Sunday 3-30-25 Bye to Robbers Cave & Hi to CIty of Okmulgee

 

Whispering Pines Campground

 

We had five marvelous days at Robbers Cave State Park now it was time to move on. Our next destination was 100 miles away. It had rained earlier in the morning and it was misting a bit so we took our time getting ready to leave.

The front came in last night so the morning temperature was cooler than it has been. It was 44 degrees. It was windy and overcast all morning. About mid-afternoon the wind died down and the sun tried to come through the clouds. It got up to 57 degrees in Okmulgee, OK.

We were on the road by 9:00 am. Larry drove two lane highways most of the drive. We drove through a few small towns. The traffic was lite. We saw a lot of cattle and ranches. It was a nice drive. We stopped 30 miles from Okmulgee to stretch our legs and go to the bathroom. 

We arrived at the City of Okmulgee Park around 11:30. We stopped at the host (Terry) site to check in. We didn't have a reservation so he told us to find a site. A little later he would come around and collect the camping fee, $20 because were seniors otherwise it was $22. He said they take checks or cash. We paid in cash.

This park use to be a state park but now it's run by the City of Okmulgee. Dripping Springs Park is adjacent to this park. Both parks have a lake (Lake Okmulgee and Dripping Springs Lake). Okmulgee Park is open year-round for recreation such as fishing, hiking and camping. The facilities of Okmulgee and Dripping Springs were constructed by the Works Process Administrations (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression. They replaced the dam on Okmulgee Lake and built a spillway and other structures in the parks. They are still being used today. They both were Oklahoma State Parks until 1963 when the parks were transferred to the City of Okmulgee.

Okmulgee Park is a beautiful park with a 668 acre lake. It has a lot of trees on each site. The sites have a barbecue grill, fire pit grill, picnic table and hooks to hold your garbage bags. The bathrooms are old and need maintenance but they are heated, have running water and showers. The newer bathrooms have the showers separate and cost $1.00 for 8 minutes. The showers are free in the old bathrooms. They have a small beach. There are a couple of CCC pavilions available to lease for special events.

We had no problem finding a site. The site was level enough we didn't have to get the blocks out. Once we were in the site Larry plugged us in to the power. 

 

Welcome to Okmulgee Park (host site)

Camping at Okmulgee Park

When the wind went down and the sun came out I walked around for a half hour and took pictures. While walking around I saw a couple of fishing boats on the lake. I said hi to a gentleman who had been fishing on the banks. He didn't catch anything but had fun. I also talked to the host. There was a group of locals using one of the pavilions. They were playing at the playground. It's always nice to see the locals using the local parks. Terry is very nice and friendly.After dinner Larry walked around with me for a half hour. After he went inside I walked another hour.

 

 

 CCC Pavilion

 

 

 Lake Okmulgee

 

 

Playground

 

By the end of the day I had done 18,000 steps, which put me in 5th place in my group.

When I wasn't walking I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Free Cell and 5 Pyramid). It took me 49 minutes and 52 seconds to complete, which put me in 20th place in my group. Then I moved onto playing Angry Birds.

Larry finished his book. I read some more of Guncle. It is a very funny book.