Perspective (Wind Turbines)

Within the last 5 years several wind turbines have "sprung up" in Oklahoma. Since the area is fairly flat (read "Great Plains") and windy (typically 15 to 40 mph) the wind turbines are an energy efficient method of generating electricity. (All photos copyright by Dave Miller).

Even up close, it's hard to get a sense of how huge these really are.



This shot shows the sense of size the best. The "small" windmill (about 40 ft tall) was about 200 yards closer to me than the wind turbine when I took the picture.

Wichita Mountains #2

Another trip to the Wichita Mountains.... These are are the closest thing to mountains that Oklahoma has. They don't begin to compare with the mountains of Colorado, New Mexico, or Alaska but still are fun to hike through and have some great rappelling spots. (All photos copyright by Dave Miller).



Views from Mt. Scott

The area in the top portion of the photo is representative of much of Oklahoma (incredibly FLAT!!!)


Wilderness Area:
Each of the "rocks" (read BOULDERS) on top of the hill in the distance are are larger than most 2 story homes here in Oklahoma.

Ryan pretending to lift one of the mammoth rocks.

Big Rocks (Wichita Mountains, Wildlife Refuge)

These scenic shots were taken in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma.


I admit, the "rocks" don't look all that impressive from here...


I think that's close enough now.


OK now, I said that was close enough.....


Alrighty then... I'm outta here!

Wilderness Canoe Trip

These photos were taken a couple years ago when Ryan and I were actively involved in a local Boy Scout venture crew and went with them on a 60 mile canoe trip down the Arkansas River here in Oklahoma.

Technically speaking, this trip wasn't through a wilderness area, although it could easily have passed for one since (with the exception of 3 bridges) no houses or other signs of human life were visible from the river. Other than paddling against a strong headwind on the third day, the rest of the trip was pretty enjoyable.

(All photos copyright by Dave Miller).
This "topo" map (from Tera Server) shows the area we went through. For those not familiar with reading this type of map, Green represents forested areas and white represents cleared areas (in this case, farm land).



Preparing supper. The evening meal was the only hot meal for the day.


Ready to launch... (morning of day 2)

Air drying wet clothing after a spill...


A rather cold lunch. Normally we didn't bother with a fire at lunch but did in this case to help warm up.

Bailing out our canoe... yet again! Ryan and I managed to get a canoe with a hairline crack in one of the ribs. Consequently, we typically had 3 to 4 inches of water in the bottom each time we stopped.