After a stormy night, it was still cloudy and a little damp at the Capitol. It was still a nice day. We got pictures from both the front and back of the Capitol building.
We could only see the Senate Chamber from the gallery. The House Chamber was open for visitors. The first row of pictures in this galley compares the Senate and House Chambers. The second row compares the lighted ceilings of the Senate and the House. The third row is the House Chamber from the floor of the House.
The interior of the capitol is lighted by skylights and electric lights. There is a wide use of pastel colors to keep the building bright. The dome above the rotunda continues that theme as it lights up the State Seal on the floor below. The hall below the dome was being prepped for a party so we could not get there.
There was a small museum that outlined the history of the Oklahoma Capitol. The Capitol was originally built without a dome. The dome was added many years after the original construction. They had a monitor that showed the transition from flat topped capitol to a domed capitol.
Oklahoma has an unusual item on the capitol grounds. In recognition of the oil industry in Oklahoma, there is an oil rig on the property. At one time it was a working well. Now it is just a display. It’s name is Petunia because it was built in a flower garden.
After our tour at the Oklahoma Capitol, we drove to Hot Springs National Park. It was raining when we arrived. We put on some rain gear to stay dry and warm.
Hot Spring National Park’s main attraction is the old bathhouses. They are all in a row on Central Avenue.
Only one bathhouse was open for a tour. We took a quick tour because they were closing in fifteen minutes.
After the tour of the bathhouse, we walked up Central Avenue to the Grand Promenade.
At the beginning of the Grand Promenade, we found the outdoor hot springs.
The rain turned out to be a good thing. We could actually see the steam rising from the hot springs. Some of the springs rise from the surface of the ground.
While we were walking by the Bathhouses, we noticed a garden between two of the buildings. We saw a bandstand on the hillside. We found the bandstand again as we walked the Gran Promenade. From there we looked down to where we had been earlier.
After that we walked back to the car and headed to Little Rock. Hot Springs National Park set a new record for our shortest visit at a national park.