Walking the Crosstimbers
Keystone Dam Spillway
Posted by Earnest (Oklahoma, United States) on 18 November 2008 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.
This location is about ten minutes from my home and is generally filled with fishermen trying to catch some striped bass but on this particular day I was the only person on the shore.
Keystone lake was made by damming the Arkansas river which is joined upstream at the west end of the lake by the Cimarron river that flows only a couple of miles from my house. The Arkansas flows southward from the state of Kansas and is generally relatively clear. The Cimarron on the other hand flows through the red dirt of western Oklahoma and often is filled with rich red silt -- and I mean really filled -- it could almost be used as paint! Thus the waters vary from nearly clear and green to the brown you see in this photo depending on the rains in the watershed.
Here is an excerpt from a web site about Keystone lake:
The lake is on the Arkansas River 15 miles west of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. This 26,000 acre flood control lake is truly an urban playground. There are 16 recreation areas (3 with alcohol free beaches); 11 boat ramps, miles of sandy beaches, 3 marinas, 2 off-road vehicle areas, 5 short distance trails, a waterfowl refuge, 3 seasonal green tree reservoirs, and thousands of acres of land open to public hunting.
I hope you enjoyed the viewing... Have a great day!
