The Quiet Wild Heads West, Part I

The Quiet Wild took a road trip to the northern plains of Texas to visit Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyon. What an amazing journey across a wide swath of Texas! I took so many pictures during this trip that I will break them into two posts. This post will capture what we observed on our drive northwest and the images of our time in Canyon, TX and hiking Palo Duro Canyon.

Our drive took us through many counties and geographical regions of Texas. We traveled through the Gulf Coastal Plains, crossed the North Central Plains, then entered the West Texas Rolling Plains. What a difference in those miles! Towns got farther apart and cars were few and far between the further we drove. Of course, we drove through several large towns and cities, such as the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Wichita Falls. But as we left Wichita Falls, we entered a very different world. The world of the High Plains of Texas.

Cotton and Cattle

Even though I have lived in Texas all of my life, I had no idea how much cotton was grown here. Acres upon acres of cotton fields! We thought we were seeing hay bales, but as we looked closer, the bales were filled with cotton. Some of the fields had been harvested while some were almost ready to harvest. We also saw fields of corn, but the majority of the fields were cotton.

Or cattle! Lots of cattle grazing in the fields that weren’t planted. And the wind turbines were located all along and within the cotton fields. Wind turbines as far as they eye could see, from east to west and north to south. There were no geographical features along this drive to break the wind. So, the turbines were well placed to harvest the energy of the wind.

Caprock Escarpment

Approaching and crossing the Caprock Escarpment was a breathtaking experience. We drove for hours and saw flatness, horizon, and big sky. But as we approached the Caprock Escarpment, our view changed immediately. It was as if we stepped into another world. And it happened fast!

The extreme contrast is stark. You are driving along the vast, flat plains and all of a sudden there is a wall. As we got closer, the raised mesas came into view, like a table on the plains. As we got closer to Canyon, we could see deep canyons in the distance. There was nothing to block our view, as all along the road continued the fields of crops or cattle.

I am sure the early settlers were taken aback by the seemingly endless wall of rock, then deep canyons in the middle of the high plains. But, it is a beautiful sight. Geological features can be awe-inspiring and remind us of our smallness as humans on this planet. The sudden appearance of a wall jutting from the earth reminds you that there are bigger forces at work.

Canyon, Texas

Canyon, Texas is a charming north Texas town. The county seat of Randall County, its town square is like many others I have visited in my years of traveling Texas. In the center of the square is the courthouse, which houses a clock that chimes at the top of the hour. It even plays musical interludes! We stayed at the Hudspeth House, a bed and breakfast located just off the square in Canyon. Built in 1909, the owner and operator Bernadette maintains its vintage, but welcoming charm. We had an actual key to our room!

We stayed in the O’Keefe room, named for Georgia O’Keefe who took most of her meals at the boarding house while she worked at West Texas State Normal College, now West Texas A&M University. Our room was very large and included its own bathroom with a clawfoot tub. Bernadette was a perfect host and offered great breakfast options, even willing to make something to order, if you wanted it. If you are ever in Canyon, I encourage you to visit the Hudspeth House if you need a place to lay your head overnight. You won’t be disappointed.

The sunset in Canyon on our first night was spectacular! The flatness of the horizon allowed the bright oranges and yellows to really glow.

Palo Duro Canyon

The second largest canyon in the United States is in Texas. That should be the lead story when describing Texas to someone! I have lived here my entire life and just recently experienced the bigness, vastness and overwhelmingness that comes with driving along a flat road then arriving at a cliff and a canyon… in Texas! Amazing and breath-taking, those are the words I kept using to describe my experience while visiting and hiking Palo Duro Canyon.

We hiked the Lighthouse Trail, the most popular trail in state park. The images below are from that hike.

The gypsum is really noticeable in this image as it stripes across the rock face.

The gypsum layers were all along the trailway, too.

You can see part of the trail in the next few images. We were covered in red dirt and dust after a day of hiking in this!

The sun was just starting to peek over the canyon rim.

There is not much blooming in the canyon at this time of year. But a few plants were able to scratch their way to life. The Blazing Star was all along the trail.

This yellow Primrose bloom is on full display.

Trailing Windmills stretched all along the trail, cascading their blooms down the side edges.

The meadow in front of this rock wall was full of cactus and a tall plant that once had a white bloom. The bloom was gone, leaving only the seed husk. They look like little white dots against the darker tree line.

The Red River flows through Palo Duro Canyon. Several trails were closed due to recent rains, but you wouldn’t know it looking at this river bed.

The wide area of tree and brush growth showed where water runs through the canyon.

We saw lots of rock formations on our hike, but this was one of the most intriguing. This rock is perilously perched on the tip of another formation. It looks like a stiff breeze would blow it right off! Quite the balancing act! It is one of the hoodoos, spire-like structures formed by erosion over millions of years.

There were several areas where there was evidence of rock slides down the canyon walls. Erosion at work!

The next few images show the inner canyon and impressive canyon walls. The majesty and beauty of this treasure is on display!

Capital Peak

There are pockets or shallow rock fissures throughout the canyon.

The image below shows the Tugboat rock formation along the Lighthouse Trail. This is a great name for this area as it really does look like a tugboat. Travelers heading through the canyon would be able to navigate by this particular rock formation.

The Lighthouse Trail is named for the two rock formations that resemble lighthouses. The image below is called the Little Lighthouse, another example of a hoodoo.

The following images showcase the impressive Lighthouse rock formation. It is staggering to consider the elements that worked over eons to create this structure.

The Big Cave was a hike up boulders and large rocks. Not an easy hike in running shoes!

These images are looking out from inside the Big Cave.

The only animal we saw while hiking Palo Duro Canyon was this juvenile Roadrunner. He was standing by the road in the park preening his soft, downy, feathers.