Turner Falls Park, The Largest Waterfall in Oklahoma

Turner Falls Park in the heart of Chickasaw Country welcomes you to relish the 1500 acres of fun in the "Heart of the Arbuckles" recognized as Turner Falls Park. Turner Falls is locally considered Oklahoma's tallest waterfall. This is 77 feet tall fall, although its height is identical one in Natural Falls State Park. The falls are located on Honey Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains in south central Oklahoma, approximately 9.7 kilometers south of Davis. Mazeppa Thomas Turner, a Scottish immigrant farmer who discovered the falls in 1878. The falls were named for him and recreational use started in or before 1868. Nowadays, the falls are part of Turner Falls Park, a city park operated by the city of Davis, Oklahoma. Several springs from the world-famous Arbuckle Mountains form Honey Creek, which cascades down a to a natural swimming pool making the magnificent Turner Falls the largest waterfall in Oklahoma. The Turner Falls Park is accented with prominent picnic areas, nature trails, caves, geological wonders and two natural swimming pools very distinctive in nature. Turner Falls has gained national publicity and has served as a classroom for the naturalist and geology students from around the world. Turner Falls Park is an adventurous and family-friendly annual destination offers unforgettable fun for the entire family. It is also very convenient and entertaining place for those passing through with picnic areas, RV hook-ups and camping locations. Therefore swing on down to Turner Falls Park and take full advantage of the cool springs and rugged wilderness happenings.

The Falls cascade into a natural swimming pool, one of two such pools within the park, and these are widespread tourist destinations in the summer. The city of Davis acquired the park in 1919 and operated it until 1950. After that it leased the facility to other interests until 1978, when it starts again control. The park covers 6.1 km2, and also covers nature trails, caves and other interesting geological features. It also has a walk-in castle which was built in the 1930s. The venue can be over crowded in summer. However reviews of the location at TripAdvisor give an average score of 3 out of 5, but express a wide range of opinions. Everybody will appreciate the year-round, wholesome, fun experience of family camping in Oklahoma. Whether you are interested in camping in a tent, camping trailer, RV camping or primitive camping, you will find your flawless camp site here. No matter what your swimming, hiking or exploring abilities are, Turner Falls offers an area to you, your family and friends will feel very relax and comfortable in. You should come here and enjoy the mild winter, spectacular spring, warm summer and awesome fall.

Turner Falls Park Features: 

77ft Waterfall

Bath Houses

Picnic Sites

Cabins

Novelty Shops

R.V. Hookups

Geological Formations

Hiking Trails

Natural Swimming Areas

Rock Castle

Sandy Beaches

3 Natural Caves

Wading Are

Pico Cão Grande: The Needle Shaped Towering Volcanic Plug

The Pico Cão Grande is also called the Great Dog Peak actually a towering needle-shaped volcanic plug peak in São Tomé and Príncipe, in the south of São Tomé Island in Obo National Park. The beautiful tower rises naturally over 300 meters above the surrounding terrain. The inspiring summit is 663 meters above sea level and is frequently covered by clouds. The Pico Cao Grande or Great Dog Peak is extremely difficult to climb because of the thick fog and mist that lingers around it, and the mosses growing on the surface that makes it more slippery. In addition, a blanket of mist usually cloaks the column resulting from Sao Tome’s abundance of annual rainfall (between 4,500 and 5,000 mm). Therefore; Pico Cao Grande is the ideal place for those who desire a bit of exoticism and adventure in their lives. Most of climbers say; when it rains the stone is like a massive glass bottle and making the surface as slippery as glass during actual precipitation. So, “Great Dog Peak” is one of nature's most impressive high-rises. In spite of these natural setbacks, the spire tower still manages to attract a huge number of thrill-seeking climbers each year. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to approach the rocky tower, which is impeded by an impenetrable forest of giant ferns and lianas.

Be sure, a huge number of snakes are reportedly everywhere, even on the tower. São Tomé and Príncipe is a small nation composed of two islands – “São Tomé” and “Príncipe” which is located in the Gulf of Guinea of equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Both islands are part of an extinct volcanic mountain range. São Tomé, the island where Pico Cão Grandeis located, is 50 km long and 30 km wide. On a small island off the coast of Africa a lofty volcanic tower known as Pico Cao Grande looms dark on the horizon, like a fantasy landscape illustrating why mountains have often been mythologized as conduits between ancient divinities and earth. This is a remarkable destination that has been flying under the radar from several years is the islands surrounding Africa. Moreover with a varied climate, the continent itself holds numerous attractive sites that have welcomed travelers from all over the world to relish these natural beauties. The Great Dog Peak is a real challenge, so the view seen from above is a real treat. It is considered the 37th tallest mountain in Sao Tome, so visualize what other great sites this island has to offer. This site is the source of many disappointments as year after year, people try and fail to reach its tip. Other than defeat, the Pico Cao Grande allows climbers to see the astonishing landscape that surrounds the mountain. Pico Cao Grande is most definitely one of them.

Cliff Palace: The Largest Cliff Dwelling in North America

The structure of Cliff Palace is built by Ancient Pueblo Peoples located in Mesa Verde National Park. This is former homeland region of Pueblo Peoples actually largest cliff dwelling in North America. The cliff dwelling and park are in the southwestern corner of Colorado, in the Southwestern United States. The beautiful Tree ring dating specifies that construction and refurbishing of Cliff Palace was continuous from c. 1190 CE through c. 1260 CE, though the key portion of the building was done within a 20 year of time span. The ancient Cliff Palace was first discovered in 1888 by “Richard Wetherill” and “Charlie Mason” while out looking for stray cattle. The Cliff Palace was constructed primarily out of sandstone, mortar and wooden beams. The Ancestral Pueblo were driven to these defensible positions by increasing competition amidst changing climate conditions. However, the Cliff Palace was abandoned by 1300, and though debate remains as to the reasons of this, some is certain of a series of mega droughts interrupting food production systems is the major cause.

