Palo Duro Canyon State Park–Texas Panhandle 8/31-9/3, 2020

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/palo-duro-canyon/fees-facilities/campsites

The first thing Zoom Zoom and I noticed as we approached the front gate is how FLAT the land is around the canyon. It goes on for miles and miles as if the land had been starched within an inch of its’ life. Once we entered the park we descended 800 feet to the bottom of the canyon where our campsite was located. We chose to stay in the Sagebrush campground because it was the closest to the entrance. Also, if it should rain , most of the other campsites get flooded in.

 

I see Wally!

We woke up early Tuesday morning to hike the Lighthouse Trail. This trail was rated “moderate” and was 2.7 miles one way and average time in and out –4 hours. When Zoom Zoom and I left at 8:00 in the morning it was 66 degrees – it felt fabulous!

We had all our gear including 3 liters of water each, snacks, medical kit and rain gear. 

Hiking for us isn’t just about the final destination.  We always stop to admire our surroundings and take pictures. We look for animals, bugs and birds, interesting rock formations and we notice the different flowers. I still have a teacher’s brain so I tell Zoom Zoom, “Take a picture of this…take a picture of that…Jessica needs it for school.”

 

Notice the layers in the earth! The white streaks are Gypsum.

Poor guy! Circle of life…the ants think it is delicious. (Note: we found this guy dead )

We spy the Lighthouse!  The lighthouse is the structure on the right.  Zoom Zoom zoomed in on it!

Yep, still smiling!

I thought this was interesting. Whatever killed this beetle, the beetle put up a fight. You can see all it’s footprints.

See how the water finally weakened  the edges until it broke off?

Can you see the claw marks on the rock! Hmm…mountain lion? And,still getting closer to the Lighthouse!

The first 2.5 miles were slightly hilly. The trail was marked well so we knew where to go. Once we got to the base of the lighthouse it seems as if the trail ascended straight up! I had to crawl on my knees and slide on my bottom for parts of it. For some reason, I became fearful of heights-there were some pretty good drop offs!  Zoom Zoom had to help me more than usual. It’s a good thing he is strong! We finally arrived at the lighthouse. We stayed at the top for about 45 minutes just exploring and admiring our surroundings.

Zoom Zoom posing in front of the Lighthouse.  And, another perspective.

The rocks that look like they are balancing are called “hoodoo’s.”

Just don’t look down!

Handsome Zoom Zoom!

Then it was time to head down. Hmm…remember going up? Now picture this Honey sliding down a lot of the way! Here is where we tell our mom’s to cover their ears – WE GOT LOST! Once we got off the lighthouse (straight down) we were met with several trail choices and none of them were marked! We started questioning ourselves, did we pass this rock, did we step over this branch, does this tree look familiar and it went on. Luckily, Zoom Zoom has a good sense of direction. We weren’t lost for more than 10 minutes. We came across a young girl that had just ascended the first part of the last 2/10ths. Zoom Zoom asked if she had just come up. Poor thing looked ragged – I knew the feeling. She told us she had just come that way. Zoom Zoom warned her there was more to come. She decided to forgo the last little bit since she had her dog with her. Once back on track – smooth sailing until… I HIT THE WALL! My stupid hips kept locking up and my legs felt like rubber. The last 5/10ths were the worst! I just kept telling my feet to keep going, you can do it, one step at a time… Finally, we spotted Jethro! We always take a before and after picture just for our memories. It was 12:45 pm.  4:45 hours., not bad considering the temperature. As we passed the trail head the temperature gauge read 100 degrees! I don’t know if you can tell if we were too hot or not!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Later, in the afternoon, it poured! We wanted to get in more trails before we had to leave. We waited until around 6:00 to head out again. We were going to hike the Rojo Grande. We did attempt the trail – bad idea! It was so muddy. We went maybe 100 yards and punted! Rookie mistake #1 – we forgot extra shoes to change into! We had to wear our disgusting red mud muddy hiking shoes in the Jeep!

No “after” picture since we were only out on the trail for around 10 minutes MAX!

Now it’s Wednesday morning, (9-2-2020). We still wanted to get some trails in, but it was too muddy. We ended up heading into town to the Panhandle –Planes Historical Museum. This gem of a museum is located on the West Texas A&M  University campus. If you like museums and have a lot of time on your hands it is worth visiting.

https://www.panhandleplains.org/

After visiting the Panhandle- Planes Historical Museum, Zoom Zoom wanted to go to another kind of museum. This place is a museum full of RV’s and other memorabilia. A man named Jack Sisemore and his son created the attraction. Better yet…it was  FREE! Jack and his son have a great collection they have restored of several kinds of RV’s. Collecting other memorabilia is also part of the museum. There were motor cycles, gas pumps, signs, cameras, and just an assortment of camping equipment.

http://www.rvmuseum.net/

Memories!

My family had a Starcraft trailer. So many fun memories!

Once we returned to the RV we decided it was dry enough to try a few more hikes. We decided to take Abby with us. This time we headed out on the Sunflower Trail. This trail was an in and out trail being 2.4 miles long. It was rated “easy.’ We agree, it was easy. Abby loved it. It was muddy in parts, but most of it fell off before we returned to Jethro to head back to Wally. Rookie mistake – we forgot our shoes to change into after the hike! See rookie mistake #1!  Zoom Zoom said wants his money back. We didn’t see ONE sunflower!

We knew we could squeeze in one more “Easy” hike so we headed over to Pioneer Nature Trail. It was a loop and only a 1/2 mile long. Well, mom’s cover your ears again! We did see some neat nature! First we saw racoon footprints in the creek. Then…a rattlesnake was sunning itself on the path. I was leading the way. As soon as I saw it I stuck my hand out (you know the “mom move”) and stopped Jeff and pointed out the snake. I told him it was a rattlesnake. He moved closer to see – yep, rattlesnake. It was as still as a branch. Jeff moved in just a bit to get photos. I reminded him they move pretty fast! It’s amazing how calm we were. It was as if we came across rattlesnakes every day! We were pondering what to do. Next thing I know, Zoom Zoom is holding a stick. Now, you have to realize we are armchair experts – we watch Lone Star Law and North Woods Law all the time. Zoom Zoom just poked the stick at the snake’s tail so it would move on. Sure enough, it turned around and headed back to the woods. Zoom Zoom scared me at the last minute and tossed the stick in the snakes direction. It startled the snake too! Off it went into the woods to go hunting for its dinner. Of course our eyes were even more aware of our surroundings.  We spotted a centipede and a tarantula right before we got to Jethro. No money back necessary on this trail – we saw nature for sure!

Simple trail! Lots of thrills!

Racoon tracks.

Only because one picture isn’t enough!

More beautiful nature from the park.

We WILL be coming back here to hike the trails we missed.