[Synopsis]

Okiewolf, welcome to the forum and I agree entirely with everyone before me in that this was one EXCELLENT post.

Again, welcome to the forums and I DO look forward to many more intelligent posts from you; this one was an absolute winner. I read the entire thing and enjoyed every word.

Keep it up; I hope you are around on these forums for a long, long time.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by TheComputerGuy

Oklahoma is just awful!

It's HOT, there are tornadoes everyday, and it's full of giant bugs and venomous snakes....
(And if anyone tells my mother-in-law different, you'll have an enemy for life!)

What was your mother-in-law's number again? I need to call her for a chocolate chip cheesecake recipe..

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

What was your mother-in-law's number again? I need to call her for a chocolate chip cheesecake recipe..

I'd be happy to give you her number for that....

(She's not ha;f the cook her daughter is,
and she never made a cheesecake in her life....)

But alas, I must question your motives....

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by OkieWolf

I tried to post this a minute ago but something or someone cut me off....not sure why. Anyway....I'll just do it again.

I have read many negative things in these forums about Oklahoma. I am an Oklahoma native. I was born here....have always lived here....and will die here. So, let me enlighten some of you that may not be aware of what Oklahoma truly is. And, it's obvious that a lot of you have no idea.
First let me just say that I do not have anything against anyone that moves here from somewhere else. It's just that a lot of false information gets spread by some people who have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. In my opinion, you can't truly know Oklahoma unless you were born and raised here. Tulsa and Oklahoma City....and Stillwater, attract the majority of non-native folks so you really can't judge Oklahoma based on those places because it does not give a true representation of Oklahoma or it's people.
As far as an accent....we have one, as well as slang. However, again, Tulsa and OKC do not represent it correctly because people from all over congregate in those places so their accent isn't authentic. It's more of a blending of theirs, from where they came from, and ours. Basically, if you want to really hear what we sound like you need to get away from those places. There you'll find true Oklahomans.
The people of Oklahoma (true Oklahomans) are the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. I'm not saying that outsiders aren't nice too, but we're talking about Oklahoma here so I'm focusing on born-and-bred Oklahomans. For example, if you break down or have a flat tire someone will always stop and ask if you need help or if you need a ride. And, they are sincere about. They aren't trying to get money from you or take advantage of you. They really want to help you. But, once again, you don't find this quite as much in Tulsa and OKC as you do in the rest of the state. And once again, I'm not bashing Tulsa or OKC. I'm simply saying that those places are actual cities with city mentalities with too many people rushing around and not slowing down to take time like they should. You mentioned earlier that people drive fast here. Well, actually they don't. Only in Tulsa, OKC, or Stillwater. Most anywhere else you'll find folks usually driving slower than the speed limit....even on the highway. Now, we definitely have our nut cases just like everywhere else but our population density is much lower than most other states so....less crazies.
We have many varieties of lanscapes and environments here in Oklahoma. We have everything from mountains, mesas, rolling hills, prairie, desert, flat land, rock formations, hundreds of lakes and rivers, and extremely diverse wildlife. The red clay you saw is not indicative of the entire state although we do have it. But, we also have alabaster (which is beautiful white colored rock) out in Watonga in Roman Nose State Park and also have Alabaster Caverns near there also. Roman Nose State Park is an old Cheyenne winter campground. Very cool canyons and crystal clear lakes. Definitely a must see. There are many many other state parks all over Oklahoma. Like Beaver's Bend in the southeastern part of the state in the Quachita (pronounced "wichita") Mountains in Broken Bow. Also, down close to there, we have the Talamina drive which is the most beautiful scenery you can imagine anywhere, especially in fall when the leaves are red, orange, yellow, green. I would challenge anybody to find a more beautiful and colorful scene. Then there is the Illinois River, on the eastern side of the state. This is where everybody goes to go rafting and canoeing. You can float for miles and miles down this crystal clear beautiful river. Awesome! Also in the south central part of Oklahoma there is Turner Falls in Davis in the Arbuckle Mountains. It has a 77 ft waterfall and you can swim right under it and there are also three natural caves to explore. Not far from Turner Falls is Arbuckle Wilderness. This is an exotic animal park that you actually drive through. You can get buckets of feed to feed the various animals as you drive through. Very cool! Also, in Honobia they have the fall Bigfoot festival. Yes, that's right BIGFOOT. It's a very cool event with native crafts and all sorts of cool things going on, not just Bigfoot. Then, way out west in the panhandle, there is Black Mesa, which got its name from the layer of black lava rock that coated the mesa about 30 million years ago. The nature preserve is located 15 miles from the state park and features Oklahoma's highest elevation at 4,973 feet above sea level. There are dinosaur footprints and fossils to be found there also. These are just a few of the things we have here but the list is just to numerous to mention everything but as you can see everyone should be able to find lots of things to enjoy in Oklahoma.
Now, let me correct some myths about Oklahoma. First, this is not the old west. You won't find any tumbleweeds rolling down main street while Clint Eastwood shoots everything up. I don't know why people have that vision of us but that is not the way it is here. People don't travel in wagons (well most people) and this is not the cowboys and indians so ridiculously portrayed on TV. We are not illiterate hillbillies nor do we still have to kill our own food and cook it on an open fire. However, we do a lot of hunting, fishing, and living outdoors (camping to you city folk).
Oklahoma is also very rich in Native American culture. Oklahoma has the highest concentration of Native Americans in the U.S. You'll notice that the majority of names for towns, rivers, etc. are Native American or have Native American roots. A lot of tribes have festivals each year. There is the Choctaw festival, which I attend every year. It is in Tuskahoma on Labor Day and is a four day event. It has grown to the point that there are thousands of visitors from all over the U.S. show up. They have big name country acts show up like Trace Adkins and Loretta Lynn and this event is totally FREE. We also have the Cherokee festival in Tahlequah that is very popular and the Creek festival in Okmulgee.
And, last but certainly not least, Owasso Oklahoma is home to none other than Garth Brooks who, to us, is just another Oklahoman and goes to Wal-Mart just like the rest of us. Ok, Ok, so he's got more money than his grandkids can spend in there lifetime....so what.... But seriously, he couldn't live there if he were constantly mobbed by fans, but he goes where he wants and nobody bothers him.
So, my point here is that Oklahoma is NOT a boring, average place. Not in our culture, not in our people, not in our weather, not in the things to do. So, don't let anyone tell you any different. Once you're here just look on the internet or ask one of us what there is to do and we'll point you in the right direction.
I truly hope you enjoy your stay here and hope you might choose someday to live here.

