Palo Duro Canyon

 

We drove through Texas ranching country alongside many fields of corn and hay to reach an outstanding Texas State Park, Palo Duro Canyon.   It was apparent on arriving at the park office that the CCC had been involved with building this park.  One of their most impressive structures is now used as the visitor’s center and has “picture windows” with fantastic views of the canyon, including Lighthouse Rock, the symbol of the park.

From the office, we drove down a 10% grade to the bottom of the  canyon to reach Sagebrush Campground, the closest campground to the entrance.  The other CG with 50 amp service is reached by driving through 5 washes – areas where rainwater flows over the road.  The entire canyon area is verdant due to the recent rain.

We drove through the park today stopping to take photos – too many photos – but it was hard to resist  taking  “just another shot” with the beauty of the canyon walls with rocks of many colors. 

Another feature of the park is the herd of Texas Longhorns which graze just inside the entrance.  Several Texas state parks are home to Longhorns  in an attempt to preserve the breed, a part of the Texas legacy.  Incidentally, other wildlife we saw included a roadrunner and what appeared to be a tarantula.

Now for the weather report:  Note the temperature on the thermometer which was at the entrance to a trail. (It reads 110).  Another thermometer was on the overlook near the visitor’s center and registered 10 degrees cooler.