<div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Memorial Park Cemetery by Tasha Does Tulsa, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tashadoestulsa/4053437978/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/4053437978_5bf495b13d_o.jpg" alt="Memorial Park Cemetery" width="512" height="340" /></a></div>

Today I unwittingly spent the morning at my favorite place to soak up the autumn season - Memorial Park Cemetery, in southeast Tulsa at the corner of 51st and Memorial.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Memorial Park Cemetery by Tasha Does Tulsa, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tashadoestulsa/4053437528/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4053437528_cc30325d4f_o.jpg" alt="Memorial Park Cemetery" width="480" height="640" /></a></div>

I don't routinely spend my morning hours wandering around historic cemeteries snapping photos. It's just that, today, I drove by Memorial Park and was floored by the color bursting forth from the place. I just had to pull in and set off through these gorgeous trees on foot.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Memorial Park Cemetery by Tasha Does Tulsa, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tashadoestulsa/4053435886/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2621/4053435886_745892ddc8_o.jpg" alt="Memorial Park Cemetery" width="512" height="340" /></a></div>

Wow. Can you blame me?

Then, as I was leaving, my car died.

In a cemetery. The week of Halloween. 

Oh, the irony.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Memorial Park Cemetery by Tasha Does Tulsa, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tashadoestulsa/4053436782/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2682/4053436782_7fd4540b47_o.jpg" alt="Memorial Park Cemetery" width="512" height="340" /></a></div>

I thought that while I was waiting around to find out what the heck is wrong with my ride, I'd share these photos of what is, in my opinion, one of the best places for a short drive, stroll, meander, weather balloon ride or whatever else strikes your fancy when you're craving some serious fall foliage.

<div style="text-align: center;"><a title="Memorial Park Cemetery by Tasha Does Tulsa, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tashadoestulsa/4052698351/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/4052698351_69cbbc63a6_o.jpg" alt="Memorial Park Cemetery" width="512" height="340" /></a></div>

Plus, Memorial Park Cemetery is a pretty rich place when it comes to Tulsa history. This cemetery, which sprawls over 260 acres that were well outside the city in the year of its founding in 1927, is now the site of some 54,000 graves. Some of the city's oldest names - Helmerich, Marshall, Mayo and Mabee, just to name a few - are found there, immortalized in stately mausoleums, statues and monuments. Plus, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Z7oiGWzpuDsC&amp;pg=PA143&amp;lpg=PA143&amp;dq=memorial+park+cemetery+tulsa&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=379wGGxpjf&amp;sig=SeCg1JHExhmyR-mxe8d0d6KLMbQ&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=K4PoSpUrkYox7rylrQg&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=4&amp;ved=0CBUQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&amp;q=memorial%20park%20cemetery%20tulsa&amp;f=false">Memorial Park is the resting place of the larger-than-life Bob Wills, as well as comedian Sam Kinison</a>.

And you thought 51st and Memorial was a cultural dead zone. Ha! Pun totally (and shamefully) intended.

Where in the area do your falltime drives take you?