2024 Solar Eclipse… Was It Really That Great?

As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t know much about total eclipses until a few months ago. Luckily, I joined an adventuring group that chose a perfect spot for viewing the totality, which included great hiking and kayaking.

I initially only signed up because I wanted to kayak the Buffalo River. Kayaking the Buffalo River was not meant to be. Apparently, that river is 3 hours away from our campsite at Greer’s Ferry Dam.  (I’m a city girl, so no, I had never heard about the Buffalo River until recently. Check it out here.. It’s definitely going on my bucket list. I also had never heard of Greer’s Ferry Dam. It was awesome!) More details in a later post.

Anyway, back to the Total Solar Eclipse.

Was it everything it was hyped up to be???

Drum roll, please….

Yes, it fucking was.

Like most beautiful experiences, words ( or pictures) cannot fully express the feeling.

I can explain how it got darker and colder as the event progressed. I mean, it got really cold. The birds stopped chirping and the crickets started singing as it got dark. But seeing the sun completely blocked by the moon… Was fucking crazy. I knew the science behind it, but it still felt celestial and apocalyptic.

It’s a day later, and I’m still trying to process the experience. It felt like I was living in science fiction instead of watching it.

The next full solar eclipse will be in 2026 and can be seen from Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. After that, it’ll be 2028 and can be seen in Australia and a handful of other countries.

I’m not sure if I can leave the country to see another solar eclipse, so I’m super glad I was able to experience this one.

Did you see it? Was it worth the hype? Are you traveling to see the next one?

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Fort Cobb State Park; Trip Report

Oklahoma State Park #2

The Oklahoma winds finally died down long enough to finally break in the two-person inflatable kayak I ordered from Amazon. After all, this is an adventuring site, not just a hiking blog.

My hubby accompanied me on this trip because I’m way too scary to have tried this on my own.

Like Red Rock Canyon and Roman Nose State Park, Fort Cobb Oklahoma State Park is less than 1hr 30 min from OKC. Fort Cobb only has one hiking trail, so I don’t think we missed much by not hiking.

We arrived at the welcome center, and I got more park stickers than I should have. The attendant (a super nice lady) recommended that we go to the Sycamore Rd day-use area to drop in our kayak.

Great advice, because there were life jackets at the site.  The universe was looking out for me because I only had some travel pfds that had to be inflated. Ironically, Princess Lola and Marco Polo the Adventure Dog had better life jackets than we did. Which is fine because I was more worried about them jumping into the water than us.

It took about five minutes to air up the kayak with the provided air pump. Then it was quick and easy to put the kayak in the water and hop in. Side note: We did practice setting up at home a few weeks ago before we took it out.

Quick Kayak review: INTEX Challenger Inflatable K2 Kayak did the job, and we enjoyed it. It was tight, but there was enough room for me, the hubby, and two small dogs. Princes Lola stayed calm and relaxed as she sat in my lap. While Marco Polo, the Adventure Dog, sat behind me. He kept moving from side to side, causing the kayak to lean a little. Other than that, I felt safe in the Intex two-person kayak, and it was easy to paddle. Like I said, though, it was a calm day. It was so calm that if we didn’t paddle the kayak, we would simply stay in one place.

After around 30 minutes, we packed it up, making sure to wipe it down so that it wouldn’t mold in the bag. 

Fort Cobb is a much smaller park than Roman Nose, but I still had a great time. We enjoyed the drive out and back. We even stopped in the city of Chickasha on the way home and had some burgers.

Roman Nose State Park, Trip Report

Oklahoma State Park #1

This was my first time at Roman Nose State and like Red Canyon Adventure Park it was a short 1hr21 minutes from the OKC, but there was no entrance fee.

The drive took me through a very flat area, and it was windy, so the song “Oklahoma” kept playing on repeat in my head.

Once I arrived, I parked at the lodge/ visitor center (super nice customer service, btw), got my “Roman Nose Lodge” sticker, and the dogs and I headed to our hike. The “Canyon Loop” trailhead was behind the dumpster a few feet from the lodge entrance.

I didn’t worry too much about getting lost because, overall, the trails were short, but I still checked AllTrails at every intersection anyway. How did people even hike without the internet? Also, this trail had lots of little bridges. I love bridges.

Anyway, it took an hour and 2.6 miles to finish the Canyon loop. I really wanted to try the paved ADA loop, but the trail wasn’t shady like the Canyon Loop, and it started raining harder. Also, it’s springtime in Oklahoma, and I was worried about severe weather rolling in.

