We left Cleburne and headed north towards Wichita Falls, which is the hottest place I have ever been in my entire life, and turned west towards Amarillo. The landscape flattened out and towns got fewer and farther between. We got to Caprock Canyon State Park first. It's about an hour and 1/2 away from Palo Duro, but they have a herd of bison that we wanted to see. The headquarters was closed, so we drove through the park to check out the scenery and the bison. We saw 4 bison, 1 fairly close to the car. We saw more bison than people as we drove through. Caprock is located on the southern end of Palo Duro Canyon. The canyon runs 120 miles north south and is a couple miles wide. Caprock is like Palo Duros' wild outdoorsy cousin. There are no cabins, screened shelters, or nature centers. The scenery is similar, but it is definitely a more rugged park. We moved on towards Palo Duro stopping for a not so delicious dinner at Sonic arriving at the park around 8pm. Coming up to the canyon is an amazing experience. The land is flat as far as the eye can see and all the sudden the ground opens up to this enormous canyon. It really is awe inspiring. The headquarters is located at the top rim of the canyon and is open in the summer till 10pm for the guests coming to the Texas show. We checked into cow cabin #4. Cow cabins are limited use cabins built by the CCC in the 30's located near the floor of the canyon. They have double bunk beds, a table with chairs, microwave, mini-fridge, and fireplace. And air conditioning!!! Outside is a picnic table with lantern post and water spigot. I was very concerned that the cabin may actually be a scorpion habitat, but was very pleasantly surprised to see how well it was sealed. They did warn us that the endangered Palo Duro mouse sometimes came down the chimney at night, but would not bother us. Having hamsters as a child, this did not scare me like the scorpion prospect. So the cabin was great and after watching the full moon rise up one side of the canyon while the sun set down the other side, we slept like babies. The next morning, Natalie and I went horseback riding while the boys hiked to the Lighthouse, an impressive rock formation. We knew we would be busy in the morning and back to the cabin by lunch due to the heat. Mid-day was between 108-111 degrees and ever after sunset, it stayed close to 100. But it was a dry heat! A little Texas humor there. Natalie and I arrived at the Old West Stables inside the park at 10am. For $35 each, we got an hour long 3 mile trail ride with a guide. And it was only us, so it was like a personal tour! The guide was great and the horses very gentle. Natalie rode Rocky and I rode Hoot. We had a great time riding. Unfortunately the pictures I took on my phone didn't transfer to the computer right and I lost them. So we just have our memories from that morning. I highly recommend this stable. After we were done riding, we went to the Visitors Center which has exhibits about the geology and animals of the canyon. They also have a free viewfinder for looking at the Lighthouse formation. We picked up 2 books of activities and questions for the kids to participate in the Junior Naturalist Program. Most State Parks and National Parks have these types of programs and the kids have loved them. It is an opportunity to learn more about the park, earn patches or badges and a certificate, and feel a real ownership of that park. Such a great way to sneak in a little education and reinforce conservation. The boys hiked up and made it almost the whole way before Patrick started feeling woozy from the heat. But it was the longest and hottest hike he has ever done. We went to the Trading Post for ice cream before returning to the cabin for the afternoon. We went to the bath house for showers and had an impromptu lesson on venomous spiders. While the boys bathroom was bug free, the girls bathroom was well stocked with creepy spiders. We identified black widows, brown recluse, and fiddleback spiders. The others we did not know, but they looked unfriendly. So we used the one bathroom stall that didn't have a web from the toilet seat to the wall and took fabulous cold showers (which were spider free). We spent the afternoon taking naps and playing in the air conditioned cabin till 5. We needed to map out our route for the drive to Carlsbad the next day, but had no data coverage in the canyon. So we drove the 8 miles or so to the town of Canyon. They have an interesting looking natural history museum in town and it is only 12 miles south of Amarillo. After getting the route and filling up the gas tank, we headed back to the park for the Chuck wagon Dinner. The amphitheater is the home of the Texas Show. This outdoor musical is in its 47th season. The stage is open air and the backdrop is the canyon walls. It seats about 1200 and was about 1/2 full on the Thursday night we were there. The chuckwagon dinner was very good and a good deal at around $45 for our family. Usual Texas BBQ: brisket, sausage, ham, beans, coleslaw, white bread, pickles and onions, and cobbler for dessert. It came with Tea, Lemonade or water. The dining area was at covered picnic tables brightly painted with the Texas flag and close enough to hear the band playing. They had a gift shop, a country band, and misters to fight the still 105 degree heat. The play didn't start till 8:30, so we drove back to the cabin after dinner to do some packing. We knew we needed to get an early start if we were going to make it to New Mexico and then down to Davis Mountains SP. The show was great. The storyline was similar to the musical Oklahoma. There was a tribute to America afterwards with fireworks, water cannons, riders on horseback and lots of singing. The kids loved it! The next morning, we stopped at the Visitors Center again to turn in their Junior Naturalist books and get their patches.
Palo Duro is an amazing park and even in the summer, there is lots to do. Hiking and riding is best in the morning. Plan your trips to town for the afternoon. No mosquitoes, but there were lots of biting flies. We did see one scorpion at night outside the cabin, so keep all your shoes and gear inside. We heard coyotes, saw a few birds including the Mississippi Kite which looks like a small hawk, and a neat looking green lizard. The show is a must see and the dinner is worth the money.
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