A Long Weekend in Weatherford, Oklahoma - What To Do

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“Oklahoma is boring,” is what I would often hear from other trukers over a c.b. conversation or sitting in a trucker's lounges. “Get off of the interstate and take a better look,” is my usual response to people I meet that say Oklahoma is a bore to drive through. The truth is that every state in the union has boring highways and byways. But, if you are really looking for adventure, education, physical activities, or just something/anything to do every state in the union has something for everyone who is willing to take the time and initiative to look. And, there is lots to see and do in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

Where to stay if you are in an RV or are a camper you might want to park at Wanderlust Crossings: From I-40 while traveling east or west just take exit #84. Turn south on and travel 1/4 mile. You will see their sign on the left. Turn left into the park.

(580) 772-2800

1038 Airport Rd

Weatherford OK 73096

https://www.wanderlustcrossings.com/

A list of Things to do in Weatherford, Ok.

1.) Rader Park: http://cityofweatherford.com/rader-park-2/

Ole' Fishin' Hole (a great place for teaching children to fish), Disk (Frisbee). Nature trail with fish observation pond.

2.) Prairie West Golf Club: 18 holes of some of the best greens in the state. Monthly memberships for non-resident golfers. 18-Hole golf course, clubhouse, & enclosed cart storage. Phone - (580)-772-3832. Website - https://www.prairiewestgolf.com/

3.) Don Mitchell Rodeo Arena: 2525 Lyle Rd. Weatherford, OK 73096. (580) 774-3063

4.) Sand Plum Trail: A moderate marked and paved one-mile trail around a thickly wooded and brushy area. The area is a very educational resource for nature lovers, and for kids from 4 to 140. It is also a popular community exercise location.

5.) 10 acres with community activity bldg. Splash Pad, playground, ball fields, 11 soccer fields, 6 baseball field, volleyball court, 2 Softball fields, bird sanctuary, archery range & trap range, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, 2 Basketball half courts with six more to follow.

All four items are contained within Rader Park

Directions for items 1 through 4: From on I-40 going east or west to exit #84 on the east side of Weatherford. Take the north side frontage road west to (1.5 miles) Lyle Road. Go north for 2 miles. This will put you in the middle of Rader Park. Sand Plum Trail parking is 1 mile further north. The Ole’ Fishin’ Hole is 1/2 mile west of Sand Plum Trail. The playgrounds, ballparks, rodeo grounds, and Prairie West Golf Club is accessible from Lyle Road: https://www.alltrails.com/explore?b_tl_lat=35.59981064298296&b_tl_lng=-98.71971130371094&b_br_lat=35.560928639877176&b_br_lng=-98.63825798034668

6.) The Oklahoma “Heartland of America” Museum: https://www.oklahomaheartlandmuseum.com/

7.) Stafford Air and Space Museum: https://staffordmuseum.org/

8.) SWOSU Pioneer Cellular Events Center: 900 N. 7th St., Weatherford, OK 73096. Office: 580.774.3700.

@ https://pioneercellulareventcenter.com

9.) SWOSU football: ASAP Energy Field - Check the Football Schedule: https://swosuathletics.com/sports/football/schedule.

10.) War Memorial: This three-stone memorial is a tribute to Custer County soldiers who died in  any of the five American Wars: Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.   The Memorial is, dedicated on July 4, 1993, in Weatherford’s Heritage Park, sponsored by      Custer County VFW Posts along with other donors. Their names are inscribed at the base of the memorial. https://www.experienceweatherford.com/business/heritage-park.

11.) Heritage Park: https: 521 West Rainey, Weatherford OK. https://www.experienceweatherford.com/business/heritage-park.

Kickstarter or Go Fund Me

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I am contemplating using the following file as my opening letter for a funding site to ask for help with my moving expenses. I am considering Kickstarter and Go Fund Me. If you have any suggestions please drop me a note. Should I or should I not do this.

