Betty

Oklahoma is OK!

A mural on the wall of Colton's restaurant. A man with a cowboy hat wearing an apron is holding a branding iron.
Hey, whatcha y’all doin’ in Oklahoma?

For our first travel trailer trip of 2023, we chose to visit Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Tulsa?,” you say. Yes, and we stayed there for five days.

We took two days to get to Tulsa, staying at a charming small RV park in Springfield called “Cooks RV and Motor Park.” Other than those fire pits, it wasn’t anything fancy – or what I would call a destination campground, but it was close to the highway, and the owners were just about as nice as could be. We’d definitely stay there again.

Near Tulsa, we stayed at Brush Creek Public Use Area which is an Army Corps of Engineers campground. You can’t beat the senior rate of $12.50 per night for a full hook up spot. The campground was just outside of Tulsa, about 10 minutes from all the shopping in Sand Springs which was very convenient.

Brush Creek is a smaller campground with only about 20 sites; however, for most of our time, there were only four campers, including the friendly host. We were early in the year; I’m sure it’s a popular spot when the weather warms up. There was a one mile paved loop which made for a nice walk each day.

A tree with Spring blossoms with Keystone in the background.
Brush Creek Public Use Area
at Keystone Dam

On one of the days, we went to The Gathering Place which is a really cool park in Tulsa. I’ve never seen such a fantastic playground for kids. There was also a huge water play area which wasn’t open yet. There were a couple of restaurants in the park, and kayaks can also be rented in season. We walked all around, and then enjoyed an inside gathering space called, “The Solarium.”

Playground at The Gathering Place
Giant slide which looks like a duck at The Gathering Place.
Green pods hanging from a wooden stand at The Gathering Place
Table and chairs inside the Solarium

Many days, our usual mode is to get a good amount of steps in, and then sit and relax later with lunch and some Scrabble. We’ll usually walk more again later. The Solarium was the perfect place to do that. We did bring our lunch along as did many people who were enjoying this cozy, inside area.

On another day, we visited Woodward Park, which is located very close to The Gathering Place. This park has a number of terraced garden areas, but we were too early in the year to enjoy all its glory. After getting our steps in, we ventured back to The Gathering Place to enjoy that solarium again. Both of these parks are located not far from Tulsa’s Arkansas Riverfront area which has a fantastic bike path. However, we didn’t bring our bikes as it was still too cool for us to enjoy riding.

So, you may be wondering, why did we choose to go to Tulsa so early in the camping year when there were a number of activities we could have enjoyed had it been a little later and warmer.

Well, my dear reader, we went to Tulsa for one specific reason.

Scotty McCreery.

We love Scotty McCreery, and there isn’t a song he has sung that we would turn off or skip over. From “This Is It” which we chose for our wedding on the beach to “Five More Minutes” which gives me a lump in my throat every time to “In Between” which I think describes most of us. He is our guy.

The show was at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa, and while we are not “casino people,” we made an exception for Scotty. The show also started at 8 p.m. which is our normal “winding down the day” time, but again, if it means we can see Scotty, we can be night owls. Who gives a hoot if we don’t get to bed until midnight?

Picture of the stage with lights on Scotty McCreery. There is a large screen on each side of the stage showing Scotty live.
Photo Credit: Dan Chambers

The show was fantastic and worth the trip in every way. He was what I expected; although, his voice was deeper in person than how it sounds on Alexa. Oh, ladies! He sang all our favorites to a sold out crowd. It was fun to discover there were two other couples from Missouri sitting right by us. So, we weren’t the only ones to make the trip. I do have to say though, at 29, I’m pretty sure Scotty was the youngest person at the show.

You know, since all that Covid business, we haven’t gone to a large concert. We’ve attended small concerts in our neighborhood or at nearby parks, but not large concerts at a venue. There is an energy and an excitement at a “big name” music event, and I enjoyed being a part of all that again.

Large lit up guitar with "Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa" on it.

Of course, there was the traditional “Goodnight, Tulsa”, show’s over, followed by the audience clapping and cheering, and then, big surprise – the expected encore. Can you guess what Scotty sang for the encore? It was “Five More Minutes;” although, he actually sang for about another thirty. When the show finally ended, the audience, including Dan and I, gave Scotty a standing ovation.

The next day, we decided to leave a day early. We enjoyed Tulsa, but the weather forecast was for freezing temperatures, and we couldn’t find any locale which would guarantee our camper wouldn’t be endangered. So, we headed home early and winterized our travel trailer so all would be good.

After all, we have a lot more trips coming up this year, and God willing, we’ll be in the “Same Truck” as we head on down the road hoping to make more warm and happy memories, just like we did in Tulsa.