The sandstone was formed using harder stones and a mortar of soil, water and ash was used to hold everything together. "Chinking" stones were strongly placed within the mortar to fill gaps which gives stability. Several of the walls were beautifully decorated with colored earthen plasters, which were the first to erode over time. Several tourists wonder about the fairly small size of the doorways at Cliff Palace; the explanation being that at the time the average man was under 5' 6", whereas the average woman was closer to 5'. The Cliff Palace comprises 23 kivas (round sunken rooms of ceremonial importance), and 150 rooms and had a population of nearly 100 people. One kiva, in the center of the ruin, is at a point where the whole structure is partitioned by a series of walls with no doorways or other access portals. The walls of this kiva were plastered with one color on one side and a dissimilar color on the opposing side. It is projected that about 100 people occupied Cliff Palace during its time of use. It is well thought that Cliff Palace was a social, administrative site with high ceremonial usage" Archaeologists believe that the Cliff Palace contained more clans than the surrounding Mesa Verde communities. This faith stems from the higher ratio of rooms to kivas.

Cliff Palace has a room to kiva ratio of 9 to 1. However the average room to kiva ratio for a Mesa Verde community is 12 to 1. This ratio of kivas to rooms may recommend that Cliff Palace might have been the center of a large polity that included surrounding little communities. Therefore a large square tower is to the right and almost reaches the cave "roof." However it was in ruins by the 1800s. The National Park Service sensibly restored it to its estimated height and stature, making it one of the most striking buildings in the Cliff Palace. Hence it is the tallest structure at Mesa Verde standing at 26 feet tall with four levels and slightly different-colored materials were used to show it was a restoration.

Source: Wikipedia

“ION Hotel” Where You Can Sleep On the Edge of Two Tectonic Plates

There’re only two places on earth where tectonic plates are visible above sea level “Kenya's Rift Valley”, and in the south west of Iceland. A Hotel on the Edge of North America and Europe collide, which is the only hotel in the world where you can sleep on the edge of two tectonic plates. Iceland's Ion Hotel is magnificently positioned at the foot of Mount Hengill on the edge of Þingvellir National Park where luxury accommodation is set in an area where North American and Eurasian plates drift further apart each year. 

The boiling water bubbles just 25feet underground here, so when it was built on the site of a geothermal power plant, its creators had to use building materials seven times stronger than standard materials used in Reykjavík. The luxury 45-room hotel is an extension and renovation of the old workers' quarters of the Nesjavellir geothermal power station, bought in 2011, with the intention of being the only hotel in this isolated and lovely part of the country. ION makes use of Iceland's exclusive geography in two ways: the bio-thermal energy is harnessed in a remarkable outdoor natural hot spring; and a glass building – “the Northern Lights Bar” - lets guests to admire the frequent aurora borealis displays.

Owner Sigurlaug Sverrisdóttir, who was born in this region, and wanted to see flourish his area, so, he knows very well about extreme weather, and Northern Lights never get old. She says this respect for Mother Nature is in our blood; our parents and grandparents definitely knew not to mess with her. One month before I was born, in January 1973, there was an eruption on the Westman Island, a small island south of Iceland. Overnight almost the entire island was covered in lava. The rescue to move the islanders to the mainland was successful mainly due to the fact that all of the fishing boats were in harbour as these as were too rough for the locals to fish. 

The first boat left with habitants to reach the mainland only 30 minutes after the volcano erupted. Even though I was born here, I’m still spellbound about the lava, moss landscape around ION. I still feel astonished when I see the Northern Lights dancing in the sky on one of my late returns from work. Even though you have experienced it numerous times before it is different when you’re outside of the city, it's much more intense. I also thrive from the energy; I find immense power in the Icelandic nature. Hence the reason we chose ION for the hotel's name.' 

Everything about the hotel screams Iceland. Inside, lava, reclaimed wood and Icelandic wool are used to furnish rooms, bathroom products are made from Icelandic herbs and everything from the bed linen to the restaurant is organic and fair trade, in line with the island's robust emphasis on preserving its natural beauty. To experience the tectonic plates up close, the hotel offers snorkelling and diving trips to Silfra, the world's most easily accessible tectonic fissure, where visibility exceeds 330ft. It is here that you can touch the continents of America and Europe at the same time. 

The restaurant - aiming to be Iceland's first with a Michelin star - serves up such delicacies such as reindeer, onions, spruce and bone marrow, smoked bone marrow ice cream, sea buckthorn and malt molasses and Icelandic langoustine, locally caught Arctic char and skyr often called “homemade yoghurt”. Venturing into the wilderness, visitors are offered a range of different activities from horse riding in mountains around Öflus, fly fishing on Lake Þingvellir, Sólheimajökull glacier tours, rafting and hot spring hikes. As well as excursions to the Golden Circle south Iceland's most famed exploring route, which consist of waterfall Gullfoss and the geothermally active valley of Haukadalur, containing the Strokkur geyser  which erupts every 5 to 10 minutes, guaranteeing an 'ooh' or an 'ahh' from an ever captive audience. The restaurant - aiming to be Iceland's first with a Michelin star - serves up reindeer, Icelandic langoustine and Arctic char. Source: Charismatic Planet