Wichita Mountains NWR Scenery, Part II

Click here for Part I.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge wasn't all just receding lakes and controlled burn areas. It actually had some of the mountains referenced in its name, as well as some other surprises.

One such peak is Elk Mountain, which Taryn and I took the opportunity to climb.  A 2.4-mile out-and-back trail with 590 feet of elevation gain to the 2,270-foot summit.  And a windy trail at that.

The summit was so windy that I couldn't get a decent scenic shot of the surrounding landscape, even with a tripod.  But I'm more than happy with this alternative.

The refuge has an area called the Holy City of the Wichitas which I'd never heard of, but found really interesting.  Tucked away in southeast Oklahoma is a replica of what Israel is believed to have looked like during Biblical times.  It's the site of the country's longest-running Easter play, which was watched by a record attendance of 225,000 people in 1939.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out where they'd put that many people.  Or how they all could even hear the production back then. But I couldn't help but be impressed at how faith had moved people to create and maintain this place and this tradition.

We timed out our day carefully to end up at the top of Mount Scott for sunset.  I haven't seen many of these from summits.  I clearly need to try and do so more often.

I liked how long the sunset lasted.  In Colorado they're more abrupt as the sun drops behind peaks.  This one lingered and allowed us to savor it.

We had the chance to go back up Mt. Scott for sunrise the following morning.  But I decided to change it up and shoot from the shore of Lake Elmer Thomas instead.  The Photographer's Ephemeris helped me find just the right spot.  Taryn wanted me to make sure to mention that she actually took this photo -- as in, she pushed the button on the remote after I had the shot composed. :)

It's always a special moment when you see the sun actually break the horizon, and feel its warmth on your face.  I always feel blessed to experience it, and hope that never changes!