If you want to hear a true unmodified "Oklahoma accent",
Listen to Reba McEntire.
She has a genuine OK accent. and she's proud to admit it.

I beleive that she's from MCalaster Ok.

[shadow42]

Okiewolf, that was a totally awesome post. We are leaving on friday from socal and I have to tell you that people here think we are crazy for moving to OK. I hear lots of "Why would you move there?" and am tired of tired of it already. One of my sisters-in-law said we were moving to the dust bowl. Uggh. It really is just a perception that exists and perhaps I had it myself until I visited. But, it is interesting to see all the growth and positive media coming out of OKC and wonder if it will change perception.

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by shadow42

Okiewolf, that was a totally awesome post. We are leaving on friday from socal and I have to tell you that people here think we are crazy for moving to OK. I hear lots of "Why would you move there?" and am tired of tired of it already. One of my sisters-in-law said we were moving to the dust bowl. Uggh. It really is just a perception that exists and perhaps I had it myself until I visited. But, it is interesting to see all the growth and positive media coming out of OKC and wonder if it will change perception.

Shadow42, join the crowd, There are many,many people, including myself, that have put SoCal in their rearview mirror and moved to OK.
Many are on this forum too.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by shadow42

But, it is interesting to see all the growth and positive media coming out of OKC and wonder if it will change perception.

we hope not...............

[OkieWolf]

I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. But, it was easy because it comes from the heart.

By the way, when I browsed here just now, before I logged in, my quoted post above had links where I had town names. Is that normal....I mean does the software do that? The only reason I asked is that where I had said Beaver's Bend it, or someone, had the link set to Beaver Oklahoma which is not Beaver's Bend. Beaver's Bend is in Broken Bow. Another thing I thought was a little strange, after I logged in the links went away. Why ?

One other thing....I've read several things regarding Oklahoma "critters". Oddly enough I have a website dedicated to that very thing. You can find out info on our seven venomous snakes, scorpions, or whatever. 99.9% of the pictures I have on there I personally took myself. The majority of critters consists of insects, just because they by far outnumber all other critters....and they're easier to photograph. Most people, even a lot of Oklahomans, don't realize the true diversity of wildlife that we have. Little known critters include bears and even alligators. The alligators are not native to Oklahoma....we think they migrated in from Louisiana. But anyway, I am trying to do what I can to document species that exist here because, in my opinion, species documentation in Oklahoma is sorely lacking and I've always been the type of person that if I don't have it and can't get it I'll just do it myself. So, if anyone is interested, my site is OkieCritters - Okie Critters. Currently I have over 2000 critter pics and it's constantly growing so stop by and check it out.

[LadyRobyn]

Originally Posted by OkieWolf

By the way, when I browsed here just now, before I logged in, my quoted post above had links where I had town names. Is that normal....I mean does the software do that? The only reason I asked is that where I had said Beaver's Bend it, or someone, had the link set to Beaver Oklahoma which is not Beaver's Bend. Beaver's Bend is in Broken Bow. .

Yes, the forum software does that for anyone who is not logged in as a member. If you go to the Main Page for City-Data.com you will see that the site is primarily for finding information about different cities and towns. City-Data Main Page

If you click on any of the links that were shown, it would take you to that city's "information page". The software must have translated Beaver's Bend as being Beaver, OK...

Originally Posted by OkieWolf

One other thing....I've read several things regarding Oklahoma "critters". Oddly enough I have a website dedicated to that very thing. You can find out info on our seven venomous snakes, scorpions, or whatever. 99.9% of the pictures I have on there I personally took myself. The majority of critters consists of insects, just because they by far outnumber all other critters....and they're easier to photograph.So, if anyone is interested, my site is OkieCritters - Okie Critters. Currently I have over 2000 critter pics and it's constantly growing so stop by and check it out.

Wonderful website!! I tend to take pictures of anything that will sit still long enough and I am FOREVER trying to find out if it is indigenous to Oklahoma! I get tired Googling "Birds of Oklahoma" or "Bugs of Oklahoma"

Thank-you!

edit: Your website is proving helpful already! Can you tell me the differences between a Common Grass Spider and a Rabid Wolf Spider? I posted a picture of a Spider quite awhile back and I was told it was a "Grass Spider" but after looking at YOUR pictures, I am not so sure.

[mkfarnam]

OkieWolf ,
I visited your site, That "Funnel web Spider" must be a "Minor"