Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas

So we didn't get to see the Super Moon on Saturday night in the "Grand Canyon of Texas" like we planned but it was super nonetheless from the motel parking lot in Pratt, KS. But that's the beauty of having no real plan at all.

Sunday we set off from Pratt for long road across southwest Kansas on Rt 54 - with such treasures as the world's largest hand-dug well and not much else - and through the panhandle of Oklahoma on our way to Palo Duro Canyon State Park south of Amarillo. I wanted to be able to claim I visited each state we've been through and since we'd only be in Oklahoma for about 60 miles, that meant we had to stop for lunch in OK.

I'm still not a pro pulling the trailer so after two attempts at pulling over in Hooker, OK, and Optima (they might've had one stop light), I landed us in the only parking lot I could get the trailer through and that we could snag some shade and free wifi - a Holiday Inn. Shade was a commodity - there's really no trees out here. Dave made up some tortillas with cream cheese and jelly that we scored from the motel continental breakfast and we both choked down on a bench in front of the hotel lobby. They were better in theory then practice. Only got the stink eye from the desk clerk one time on my way to the bathroom.

Back on the road we drove straight through to Palo Duro - a windy 150 miles - and got to the gate to check in just 20 minutes after they closed for the night. There was a late arrival parking area with no services but it gave us a place to park and set up the camper for dinner and for our first view of the stunning canyon from the rim.

Dave cooked up some mac n cheese and green beans on the camper stove and we ate as the sun set over the canyon and the cold set in. We went for a short walk to find more info about the park (couldn't) and for a close up of the Texas long horn state cattle herd housed just beyond the park entrance, before turning in. We threw the dvd Accepted in the laptop and had a comfy night above the canyon.

Got up early on Monday to make the most of the morning before it was expected to become 86 degrees. Had no trouble getting in and getting some good advice about places to see from the front office and unhitched the camper to leave at the gate. Good thing we did: the first two miles of the park road are a 10 percent grade straight down the canyon wall to the base.

We stopped in the visitor center just as they opened and the woman working there was looking out the window down the canyon -- she pointed us to the herd of Aoudads (they look like big horn sheep) that had made part of the canyon their home. It had a great little muesum too about how the canyon was formed - by water and wind erosion less then a million years ago - and how men of the CCC helped build the roads, trails and shelters in the park.

A far kinda blurry picture of the Aoudads

The drive to the campsite was stunning. The canyon walls rise all around you with layers and layers of colors and rock. We pulled over to see a wild turkey trying to win a mate of one of the 5 or so lady turkeys ignoring him.

Our campsite was in the shadow of Fortress Rock, a long squarish, intimidating wall of the canyon.  We parked the van at our site, chowed on some breakfast, and then hit the trail for the park's big feature: Lighthouse Rock. It was about an 8 mile round trip hike so we packed a gallon of water for each of us and Boo and lunch. The wind was blowing hard, it was overcast, and still pretty chilly. We hoped it'd stay like that all day (it did for a good part) and because the sun wasn't shining, it didn't occur to me to apply sun screen. Foreshadowing.

It was fairly flat at the canyon base so the 3 or so miles out to the Lighthouse aren't so bad. The winds whipped hard and the red dust blew in our faces and just covered Boo all over. We took our time for our sake and hers with plenty of stops. After an hour or so, the sun came out and it was blazing. Hot. Very. In March! We couldn't fathom visiting this canyon in the summer - or anywhere in Texas.

Almost to the lighthouse 360 view

We got to the base of the Lighthouse area - a steep climb straight up the canyon - and took turns heading up so one of us could stay with Boo. She was already roughing it in the heat and we didn't want her to get hurt.

The views were spectacular. Hard to imagine that Palo Duro isn't a national park, it's so magestic.

The Lighthouse

We got back to camp utterly exhausted, dirty, and sunburned. When we collected ourselves and it got slightly cooler as the sun set, we cooked up some Ramen, hit the showers, and called it in early. The sky was clear and the wind calmed a bit. Sure, it wasn't the Super Moon, but the waning moon was beautiful the night after, and made up for missing it on Saturday night.

This morning (Tuesday), we packed it in and headed for Albuquerque, NM. My third new state to visit! OK, TX, NM. Nothing too remarkable today except that it was tough to drive for both of us with the cross winds, we took our first nap at a rest stop in the van (Boo loved it), and we opted to cash in some of Dave's points for a free room at the Holiday Inn.

More soon! Love to everyone at home.