ADA TRAIL

Unlike like our last hike, the doggies did not get any stickers in their feet. So that’s always a plus!

I’m looking forward to returning to try the other hiking trails, and maybe bring a bike or some roller skates on the paved ADA path and maybe try the lodge’s restaurant. Maybe visit the General Store the attendant at the front desk bragged about. Maybe even try some kayaking. There was so much I didn’t get to see!

Red Rock Canyon

Oklahoma State Parks #0

Full confession: Red Rock Canyon is not a state park. I did not know that when I was working on my itinerary for the month. I came here on an elementary field trip when I was a kid, and I had such a great time that I’m including it anyway. It was a state park until 2018 when the state returned it to the City of Hinton to save money. Alltrails, the app I use to find trails, still calls it a state park.

Red Canyon Adventure Park is a short 1hr21 minutes from the OKC with a $10/car entrance fee.

Because I suck at reading maps, it took me a while to find any trailheads, so I parked in the day-use area and followed the road until I found a trail.   

The name of the trail on AllTrails vs. the map I got at the entrance is a lot different, but since I used AllTrails exclusively on the trail, I’m going to use their names for the trail. The dogs and I hiked the Outer Loop. Thank gawd for AllTrails cause I’m sure I would have been lost for hours on end because the trails were badly marked, especially at the top. Still had a super fun time. There was a little campsite/meeting stop halfway through the trail that made me wish I had packed a picnic. But the dogs did have snacks, so we stopped, drank water, and they snacked.

I would think twice before I brought the dogs again. The area was full of sticker weeds that would stick in their paws.

Overall, I had a great time. It was a good day and a short trip. I’m looking forward to visiting the park again to try some of the other trails, maybe try out one of the glamping tents, and see if my new adventure wagon can handle their overland paths.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

I’m going to whisper this because I might offend someone, but I don’t know what’s so great about the upcoming solar eclipse?

Millions of people are going to flock to see it. If you depart right after the eclipse, you’re being told to stock up on water, gas, and food because you’ll most likely be stuck in your car for a few hours.

I am traveling to the next state to witness the eclipse, but that is because my adventuring group suggested the trip, and there will be kayaking and hiking.

Since I don’t understand it, let’s do some research and see why this eclipse is so great.

The upcoming eclipse will be a total solar eclipse, which means the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun and completely block it. The sun will be eclipsed by the moon.  It’ll be another 20 years before this happens again.

One of my best friends, who started her adventuring earlier than me, traveled across the country to see the last total solar eclipse.

So I asked her what the big deal was, and this was her response.

“I’ve seen a total solar eclipse and an annual solar eclipse. I probably wouldn’t travel again to see an annual eclipse, but the total eclipse was pretty cool. I’d go and see it every time if I could. This one is especially important to see because it won’t happen again for another 20 years. It’ll also get dark outside, and animals will emerge thinking that it’s nighttime.”

Okay, I’m officially excited!

What’s In Your Backyard

When I helped move my daughter across the country, we made it an official road trip and stopped at the Petrified Forest, The Grand Canyon, and Joshua Park because they were recommended stops using the Roadtrippers app (I also remember one of my besties going there on vacation).  That trip was inspirational, and I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.

It wasn’t until I went to Carlsbad Caverns for my birthday (August 2023) that I decided to do more research on National Parks. According to Google, there are 63 US national parks, but none of them are in my home state!

So, I’ve been low-key looking into how I can move out of Oklahoma so I can be closer to these national parks. (I know I was out of mind because I seriously looking to Utah) However, a creator on Instagram talked about how she moved from the Midwest to Washington State and hated it. According to her, the parks were hard to get to, and they were always too crowded.  Her post (I wish I had bookmarked it) reminded me that I need to take stock of what’s around me because there are probably some incredible parks in my own backyard. 

So, over the next year or two, I’m going to make it a goal to visit all of the state parks in Oklahoma. According to the Stateparks.com, there are 40. Most of these parks are around a two or three-hour drive, but that’s not a big deal. That’s why we got the adventure car. And driving a few hours one way, it’s definitely a lot less work than moving across the country

If you’re from Oklahoma (or the Midwest), what are your favorite state parks?

A picture from Red Rock Canyon State Park Adventure Park. It is not a state park anymore, but it’s a great example of what Oklahoma has to offer

Revamped Blog Loading . . .

