Kilts in Oklahoma

[beloitpiper]

I haven't found that particular part of Oklahoma to be very tolerant ... of anything.

Idabel is 30 miles straight from DeQueen, Arkansas with Broken Bow between them. You are about 1 1/2hrs north of Texarkana, another 45 min to Mena. Really isn't much to do in that area. You will probably be the first kilt most have seen. That's OK, make friends for a social life, otherwise you are going to have a boring summer.

That's what I was thinking... I can't imagine the area being too exciting for a recent college grad.

[Kilt_Em_All]

If you're looking for excitement in small town Oklahoma, I highly recommend purchasing one (or more) University of Texas t-shirts and wearing them with your kilt as you wander about town.

Although you may want to brush up on your self-defense first....

-Elliott

[macwilkin]

That's what I was thinking... I can't imagine the area being too exciting for a recent college grad.

It's not really about the area, though...it's about the experience you'll be getting at the museum.

I had a friend in the park service who was stationed at Ft. Laramie NHS. Not much in terms of "civilization" in that part of the world -- the seasonal rangers had to drive 50 miles to have a beer after work -- but yet it was one of her favorite duty stations because of the experience of working at an Indian War-era fort.

A summer may seem like a long time when you're young, but believe me, a summer seasonal position goes by very quickly -- I speak from experience on this based on my seasons in "grey & green".

Just my twa bob...but if it's a good opportunity, and given the current state of the economy, especially for college grads, you're worrying far too much about what there is to do after work.

Regards,

Todd

[fluter]

Sounds like a great opportunity for you, so go for it.

Besides which, it's an interesting part of the world. Go a bit north, and you're in the Ozarks; a bit east, and you find river delta... There's plenty of history around, and should be lots of outdoor recreation opportunities.

Personally I'd love to have a chance to learn more about the Five Civilized Tribes, though IIRC they are closer to Tulsa.


How about: June 19 - 21, 2009 Mulberry Mountain / AOAS Regional Star Party more info

I'm just sayin': keep your eyes open, could be a terrific summer.

[macwilkin]

Sounds like a great opportunity for you, so go for it.

Besides which, it's an interesting part of the world. Go a bit north, and you're in the Ozarks; a bit east, and you find river delta... There's plenty of history around, and should be lots of outdoor recreation opportunities.

Personally I'd love to have a chance to learn more about the Five Civilized Tribes, though IIRC they are closer to Tulsa.


How about: June 19 - 21, 2009 Mulberry Mountain / AOAS Regional Star Party more info

I'm just sayin': keep your eyes open, could be a terrific summer.

Idabel is in Choctaw territory, if memory serves me correctly, so there's one of the five...

T.

[GMan]

Consider yourself a trend setter.

[rodandy]

It's not really about the area, though...it's about the experience you'll be getting at the museum.

I had a friend in the park service who was stationed at Ft. Laramie NHS. Not much in terms of "civilization" in that part of the world -- the seasonal rangers had to drive 50 miles to have a beer after work -- but yet it was one of her favorite duty stations because of the experience of working at an Indian War-era fort.

A summer may seem like a long time when you're young, but believe me, a summer seasonal position goes by very quickly -- I speak from experience on this based on my seasons in "grey & green".

Just my twa bob...but if it's a good opportunity, and given the current state of the economy, especially for college grads, you're worrying far too much about what there is to do after work.

Regards,

Todd

I'd like to second the comment about the experience.

When I was in the Navy we pulled into many foreign ports, some of which my more experienced ship mates said were real dumps, nothing to do, unfriendly people, etc.

I never had a port call that I didn't find something that I could enjoy doing, and I've found that to be true everywhere I've been here in the States as well. I've spent a fair amount of time in Northeastern OK and Northwestern AK and always found the people friendly. They may think the kilt is a bit strange, but it sounds like a great opportunity to me.

Rod

[fluter]

Personally I'd love to have a chance to learn more about the Five Civilized Tribes, ...

Idabel is in Choctaw territory, if memory serves me correctly, so there's one of the five...

The Museum of the Five Civilized Tribes, in Muskogee, is marvelous. There is lots to see in Tulsa for a long weekend, a week, a month.

If anyone was wondering to what we refer, the Five Civilized Tribes were Native American tribes relocated by the US government to what is now Oklahoma. [1] They came from the Southeast, so it's fascinating for a Carolinian to see what happened at the other end of the well-named Trail of Tears.

Some of the Cherokee hid out in the hills [1] of NC/Tennessee, and became the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, which is most familiar to us in the East. And now I see that as we speak, the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern band are having a rare joint council!

As Todd has pointed out, there are many links between Scots Americans and various of the five tribes. Here endeth the digression.

[1] I won't belabor the obvious historical parallels, OK?

[dfmacliam]

You will like the area if you keep an open mind. Mena and the Queen Willimena park are really beautiful. The Ouachita and Kiamichi mountains are bothe right there and share a distinction of running east and west while most mountain ranges run north and south. The Kiamichis are also know for Bigfoot sightings also..
North of there is a small town called Heavener which has a historical site that again is very unique... Viking Runes carved in stone.. What makes these even more unique is they are from the changing period of Viking culture when they moved from Paganism to Christianity.. A small period of time where the runes themselves where changing.. It would take someone who really understand history to fake them, which leads scholars to believe in their authenticity. That is just a small part of the area you can learn about..
if you ride motorcycles, you will learn the true beauty of the land, because that area is a very popular destination for bike trips.. Who knows..you might end up bumping into a few of us on here, who like to ride around there.

[starbkjrus]

Ummmm, I thought you were going back to Ireland for the summer.