I finally got the chance to do an overnight stay on a video trip! I actually booked two separate jobs for the Army base at Ft. Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. When they scheduled back to back shoots, I knew I could stay down there and play around in the Wichita Mountains and shoot some footage-something that I've always wanted to do.
The Wichita Mountains aren't big. They've been worn down over many millennia. One of my favorite things about Oklahoma is the varied geography. There are many places that, if someone just dropped you there and asked you to name what state you were in, you wouldn't be able to name where you were. The Wichita Mountains are one of those places. It feels like the idyllic Old West from a Hollywood movie. There are buffalo but they are a bit camera shy. The prairie dogs, who are not camera shy, have their own turnout and you can park right next to them. I didn't get the chance to go that far into the reserve, but I will in a later visit.
The drive up Mount Scott is amazing. There are several turnouts on the way up. The view from the top is a wonderful change of pace from the rolling hills and plains of Central Oklahoma. Again, the rock formations, wild flowers, and cacti make it feel more like the Southwest than the plains.
When you're done exploring the Wichitas, head up to Meers for a hamburger and check out the seismographs. Believe it or not, Oklahoma is seismically active.
