Boats on the Oklahoma River

[RabidRed]

Did anyone see the insert in the DOK about the new riverboats today? The pricing for individuals looked good. I hope they do better on groups and special events though.

Now, what would one expect to see on a trip up and down the river? Landscaping I would think would be the only thing at this point. What else is there? Going though the locks would be interesting.

[kevinpate]

rocks, grass, the homeless, and oh yes, the skyline if one looks a tad higher

[RabidRed]

rocks, grass, the homeless, and oh yes, the skyline if one looks a tad higher

I take it you don't work for the Chamber of Commerce.

[metro]

where was the insert in today's paper, I didn't see it.

[RabidRed]

where was the insert in today's paper, I didn't see it.

It's called "Cruise the River". You won't find it on NewsOK at least today.

[mmonroe]

I saw it on line with the tulsa paper the day before.

[kevinpate]

> take it you don't work for the Chamber of Commerce

Nopers, just enjoy spending quiet time along the river, and most often it's just me, the squirrels (forgot about them before, sorry rocky), the homeless, the rocks and the grass.

But someday ... I'll have boatpeople to wave too, more skaters and bikers, some strollers and I can lean back and count the stories on the Devon building when the squirrels get too boring.

[RabidRed]

> take it you don't work for the Chamber of Commerce

Nopers, just enjoy spending quiet time along the river, and most often it's just me, the squirrels (forgot about them before, sorry rocky), the homeless, the rocks and the grass.

But someday ... I'll have boatpeople to wave too, more skaters and bikers, some strollers and I can lean back and count the stories on the Devon building when the squirrels get too boring.

What part of the river do you enjoy the most?

[dalelakin]

Has anyone had the pleasure of riding on the boats yet? Missed the insert is there a schedule in it?

[julieriggs]

Here is the web site of the boat operator with lots of good info:
Oklahoma River Cruises

[OKCisOK4me]

I'd like to take an evening cruise, that way you wouldn't have to look at the rocky edges of the river. Preferably some kind of event that they would have going on. But for now, according to their website, their events calender is empty.

Going through the locks would be interesting. It would also be a nice way to get some new shots of the city...with bridges over the river, intersecting your shot.

[BG918]

If they can fix those banks and make them less drainage ditch-like the river could be a beautiful place. Are there concrete plans to fix the banks and to plant more trees and plants along them>? It would be a good idea to start working on that so 5-10 years from now the river is a different, more natural place and a lot of the "unsavory" functions around it like the industry, grain silos, and stockyards can be mostly hidden...

More LED lights on the many bridges that cross the river would be cool to see as well, for nighttime boat trips. Individual companies could sponsor each bridge ala OG+E with the Lincoln bridge getting signage and recognition for "donating" lights to the city.

[solitude]

$12 for a round trip is not too bad. But the really good deal looks like the $18 two-day pass. I didn't know COTPA had contracted with Hornblower to manage the cruisers. They are a top-notch outfit!

[Watson410]

The one thing that sucks to me.... it would be a 3 hour boat ride, round trip! Sure you may save on gas but your wasting 3 hours of your day looking at rocks and water.

[Turanacus]

anyone take a ride yet ?

[MrZ]

The boats are tied up behind the Chesapeake Boathouse if you want to check them out. Went walking there the other day and saw them. Look pretty nice, although not as big as you would expect.

[OKCisOK4me]

The one thing that sucks to me.... it would be a 3 hour boat ride, round trip! Sure you may save on gas but your wasting 3 hours of your day looking at rocks and water.

That's why I say go at night. You really don't think that the boats are going to move that fast do you? It's a 7 mile trip one way and you have to go through 2-3 locks...which would take time. That's why I'd go when some kind of event would be held on the boat cause I wouldn't want to count the rocks either. Or notice that the bikers and joggers are moving faster than you are!

[dalelakin]

Due to high winds, Oklahoma River Cruises are suspended until further notice. For the latest cruise status, call 702-7755 or stay tuned to okrivercruises.com.

Bummer we were planning on taking a ride this weekend.

[metro]

I'm sure if the weather stays nice, they'll be back open by weekend. As the notice states, "due to high winds", the winds were ridiculous tonight. I imagine they'll lighten up by the weekend. Keep checking the weather forecast, don't give up on the boats.

[metro]

City cruise gives novel view of a growing downtown
Oklahoman
By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

The Oklahoma River Cruisers, dreamed about for years, are providing locals and visitors with a new view of the city.

Boats run Wednesday through Sunday, as weather permits, with departures from the Regatta Park Landing next to the Chesapeake Energy Boathouse at Lincoln Boulevard, and from the Meridian Landing at SW 15 just east of Meridian Avenue.

The first thing you see when leaving either landing is a stunning view of the past or future.

