Scott Baker
What’s great about traveling the back roads of Texas and Oklahoma on a motorcycle with your buddies? Everything! The Robson Riders Motorcycle Club, looking for a short trip to just get away and reconnect with nature, recently headed to Oklahoma’s Arbuckle Mountains, approximately two hours outside of Denton.
When thinking of Oklahoma, images of the dust bowl era still linger, but today, this is far from the truth. Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state and an abundance of state and municipal parks providing awesome possibilities for motorcycling.
We encountered the Arbuckle Mountains up close and personal along gentle, well paved roads interrupted by long, lazy curves. We made our first stop at Turner Falls Park, located within the Arbuckle Mountains, an ancient mountain range dating back some 1.4 billion years and reaching a height of 1,412 feet above sea level. Springs discharging from the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer into Honey Creek are the source of water for the majestic Turner Falls, which cascades down 77 feet to a natural swimming pool making it the largest waterfall in Oklahoma.
We wound our way down the many one-lane curvy roadways along rippling creeks. With heavy tree overhang and plenty of twists and turns, it made for a motorcyclist’s paradise. We arrived at the 100-year-old, river-side cabin of fellow travelers, Roger and Sondra Hardman, giving us an opportunity to rest a bit, dine on grilled hamburgers and hotdogs with all the fixings and soak up the beautiful scenery. With our energies restored and bellies full, we hiked the trails of the park to the Collin’s Castle built of stone during the 1930s and to the famous waterfall, a beautiful sight to see.
As we left the park, we stopped at a roadside overlook affording a great vantage point to view the waterfall from above. Then it was onto Ardmore for a Tex-Mex dinner and an overnight stay.
The next morning, we headed to the clear-blue waters of Lake Murray located just a few miles south of Ardmore within Lake Murray State Park. Oklahoma’s oldest and largest state park, it contains more than 12,500 acres of relative wilderness. Back in 1933, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the park infrastructure and a castle-looking building called Tucker Tower. This must-see tower extends 65 feet into the air, providing us a stunning bird’s-eye view of the lake below. Much too quickly, the day came to an end and we headed back home.
Motorcycling is an engine for friendships shared by the Robson Riders. Come join the club on our monthly breakfast, lunch and dinner rides or pack a saddlebag for two- to five-day excursions. Because “four wheels move the body, but two wheels move the soul.” For more information, contact Mike Conley, Dennis Dotson, Scott Baker or Stan Brein.