I am revamping my blog.

I have not been writing, at least not consistently, for wat about five years (I haven’t blogged in longer than that). It has just been way too hard to sit my ass in the chair. I kinda want to blame it on social media sapping up my extra attention, but really, I got sick of sitting down and staring at a computer screen at home after spending eight hours staring at a computer screen at work. (Also, once the Mainstream Publishers learned how Amazon Ads worked, I stopped making money). 

To feed my creative side and desire to get my ass out of the chair, for the past three years, I’ve been gardening after work instead of sitting on my ass. I suck at gardening, but it’s still fun.

Also, at the beginning of my writing career, I used to hear voices, Coal in particular. If I went too long without writing, he’d bug the hell out of me. The voices are still there, but they aren’t as loud as they used to be. The call of the wild is much louder (lol, did you see what I did right there?).

Recently, I’ve discovered hiking and camping, i.e. adventuring… I like it so much that it’s inspired me to start writing again. So, fellow readers, this blog will become a travel blog, an adventure blog. And I’ll slowly try to figure out social media. I’m much more familiar with constructing sentences than creating images. 

If I had my way, I’d be a van dweller working on my stories and traveling non-stop. But that’s not an option; I have a day job that requires me to report to the office every day. So until I win the lottery, I’m officially a weekend warrior.

So put on your hiking boots, fill your hydration pack, and strap on your seat belt; as this Black city girl, tries to get more into nature and adventuring.

Edit: I found the instagram post from @maddymarq explaining why she moved back to the Midwest from the PNW. There is a lot of hate in the comments, but hey she’s inspired me.

Why I’m Not Watching The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu Series)

“Another reason I won’t be watching A Handmaids Tale is because Black people have actually experienced a dystopian past, but the movies and books lack PoC. White writers are willing to mine their sordid past, only to cast White people in the roles of the oppressed, when historically, its always been everyone else on the receiving end of that oppression. The Handmaid’s Tale is basically dystopian fiction which casts White women in the roles that Black women used to inhabit. So many of White people’s nightmares about the future seem to involve being treated the way they have treated others.”

Geeking Out about It

For personal reasons, I won’t be watching this series, which airs on Hulu this month. I have developed  a thing about dystopias. I’m largely no longer interested in any of them. The only one I’m currently watching is The Walking Dead. I haven’t added  any more to my roster of shows.  (I’m not sure if Into the Badlands counts.)

The current argument from most PoC, even those who are fans of dystopian narratives, is that some of us have always lived in one. Certainly, the past is one huge dystopia for Black (Jim Crow), Latinx (Zoot Suit Riots), and Asian Internment camps), and Gay, and Transgender people, in this country. It’s been said that White people can  look forward and see  dystopian futures. Marginalized people have only to look at history.

Here in the US, it’s the 25th anniversary of the 1992 LA riots. The riots resulted in millions of…

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Racism in Pop Culture

Geeking Out about It

And here’s my monthly series of articles discussing  the intersection of race and pop culture.

First up, an essay about Westworld from the point of view of a Black man. I touched on some issues earlier with the depiction of Black and White women in Westworld’s dynamic, and its been one of my most popular essays,  but this article is a  discussion of the real world racial dynamics of Westworld, most specifically between Arnold/Bernard, and Robert Ford.

Race. Power. Westworld.

HBO’s sci-fi drama Westworld was a psychological mind f*ck of a show revolving around issues of control, power, violence and love. But there wasn’t a single moment in the show that focused on race despite the fact there are a multitude of racial politics in play. I don’t know if this is because the script was written without race in mind and the casting choices informed the racial dynamics or…

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It Follows (2014): More Thoughts

Geeking Out about It

*So here I am, with more thoughts about this movie, because I just love thinking about it, and analyzing it. Its also a good way to exercise my brain and practice writing. Hopefully this post isn’t too much of a wankfest, and when you watch the movie, maybe some of this will occur to you, too.

For my earlier review of the movie, and the meanings behind the monster, see:

https://wordpress.com/posts/my/tvgeekingout.wordpress.com?s=it+follows

I’ve wanted, for some time now, to follow that first review with several more observations of the plot and characters. A lot of the meaning gleaned from the movie is through implication, but by looking at the movie’s details, listening carefully to what the characters say, and what they, and the monster, does, you can get a clearer idea of the movie’s meaning.

This movie is not just about sexuality and STDs. That’s just a surface-level description, and the…

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