Labor Day Monday or Run Day

 

Celebrate The New Bridge With a Run: Tulsa's Gathering Place

Today is Labor Day, September 2, 2024. 

I started with a long run this morning because the weather was nice. It was 68 at the start and only went up a few degrees at most. Moisture and humidity weren’t a big issue today, but usually are in the summer. I’m not clear on which metric is the one I should pay attention to for jogging. Is it humidity or dew point? I finished very sweaty, but I’m sweaty in the winter too. I had enough oxygen to do all 12 miles of the loop, thanks to the cooler temp. I went to the river.

New Bridge New Pathway

Tulsa’s Gathering Place just got a lot more popular this weekend. It’s always a big draw anyway, but this weekend they finished the pedestrian bridge that goes from the park to the electric company across the river. I should've taken a picture. This under-construction image is all I could find online. It’s been closed for years. I have only the vaguest memory of the old bridge that connected the bike path on the east side to the west side, across the river. This time they put in a new dam and a slick walking bridge with a giant bend in it. The west side of the river is lower than the east. To compensate, the new bridge contains a gradual drop from the east bank which is roughly 30 feet higher. I think we can expect the Tulsa Run to incorporate some of the new paths this year.

The new look along the river meant new walking paths on both sides. The pedestrian bridge is part of the Gathering Place project. The largest phase was completed 7 years ago and is as popular as ever. I don’t have the statistics to back it up, but I can promise that foot traffic has increased along the river since. I wasn’t jogging much back then, but it’s the kind of place that demands to be seen. I made a lot of trips to and from there when I drove for Uber. Visitors to the area want to see it as well.  

Old Bridge Old Memories

I moved here in 2008 and made a few trips to the river path before The Gathering Place became a mega attraction. Back then, the Riverwalk in Jenks was a popular spot. I enjoyed sitting along the scenic patio and smoking cigars until late in the night. The half dry riverbed always seemed unnecessary. Why can’t they keep enough water in it? I wondered. I’m hardly an engineer though. Does it make sense to keep the water flowing for purely aesthetic reasons? Probably not. But enough people thought the same thing and so the city has begun managing the water. 

That pedestrian bridge has a new dam underneath it; it also feeds the newly created kayak park. Not to mention, the upstream part of the river now is filled with water again. It’s enough to start hosting raft races and rowing sports.

New Future New Activities

The Arkansas river will never be deep enough for water skiing or boats with motors. But kayaking and canoeing are on the horizon. I saw a few people on those standup surfboards things that you paddle with a big oar. It’s more than we had before and based on the number of people out at the river, it’s something we’ve been waiting for. To me the most important reason for the water is still the aesthetic one. No one wants to stare out at a sandy bottom creek bed while blowing out rich cigar smoke from their Partagas. I’m not one to ask about the cost or the practicality. I guess it’s one of those quality-of-life things that’s hard to slap a price tag on.  

These are things you think about when you have time to jog in great weather and notice your surroundings.

Today, I started at my usual 41^st street parking lot on the east side of the river and ran toward 71^st. Then, across the river at 71^st and up toward Turkey Mountain. There was an organized race happening when I passed through. I saw Fleet Feet banners and a finish line. I guess they were using the trails though, because I had a clear shot down the path and toward the "sh*t factory". It’s a crude description, but also accurate. The path goes right through the sewage treatment plant. Some days I have to hold my breath. 2 miles or so past that is the soccer fields and a detour I used to use because of the work being done on the new pedestrian bridge. I didn’t use the detour this time. It’s open again. The trail runs into the newly added paths on the west side.

Conclusion

At this point I thought about crossing over the new pedestrian bridge. It’s only been open for a day after all.  But instead, I opted to stay on the west side and cross at a farther point. I had a little steam left in the tank and felt like pushing it. When the weather is great and you don’t have a plan for the day, push a little more. That’s my motto at least. Lately it’s been too hot and I’ve been exhausted, also lazy. A cooler morning like this is just what I needed. And what a day for it.

Happy Labor Day (2024) Tulsa!!