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What I am hoping to do is raise $2,500+ for my relocation to Boulder City, NV. so that I can finish my primary photography project and expand into other media projects. I am a 72-year-old retired over-the-road truck driver and I am a veteran. If I had the stamina I would still be working as a driver and would not need to ask for help. Boulder City, NV. lies just outside of the Las Vegas Valley. I am on the waiting list for an apartment at Quail Ridge Manor, Boulder City, NV. This is a beautiful and historic small town and Quail Ridge Manor is a beautiful little complex for low-income senior and disabled citizens. Following is an explanation of why I need help funding my move.

In April of 2019, I was living in Henderson, NV., and waiting on a low-income senior housing apartment complex in Boulder City, NV. to call me. I was on a waiting list for an apartment in this complex since May of 2017. While in the Las Vegas Valley I spent 2.5 years photographing the community parks, preserves, trails, memorials, monuments, and museums in and around the Las Vegas Valley. Since leaving the Las Vegas Valley I have spent much of my time editing and posting my photography work on a (bwmedia702.com) website and on my Adobe and Alamy  Stock photo sites. Completing this project is one of my reasons for returning to the Las Vegas Valley. But, I love the desert, and Boulder City is a beautiful small town that is close enough for me to do the work I am trying to do. It is also less than 40 miles from the Las Vegas VA Hospital, about 8 miles from a VA Clinic, and only 3 miles from an assisted-living center for veterans. 

In November of 2019, I returned to Oklahoma to care for an ailing sister. The Boulder City apartment complex called me in December of 2019. But, I stayed in Oklahoma to care for my sister and act as her Power of Attorney. My sister passed away in October of 2020. I filed the paperwork again with the Boulder City apartment complex and in April of 2021. I was #87 on their list. As of September 13, 2021, I am somewhere lower than #42.

In February of 2021, I completed my sister's legal matters and moved to the Las Vegas Valley. However, I was unsuccessful in finding a place to live in March and April and had to return to Oklahoma. I put my belongings in storage and spent almost 2 months living in my van while looking for a place to live with no success. I tried once again in September of 2021 to find a place to live in the Las Vegas Valley, but because of the COVID pandemic, the housing situation in Las Vegas is in turmoil, but slowly getting better. But, by this time I had become dehydrated and sick. And, I lost around 40 pounds. So, I began renting a bedroom and bathroom from my older sister in Clinton, OK. while deciding what to do. Because of prior failures to make my move my plan now is to stay in Oklahoma until Quail Ridge Manor has an opening for me. Below you will find a few links to websites that contain my photography work.

Thank you for reading this post. Please, if you have the time, let me know if you think applying for a Kickstarter or Go Fund Me project is advisable. 

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Better World Media: https://www.bwmedia702.com/

Adobe Stock: https://stock.adobe.com/contributor/200825070/Keith%20Birmingham

Alamy Stock: https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/keithbirmingham

Trucker Coming Home

An Old Flame

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In just under 2 months it will be 12 years since I retired from the trucking industry due to ill heath from exhaustion. I now have two hobbies. One (music) makes me happy. The other (photography) makes me money, keeps me happy, and is bringing me home to the trucking industry. That is, I am now planning to add a trucking catalog to my photo specialties. When the mind is clear decisions are easier to make. 

August, 2021 Update

My computer work has made me this way.

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I have been a poor excuse of a blogger, but I hope to change that, starting now. I will write this short post and I will soon go to bed. But, tomorrow I plan to 1.) Do more research on working remotely. 2.) Begin restructuring my workload, and making it smaller. 3.) And, finding a better way to get myself to sit down to write about whatever it is I am involved in. I used to write. I know I can do it. It is just a matter of mindset.

I know this is a bit of an insane post but as usual, I am in a hurry. Also, I am trying to find a way to get started with a weekend warrior van life.

Update: June 10, 2021

Bugout Buggy

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The fiasco I have been going thru since the last week of February has set my van life plans on hold for the foreseeable future. I do not have the equipment needed to live in the van even halfway comfortably in the summer heat. So, as of today I plan to stay in Oklahoma and be a weekend van-life warrior. I now have a home available to me, but I do not know how long that will be. So, I will stay here, do some fishing, make a few weekend type photo trips, and try to save money for another attempt at moving. But, this time, I will not go unless the friend that I do have in Las Vegas has an opening for me in his house, or the apartment complex that I am trying to move into Boulder City, NV. calls to say they have an apartment available for me.

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