Oklahoma Joe: Here’s to taking well-deserved time off | The Journal Record

Memorial Day is seen by many because the official begin to the “summer time” trip season. As we speak, the day after, you may be fortunate sufficient to be on that journey. Nevertheless, others might not be taking a staycation or trip for varied causes.

My recommendation: Take your trip. Take day by day off you may have obtainable. After which plan a time without work earlier than returning to work to relaxation. For some cause, many people attempt to pack a yr’s value of sightseeing, mountain climbing and procuring in a single or two weeks.

I’m amongst these. I’ve traveled by aircraft, bus and automotive to 5 international locations in 10 days. I’ve pushed almost 4,000 miles to realize my fiftieth state by my sixtieth birthday objective. I’ve traveled 10 hours by bus from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to see the Mayan ruins in Copan after which onto Antiqua, Guatemala. I’ve been bitten by jellyfish whereas seeing a shark beneath me when snorkeling off the coast of Kauai. I’ve been misplaced in western Italy whereas trying to find a cruise ship that left us behind.

However of all of the locations I’ve seen, the place would I return with out hesitation? Listed below are my high 10 or 11 or 12 in Oklahoma, the U.S. and internationally.

First, Oklahoma, in no order:

• Wichita Mountains: Great place to hike however keep away from the rattlesnakes.

• Downtown Tulsa: Artwork deco, eating places, Greenwood District. Then go to the Philbrook, certainly one of Oklahoma’s finest artwork museums, or take a stroll within the Gathering Place.

• Myriad Gardens/Scissortail Park in Oklahoma Metropolis: Stunning locations to take a stroll.

• Pawhuska/Osage County: Ree Drummond, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

• Southeastern Oklahoma: Stunning surroundings, mountain folks and “Bigfoot” crossings.

• Arbuckle Mountains: One of many world’s oldest mountain ranges that the majority take into account hills.

• Oklahoma Metropolis: Nationwide Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma Metropolis Museum of Artwork, Oklahoma Historical past Middle, Oklahoma Metropolis Nationwide Memorial and First Individuals Museum — You are able to do these in a single to 2 days.

• Route 66: In Oklahoma and out of doors of the state. My objective is to drive the complete route.

• Bartlesville: Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Protect and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Value Tower.

• Claremore: Will Rogers Memorial Museum and residential.

Now for my regional, nationwide and worldwide locations with no causes, besides I’d like to go to them once more.

Area:

• Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

• Galveston, Texas.

• San Marcos, Texas.

• Dodge Metropolis, Kansas.

• Lawrence, Kansas.

• Colorado Springs.

• New Orleans, Louisiana.

• Springfield, Missouri.

• Osage Seashore, Missouri.

• Most small mountain cities in Colorado: Creede, for instance.

• Taos, New Mexico.

Nationwide:

• Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii

• Charleston, South Carolina/Savannah, Georgia.

• Denali, Alaska.

• Boyne Metropolis/Mackinac Island, Michigan.

• Bar Harbor, Maine.

• Carmel by the Sea, California.

• Glacier Nationwide Park, Montana.

• Yellowstone Nationwide Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho.

• Badlands Nationwide Park, South Dakota.

• Fargo, North Dakota.

• Crater Lake, Mount Saint Helens (wherever in Oregon, Washington).

• Niagara Falls/Upstate New York.

• Key West, Florida.

Worldwide:

• Victoria, Canada.

• Port Arthur, Tasmania.

• Sydney, Australia. I may simply add Brisbane and Melbourne to this listing.

• Dubrovnik, Croatia.

• Tarragona, Spain.

• Antiqua, Guatemala.

• Copán, Honduras.

• Dublin, Eire.

• Belfast, Northern Eire.

• Paris, France.

• Venice, Italy.

• Edinburgh, Scotland, with a day journey to the Highlands.

• London, England.

You’ll have your personal locations to revisit. However if you happen to go to those or different locations this trip season, have enjoyable and take a look at to not overdo it. However do it. You want the day without work in your psychological well being.

Joe Hight is director and member of the Oklahoma Journalism Corridor of Fame, an editor who led a Pulitzer Prize-winning undertaking, the journalism ethics chair on the College of Central Oklahoma, president/proprietor of Better of Books, writer of “Pointless Sorrow” and lead author/editor of “Our Best Journalists.”