best viewed around sunset when the suns rays shine on the various land formations creating amazing images.





































We were fortunate enough AGAIN to see the sunset.








"(...national parks are) the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than at our worst." -- Wallace Stegner, writer and historian.

"There ought to be a law against anybody going to Europe until they had seen the things we have in this country." -- Will Rogers

www.nps.gov/pefo

post script:

Well folks, I'm off for my last trip of the year. Tune in next week for a full report and the season finale of Land of the Zia.

I'm out.