Palo Duro Canyon Texas Part 1

 Saturday 29th April 2023

We packed up again and drove 160 miles to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas. The drive was mostly on the 287 highway which went through the Texas plains with not a lot to see but shrub and fields for miles. The small local road to the park continued through rural land that was very flat then it ended at the park entrance. We arrived at a busy time and had to line up for a bit with day use people a lot of whom were turning around when they found out due to heavy rains the previous few days that the hiking trails were closed and when it costs $8 per adult entry you want to be able to hike. 

We finally got checked in and drove down a major sketchy steep road with very tight switchback turns that took us to the canyon floor. 

Driving into the canyon, you can see the white dots of the campsite

Sagebrush Loop Campsite

View from the kitchen sink, not bad!

View out of the back of the rv

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say. OK I better say more. From driving along pancake flat farmlands you suddenly descend into the most amazing landscape. They call this canyon America's second Rockies and I can see why. Your brain can't quite comprehend the change.

We got set up and went for a small walk. There is a Trading Post store and café next to our Sagebrush loop that was very busy on Saturday afternoon. We also drove along the canyon road that at the end turns into a loop road. The views!

On Sunday we set off early to beat the heat and hike The Lighthouse Trail. On the map this was shown as a 2.8 mile one way moderate hike. We GPS tracked our hike, with stops it took 3 hours and we covered 6.8 miles. It was great setting off in the cool of the morning but by the time we finished it was 80F. A lot of people were just beginning the hike and we saw a lot of them without hats or water despite the signs warning you how much water you needed. 

The walk was amazing and we were glad we pushed ourselves to do it - the reward of climbing up to The Lighthouse was worth it.

Thought this was The Lighthouse not far from the car park, nope Ros this isn't it, keep walking.

Look like a refugee! The fleece and body warmer came off pretty quick as the temperatures rose.

That's where we are heading? Ooo that's far! 

Is it better to hike and be able to see the end point, have the motivation or is it bad as you can see how far you have to go?

It was a bit of a scramble to the top.

Mr Dung Beetle hard at work

We left Morgan in the rv this time. It's the first time we have not taken her on a hike but she seems to be struggling right now and we knew the heat and the climb at the end would be too much. Looking back after completing the hike it was a good decision.

The wild animal resting up in the heat of the afternoon before making her way out to hunt 

Quanah and Childress, Texas

 Saturday 22nd April 2023

We packed up and did another very long drive! 25 miles to our next park in Quanah, Texas just next to the Oklahoma border. After two weeks of no stores or laundry we knew we would need to do some chores and stock up on food so we stayed in a private campsite for a week as we were not able to get a booking in the next State Park until the end of the month.

https://www.oletowncottonginrvpark.com/

This was an ok place. As it was just off a highway it caters more for people stopping overnight to break up a long drive. It had full hook ups and a laundry with the nearest Walmart just over twenty miles away. Felt a bit like staying in a car park but the rates were reasonable, the bathrooms and laundry were clean so it did the job but it definitely reaffirmed our love for State Parks even with their minimal services.

Saturday: after getting set up we drove to Walmart and stocked up, then had a drive through the historic area of Childress which was basically a very sad main street. The architecture was lovely and the road was made of brick pavers, you could feel it's history and the echoes of it's glory days but now the businesses are closed and many of the buildings left to rot. 

We drove around the corner and found a cute place, bakery and pizza the only business open. Well you know me, use the B word and I'm pulling over to investigate!

Wheat's Pizza and Bakery in Childress, Texas. Does not have a website but here is a Tripadvisor page. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g55619-d23258494-Reviews-Wheat_s_Artisan_Bakery-Childress_Texas.html

The owner was a great guy who had  renovated the building himself  and had made a photo album to show all the great work he had done. We got a tasty pizza and some cookies. Hopefully more people will buy up some of the buildings and turn them into great businesses, there is a highway running through the town and I'm sure people would stop to shop.

North Main Street Childress

Great cell reception here!

We walked down Goodlett Road - yes this is an official road though it looks like a dirt track - next to the RV park (picture above) for a few miles never seeing the end of it. It was bordered by cotton and wheat fields with some beautiful wild flowers in the verges.

So many abandoned buildings 

A few miles from Quanah is a sign for a town called Acme. It made me remember watching the Looney Tunes cartoons with the Roadrunner and Wile Coyote and their Acme gadgets. Acme was once a thriving town with a cement works and railway line but slowly the population dwindled and the town died. The gypsum plant finally closed in March 2023 eliminating 166 jobs. It's not surprising and very sad the neighboring towns of Childress and Quanah are dying too.

https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2023/02/03/quanah-plant-closure-marks-end-of-132-year-saga/69866080007/

 Driving around both of the towns made me sad. I saw some elderly people outside their homes, how do they function on a day to day basis? The supermarket in Quanah was small, very limited and expensive and if you wanted more choice you have to drive thirty miles to Walmart. What do they do for health care and social life? Is there any sense or feeling of the community they have had for years left? I do not imagine they have the option to move to a new area and there are no residential homes catering to the aged to go live in.

These are things we will be thinking about when we look for somewhere to lay our hat. A rural life looks good on Instagram but what would it mean on a daily basis? Are there healthcare providers, stores etc. within a reasonable drive?

A good stop in Childress was Justin Outlet Store. The store from the roadside looked pretty sad and closed but was fun to shop in. The place to get your boots! Nope I was good, I didn't buy any.

Grapevine, Texas

 Our second week at Vineyards Campsite was doing vacation laundry and John back to work. We did have two trips into Grapevine town that had some very cute stores including an expensive English store. I'm sure Americans must think England is a very expensive place as the prices were ridiculous though that did not stop us from buying a few things though if the prices were more reasonable we would have bought a lot more than we did.

https://www.british-emporium.com/

Main Street, Grapevine

We have seen some very high end or unusual campers while staying around the Dallas area. Some pics taken covertly lol!

This amazing set up with bespoke livery had a matching electric smart car that was transported on the back of the truck bed

Seeing a lot of very sporty utility campers 

Planters are very extra!

But ours is the best!

Jamaica

 Thursday 30th March

It was finally time, Jamaica here we come. We drove very far to Dallas Fort Worth airport, 5 miles! The flight was fine but the airport to hotel transfer was a very slow two hours and we did not get to the hotel until 7pm. 

Get ice cream when you fly business class!

We had a great few days in Jamaica and the wedding was beautiful.