From Missouri to central Oklahoma

I woke up discovering that I had drained the car battery when I fell asleep listening to the car radio overnight.  The Junco battery charger wasn't charged enough to jolt my battery back to life.  I walked over to Woods for an early coffee and to see if anyone could help jump my car.  No luck. I had to wait until 8am for a AAA contractor to come by and jolt my battery before leaving the area and heading southeast across Missouri.

It was cool in the morning, but once the rain blew through, the sun came back late in the morning.  The plan to hike 6.7-mile Turkey Pen trail in Ha Ha Tonka was scratched due to muddy trail conditions.  I'll have to do that one next time I make it through the state.  I like driving across Missouri's hilly roads, but today I just wanted to get some distance and make it to Oklahoma.  I did make it to Oklahoma, but I sure did take the long way there!

I had a nice slider lunch at Bricktown Brewery south of Springfield, then walked the Lake Springfield Park trail, a three-mile perimeter trail that went through woodlands and across a wide grassy field that reminded me of a golf course.  I was expecting to see grumpy old men chasing after me with their extended golf clubs.  The lake was mostly hidden by trees and the water smelled of affluent.  The section along the river is also paved.  The path was a nice leg-stretcher, but it's not a destination hike.  It showed up on my Alltrails app as being closeby so I did it.

It was mid afternoon now, and I was ready to head toward Oklahoma, via US60 which went through several small towns and many hills, before the terrain finally flattened out and I knew I was in Oklahoma.  There was no sign welcoming drivers to Oklahoma. I knew I was in the state when I saw several mega-sized  casinos along the way.

Remnants of the great flood of June 2019 still lingered here, as I saw river banks extending well past their shores and into muddy fields. Eastern Oklahoma is great for anglers, but there isn't much for hikers.  I had to wait until I hit the Turkey Mountain Urban Park south of Tulsa before I could say I was impressed with the trail.  I didn't start the trail until after 9pm.  The paved multi-use trail is well-lighted, but the park closes at 11pm and I didn't want to push my luck.  I powerwalked out-and-back for two miles. Other bikes were still coming in either direction.  I will have to come back during the day to better enjoy this park nestled up to the Arkansas River. What I saw impressed me.  Undercover cops patrol this park at all hours of the day and night.

I should have camped out somewhere near Tulsa and driven the rest of the route in the morning.  Instead, I trekked on until I pulled into a dimly-lighted gas station for the night somewhere between Tulsa and Oklahoma City on OK66, along a shaded route of trees and hills I'd have preferred to have seen in daylight.