Image courtesy Flickr user Rod Murrow.

When you work in education you have a sort of skewed view of summer. While we’ve only just seen the final threats of frost, the academic year is almost over, and with that annual transition comes a bit more freedom and relaxation. True, I will continue to work 40 hours a week through the summer, but things will be relaxed and free for the immediately forseeable future, and I’m beginning to make summer plans. These include a week at a cabin in Dillon, Colorado with my family, a couple days off after Oklahoma City Pride in which I’m going to see the B-52′s, Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho and Joan Jett on the True Colors Tour in Oklahoma City, and, this next project.

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Great Oklahoma Road Trip 2008.

I was thinking last week about setting some new goals for myself for the summer, and the very first thing I came up with was to go see at least 5 places in Oklahoma that I’ve never seen. The image above, for example, is in Major County’s Glass Mountain area, a place I’ve only heard about in passing, but – look how beautiful it is! As much as I love my state, there are a ton of places in it I haven’t seen – some I’m sure that I don’t even know exist.

So, this summer I’m going to take 5 trips around the state to places I have yet to go. The old holdouts – Meers, the Wichita Mountains, Red Rock Canyon – they’re all great, and I’d love to see them, but I want to find some new places, some new day trips. I WISH I could go ahead and get a one of these:

But I can’t afford it as yet, and anyway, Calvin can ponk around the state for a summer, his moon roof open and the speakers blaring. (Unless some lovely benefactor wants to buy it for me, or if I get a wild hair, sell Calvin, and buy the Vespa anyway).

Anyway, here’s the challenge for you guys: I need suggestions. I have an Oklahoma travel guide, an agritourism map and some friends who know this state more intricately than me, but still. Suggest away! I’m eager to explore Oklahoma, and I’m eager to bring you guys along with me, even if it’s just in blog form.