If you choose to leave the Meridian Avenue Landing, you're treated to a view of the Oklahoma River as it looked decades ago when this city was settled. This section of the waterway, originally known as the North Canadian River, is lined with trees — and not the rock embankments that were added to the remainder of the river as part of flood control efforts in the 1950s.

If you choose to leave from Regatta Park, you see Rand Elliott's award-winning Chesapeake Energy Boathouse. You can imagine what this stretch will look like as future boathouses will be added in the next few years.


View of the future
Construction of the new Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway also is visible from the dock, and an ornate new bridge gives a glimpse at what the highway might look like when it is completed.
I chose to leave from the Regatta Park Landing. When my boat arrived, it carried only three passengers who endured spending 30 minutes in the lock. The crew assured the problem was corrected and such delays weren't everyday occurrences.

Thirteen passengers were aboard the trip to Meridian Landing.

After a brief safety demonstration the passengers scattered to the deck to get a better look at the downtown skyline. Some talked about future developments planned along the Oklahoma River — and excitedly speculated about how a Ferris wheel recently bought by developer Grant Humphreys might be included in a project he's planning at Western Avenue at the old Downtown Airpark.

Spotting that location wasn't easy. The bridges aren't marked, and despite talk of the boats featuring global positioning system maps on the on-board television, no such programming was available.

The passage through the locks this time around went off without a hitch. Kids were fascinated watching the water levels rise inside the lock.

As the boat neared the Interstate 44 crossing, I was reminded of the city's other ambitions for the Oklahoma River — to make it an urban fishing corridor. And indeed, the closer we got to Meridian Landing, the more people I saw fishing from the riverside.

A small outdoor tent was set up along the riverfront campus of Dell Computers, and a small group of people could be seen watching the boat as it passed. Several people were biking and jogging along the trails on this section of the waterway.

After one hour and 15 minutes, we arrived at the Meridian Landing, where you can see two nearby hotels under construction. It's here passengers face a choice — spend another hour and fifteen minutes going back to Regatta Park or take a 45- to 60-minute trolley ride that parallels the same route.


Taking the trolley
Not wanting to commit a full three hours to riding the waves, I chose the trolley, so did several other passengers.
Every passenger I spoke to loved the cruise itself, even those who were stuck in the lock. Nobody enjoyed the trolley ride.

The boat's crew told passengers the trolley would meet us precisely as the boat arrived at the Meridian Landing and would take us back to Regatta Park. It did. What they don't say is that it will first take a 20-minute detour passing by more than dozen hotels along the Meridian Avenue hotel corridor.

The loop is designed so that visitors wanting to catch a trolley can count on being picked up in front of their hotel — and not even have to cross the street for a ride. Not one person hopped on or off this trolley at any of the hotels.

After the 20-minute loop, we were taken back to where we started — Meridian Landing.

The ride included a pass through some unattractive parts of town, but the view improved as the trolley passed through Stockyards City. And after enduring a bumpy stretch of the old Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway, we arrived back at Regatta Park — 50 minutes after leaving the boat.

[PennyQuilts]

Thanks for the description.

[BG918]

I'll have to try this out but 3 hours does seem excessive. Maybe in the future they can offer shorter cruises, maybe Regatta Park to Stockyards City or something like that? I really hope they have a plan to better landscape the banks, the rocks look horrible and most of the banks are pretty barren. Their goal should be to make it look like it does around the Meridian landing, like it used to before the Corps made it into a drainage canal.

[jbrown84]

Taking the trolley
Not wanting to commit a full three hours to riding the waves, I chose the trolley, so did several other passengers.
Every passenger I spoke to loved the cruise itself, even those who were stuck in the lock. Nobody enjoyed the trolley ride.

The boat's crew told passengers the trolley would meet us precisely as the boat arrived at the Meridian Landing and would take us back to Regatta Park. It did. What they don't say is that it will first take a 20-minute detour passing by more than dozen hotels along the Meridian Avenue hotel corridor.

The loop is designed so that visitors wanting to catch a trolley can count on being picked up in front of their hotel — and not even have to cross the street for a ride. Not one person hopped on or off this trolley at any of the hotels.

After the 20-minute loop, we were taken back to where we started — Meridian Landing.

The ride included a pass through some unattractive parts of town, but the view improved as the trolley passed through Stockyards City. And after enduring a bumpy stretch of the old Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway, we arrived back at Regatta Park — 50 minutes after leaving the boat.

No offense Steve, but when we did this, it was obvious to us to make sure we were boarding a trolley that had already made the loop around the Meridian Corridor and was headed back towards downtown.

[Steve]

No offense taken. They gave us no such info on boarding a trolley or that another trolley would be coming by.

[bombermwc]

Remember folks that it's just the first step in a larger project. Give it another 10 years and you'll see. Think about how boring Bricktown was when it first opened.