Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve

Friday, April 19, 2019

Today we headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve. This preserve was established in 1901 to help save endangered wildlife such as bison, elk, prairie dogs and longhorn cattle (longhorns weren’t technically wildlife, but the refuge was an ideal place to put them).

We went into the preserve about 7 miles into the preserve to the visitor’s center first. We saw longhorn and bison grazing on the prairie.

 

 

At the visitor center we saw a movie on the refuge’s history and walked around learning things about the preserve.

 

 

 

Found ninja obstacles…

 

Obviously some of the larger wildlife come right into the parking lot!!

Then we drove to Mt. Scott. There is actually a road to get to the top but it is being eroded from the underside so motor vehicle traffic is no longer permitted. You can walk or bike to the top on the roadway. So we parked at the base and walked up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the top!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming down the mountain.

 

We decided to visit the Holy City in the preserve. We saw these longhorns standing on the side of the road.

 

Then we saw prairie dogs…

 

The Holy City was built in 1934 to house a yearly Passion Play. The play has been running annually for 94 years.

 

All the buildings are made of these stones.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a really neat lizard by one of the buildings.

 

 

There is an active Catholic church on the grounds.

We’re planning to return tomorrow evening for the passion play.

We were near Ft. Sill so we decided to go see Geronimo’s grave. It is in an Apache graveyard on the base.

 

 

 

We took a stroll through the artillery yard as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ninja obstacles too…

 

 

By now we were pretty hungry so we stopped at this neat restaurant in Lawton, OK called McKenzie’s Burger Garage. It had some interesting decor.

 

Don’t know the people in the picture, just getting the background. (0:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Superman

 

 

We left at 8pm when they closed the shop and had an hour drive home. The moon rise on our way home was spectacular.