43 comments

  1. You two sure know how to have a good time! The Tulsa area has much to offer, though I’ve not been up there too much. Nancy and I live 3 1/2 hours south west. I always enjoy your “happy camper” stories. As you say, “Enjoy your day!”

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    • Thank you, David! I was wondering if we were close to where you live; I knew you were from Oklahoma. We did enjoy the Tulsa area, and I could see us returning – when the weather is warmer. I hope you enjoy your day, too!

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  2. I can’t say as I’ve ever hear of Scotty McCreery but I’m not exactly up on the music scene either. I’ll be looking him up later, though! Glad you enjoyed the concert and your time in Tulsa, cold though it may have been.

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  3. What a great idea to make a trip to see an entertainer you love in concert! I sure wouldn’t have guessed your destination. I remember cheering for Scotty on American Idol, but haven’t followed him much since then. I’m going to have to check out the songs you mentioned. We’ve made great friends here in TX with a lovely couple from Wagoner, OK (just outside of Tulsa), and we’ve travelled through OK many times (on varying routes) on our trips to/from TX. The countryside is beautiful in many areas.

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    • Thanks, Terry. We checked Scotty’s tour schedule and thought Tulsa was the best choice to see him. He was on American Idol 12 years ago! Can you believe it? We went through Wagoner last year on our way to Dallas; that was where we had trouble finding our campground and then the next day, we had to avoid a tornado! Hopefully, things will be calmer when we go through the area again later in the year. We enjoyed our time in Tulsa. There were a number of things to do, and the traffic was never bad.

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  4. What a nice first trip of the year. I have never heard of Scotty McCreery so I will have to check out his music. Over 10 years ago, I was in Tulsa for a wedding. It was in July and it was definitely hot then.

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  5. Sounds like a great time! I remember Scotty McCreery from American Idol or The Voice. He does have a very deep voice. We love going to concerts, too, so I can understand your excitement. A nice getaway for you and Dan! Take care.

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  7. Betty! What a fun post that I can relate to so well. We live about 2.5 hours from Tulsa and have friends who live there. I’ve always wondered about Brush Creek at Keystone. We’ve camped at Skiatook Lake, which is very close to Tulsa also and has a great COE park (Twin Points). Woodward Park is gorgeous in the spring. The Gathering Place is on our list to visit with our grandkids. After reading your post, I’m moving it to the top of the list. We MUST go!! Thanks for such an informative read today!! One day I hope we find ourselves all camping at the same campground. 🙂

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    • The Gathering Place looked absolutely amazing! We enjoyed just walking around and looking at it. We kept saying how much our great niece and nephew would love it. Brush Creek was nice; although, the bathrooms could use some updating. I know the host said they were going to work on them. They are developing the walking path with a pond, pavilions and benches. There is a place where people fish right near the dam. There is also a 2 mile trail (Two Rivers Trail, I think) right across from the entrance. We didn’t hike it because of rain earlier and cold, but I did read it was a pretty hike. They lock the gate at 10 pm, but the host left it open for us on the night of the concert. You can park right outside the campground and walk over a foot bridge, but it was nice he left the gate open for us. I thought it was a nice campground – there are full hook ups which we like. We will have to check out Twin Points some time. I do hope we meet someday, too. I am glad you liked the post! Have a great day!

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  8. We love Scotty McCreery too, Betty. We were fortunate enough to see him in person not too long after he won American Idol, but he was opening for Brad Paisley. At that early stage in his career, his big hits hadn’t been made yet. When we did our little Route 66 trek last year, we stayed right across the street from the Hard Rock in Catoosa. What a fun way to start your travel year!

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    • Yea! Another Scotty fan! How great that you saw him before he made it really big! That would be a fun memory to have. It was a fun start for our travel year – even though we had to winterize again. Scotty was worth it! Hope you have a great Saturday!

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        • So, since you shed a wee tear, it sounds like you liked him! It’s been awhile since I listened to Kasey Chambers, but I liked her a whole lot – maybe 20 years ago. Taking a trip to see a show is fun. We’ve gotten away from doing things like that since Covid. I hope the show you saw was great!

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    • Congratulations! I love to travel. There is so much to see and do in this country. I wish for you and your husband many great and fun adventures! One of my very favorites was seeing a “Fireworks and Fountains” show at Longwood Gardens. Of course, there are many more.

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    • Yes, there was a toll road we went through on the way in and back out. There was a crazy spot where we paid, exited, showed our receipt and got a refund in cash, and then got back on and paid a toll again. It sure seems there should be a better way. One thing we did like though – we did not have any issues with traffic. Thanks for your comment, and I hope you have a great week ahead!

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    • Thanks, Bill! Yes, we do have more planned – God willing. Our next trip isn’t until mid-April though, but it’s a good one! I hope you and Barb are doing well.

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