A Mother's Day Happening

Palo Duro Canyon State Park (TX)

“I  feel like I been draggin’ a boat anchor all the way from Oklahoma City”. (Overheard at a truck stop on I-40 in NM in 2005)

On Saturday we pushed ourselves a bit and broke the rule for stopping (e.g. “Three hundred miles or five pm, whichever comes first”). We drove over 400 miles and didn’t stop until after six. The pay-off was camping at Red Rock Canyon State Park near Hinton, OK.  We actually had reservations to camp here in 2005 but cancelled because we left earlier than expected. On the weekends Oklahoma state parks require a two night reservation but it being Saturday, we decided to give it a try. Bingo! They had eight unreserved sites

Red Rock Canyon is an interesting geological phenomenon, a kind of wide slot canyon in the middle of the plains. Repelling is very popular here and the narrow green valley between the high red rock walls is very pretty. We had a nice pull-through spot beside a little creek.  A congregation of Righteous Bikers across the road had us concerned at first but most of them all left about 6:30 and did not return.

Sunday  we got off to a good start and planned to go to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. About 11 Stephen called to wish me a happy M-Day and during the conversation reminded me that Palo Duro Canyon was nearby. As we were approaching Amarillo and Palo Duro was only 30 miles away, we made a quick change of plans.  Being Sunday afternoon the campgrounds were clearing and we had a choice of beautiful spots.

The Happening? Palo Duro Canyon! If we though Red Rock was “interesting”, this place is amazing! It is 120 miles long and 800 feet deep. The rocks are bright red claystone with bands of white gypsum with footings of yellow, grey, and lavender mudstone. There are miles of trails and lots of interesting rock formations. Not nearly as spectacular as the canyons and formations of the parks in the Four Corners area, but very impressive for west Texas! We had a super campsite and a relaxed afternoon and evening.

This morning we called ahead to Camping World in Albuquerque for an appointment to get the gas line to the refrigerator repaired and to a glass company to replace the rear window in the truck.  Good thing! At noon, I went into the TT to make lunch and found that the ‘fridge was leaning out of its cabinet. We now know why the gas line separated; when CW in Tallahassee took the fridge out for repairs they did not screw it back in! The constant movement on the road shook the line until it broke. At this point we just shrug and laugh.

Going west is always problematic in the spring but we have been blessed this year. Today was the first really bad wind and it was tough. At one point we were getting less than 4 mpg . Fortunately the storm front was behind us and we did not have tornado warnings. We did learn the benefits of missing a window in the truck as we got miles of “fragrance” from every cow lot we passed. That and counting deceased armadillos are about the only amusement we get. 

At Palo Curo State Park (TX)

"Hoo-doo" at Red Rock Canyon  SP (OK_

We are at our first private RV campground tonight, (Enchanted Trails), as it is right next door to Camping World. If all goes well with the repairs we will continue on I-40 tomorrow to Williams, AZ. It is very painful to be this close to Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and all our other favorite haunts but we have to stay focused or we will never get to Alaska.