Wheeler Dealers Camping Club visits Keystone State Park
/Keystone State Park was the destination for the May Wheeler Dealers Camping Club campout.
Submitted by Kathy Tippin.
The Green Country loop of Keystone State Park is one of the favorite destinations for members of the Wheeler Dealers Camping Club. This third campout of the season was hosted by Lee and Ellen Cobb and Terry and Vicki Blevins, Ponca City.
Most campouts are held in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas or Missouri with two or more couples planning the location and campout activities which often include visiting area attractions, eating at a local restaurant, games and pot luck meals.
The campout hosts arrived Tuesday to begin preparation for the group with others arriving Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. By Wednesday six rigs had pulled in with four going out to dinner that evening at Colton’s Steak House in nearby Sand Springs. Meanwhile others pulled in Thursday and Friday setting up their campsite.
Friday morning those present divided into two groups to tour The Cave House in west Tulsa. Built in 1924 it was known as the Chicken Restaurant by day and a speakeasy by night. The quirky house includes a key tree, strange bone collection, meandering hall and extremely steep staircase. Owner Linda Collier told the many quirky stories of the Cave House history to the groups.
That afternoon some of the members visited the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum with eight rotating exhibits about Tulsa’s past including Route 66 and the Greenwood District. They then walked Woodward Park. Friday evening Wheeler Dealers gathered for dinner at the Harbor Grill, a floating restaurant on the shore of Keystone Lake.
Saturday morning on the schedule was a guided hike at The Keystone Ancient Forest. This 1360-acre classic cross timbers forest has paved paths of various lengths. A volunteer guide took the group on the shortest hike pointing out cedar trees as old at 500 years and post oaks as old as 300 years. She explained how an expert from Arkansas has viewed the trees and helped to determine their age from the trees bark. She also told how animals have burrowed into hollow parts of some of the trees and pointed out the burls, large knobby growths caused in response to an environmental injury such as a pruning cut, disease, or insect damage.
Saturday evening members prepared their favorite side dish to accompany the fried chicken provided by the host couples. This included potatoes, salads, desserts and three flavors of homemade ice cream. Sunday morning the group discussed future campouts during the potluck breakfast.
Wheeler Dealers monthly campouts are held weekends from March to November with only lunch or breakfast gathering in February and August and a special Christmas Party in December. Members can make their own reservations at many of the Corps lakes through recreation.gov, the Corps of Engineers reservation service or travelok.com for Oklahoma State Parks.
The following campouts scheduled include:
June – Blue Bill Point, Ft. Gibson State Park, OK
July – Arrowhead State Park, Eufaula Lake, OK
August – Meet and Eat and Swim Party in Bartlesville, OK
September – Natural Falls State Park, Colcord, OK
October – Grand Lake, Grove, OK
November – Brush Creek Park, Sand Springs, OK.
December – Christmas Lunch, McCord Senior Center, Ponca City, OK
Current members are from Bartlesville, Edmond, Nowata, Norman, Owasso, Ponca City, Sand Springs, Stillwater, and Tulsa.
