Canyon City: Palo Duro and Beauty Repair

[2010 Out West Road Trip.  Travels with Carol.]

In March 2010, my mother, Carol, and I took a road trip from Missouri to New Mexico, in search of sun and warmth. Here is Day 4 of our road trip. 

Saturday, 6 march 10 

MZURI'S REPORT

Spent the day in Palo Duro Canyon, a really pretty area (2nd largest canyon in the U.S.). Not gobsmacking spectacular like the Grand Canyon, but very pretty. I walked a modest trail, the Rojo Grande, enjoying the red bluffs and red trail, while Carol read a book in the car, sipping on coffee. Carol and I had packed our lunches, and later we ate same at a shady picnic table where a cool breeze wafted through our space, and we each drank in a view from our respective sides of the table. We examined every campground, rendering our judgments on the best. 

We also looked at the Cow Camp cabins (built by CCC men during the Depression), which we fell in love with. These stone cabins really do seem to melt into the surroundings. They have heat and a/c but no toilet. Ouch. That requires a fair trek down the slope and across the road to a nearby campground's shower house. These go for $60/night. Rim cabins (literally on the canyon rim) go for $110-125.  They have bathrooms. 

 

 
We took a leisurely drive on the scenic road, then headed back to the town of Canyon. As we left the park, there was a long, long line of cars waiting to get in. 

 

Our new destination was the local Walmart. Someone with influence must really loathe Walmart because it required serious detective skills to figure out how to get from the no-exit roadway to the Walmart. And it wasn't any easier getting out of Walmart. Anyway, while there, I saw an opportunity for an overdue beauty treatment at the house salon and availed myself. This had the unfortunate consequence of leaving Carol over-long in the car after our original meet-at-the-car time, but the window was cracked, so I figured she'd be OK. 

 

 

CAROL'S REPORT

After eating our individual breakfasts in our room and dallying a bit we started out for the canyons at 10 AM.  As Mzuri described we thoroughly checked it out...the cabins by the way are little huts built entirely of stone with flat roofs.  Each of the few are surrounded by native cacti, palmettos, thorny bushes and skeletal leafless trees, stones, and dry sandy soil - very appealing.  I hope some of you some day will stay there perhaps for a couple of days to experience what must be an astounding view of moon and stars.  Today the sun was warm and the breezes cool.  As usual we ended our busy days back in our room around 4 PM with books, computer and occasionally exercising our thumb flipping thru the miracle of television.  I got the subtlety of Mzuri's comment about "leaving me in the car with the window cracked"...had I been a dog she would have been reported to the police and charged with cruelty to animals.  Not being a dumb animal I was able to use my own key to turn the AC on and eat one of the yogurts I bought at Walmart, read and dozed.  I was in full agreement for her indulging herself in what she referred to as "overdue beauty treatment".

READER RESPONSES:


FROM LABARQUE:
I love you guys.  You're better than T.V.

FROM SHILO GIRL:
Oh.  Mzuri. LOL.  "Overdue beauty treatment" when you said it, it sounded like a pampering indulgence....  when mom said it, it sounded like, oh thank gawd, she finally took care of herself!  ;-)


FROM SHILO GIRL:
I AGREE.  they are very entertaining. 


FROM CATBIRD:  
I was thinking the same thing.  I thought to myself that wow she must have been looking pretty bad.

FROM SHILO GIRL:
LOL.  yea.  maybe looking a little "Margot Kidder" caught in the bushes.


FROM HOLSTEIN GUY:
Happy Birthday to LaBarque. 

OKC to Canyon City: Plain Beauty

[2010 Out West Road Trip.  Travels with Carol.]

In March 2010, my mother, Carol, and I took a road trip from Missouri to New Mexico, in search of sun and warmth. Here is Day 3 of our road trip.  

Friday, 5 march 10  

MZURI'S REPORT

We've left Oh!klahoma. Now in Canyon, TX.

 

We're in the best kind of road-trip motel, complete with a velvet painting over the bed. It's the Buffalo Inn, set up old motor court style -- you know, with the U of rooms and the parking lot in the middle. We've got two beds, a fridge, microwave, couch, a little dining table, and a generous work table. Little pink bars of soap. Only $50 per night.

 

But briefly back to OKC. This morning, we visited the OKC National Memorial, which is very beautiful. The bases of the memorial chairs are clear-ish, and when the sun rose high enough to strike them, they glowed. Neither the museum nor store were open yet, but we weren't that interested in them, anyway. We left and took a look at Bricktown. This turns out to be a destination area designed to separate money from tourists. Usual convention center-bars-"historic" vibe. Not many bricks.

 

About an hour out of OKC, we stopped for brunch at Lucille's Roadhouse, a Route 66 throwback, revived in Weatherford, OK. Delicious breakfast at amazingly reasonable cost. Happy-making turquoise, chrome, black and white decor. Makes you smile and relax a bit to just to walk in.

 

 

Photo credit: Citizen McCord

Passed huge wind farm just outside of Weatherford.

 

Lots of skunks on this trip, both seen and unseen.

 

Flash forward again to Canyon, TX. We settled in to our room, then walked around the block to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, operated by Texas A&M University. As museums go, this was pretty cool. Excellent display of dinosaurs, including the jaw-dropping crocs and some other big-headed critters. Carol and I went into one reconstructed plains parlor; it had two "windows" through which you could see the "outside," where it was raining, then snowing. You could see the snow accumulate on the plains outside the "house." One exhibit was entirely dedicated to windmills.

 

After we finished with the museum, we went to a grocery store for some vittles for the next couple of days. We'll spend the day tomorrow in Palo Duro Canyon before moving on to Carlsbad on Sunday.

 

 

CAROL'S REPORT

Once again I am dazzled with my partner's erudite bent and am humbled by her talent.  How she finds these enticing restaurants wherein we chow down in hashbrowns, eggs, grits, wonderful lean bacon and coffee in which we indulge ourselves anytime of the morning up to noonish not to mention interesting and just-fine low cost motels.  After several days of these breakfasts we hied ourselves to a large grocery store and each independently of one another bought our own provisions.  I, a rotisserie herb and garlic whole chicken, tomatoes, 2 avocados, precooked bacon, crusty buns, mayo, cottage cheese, slices peaches in a jar, and choc covered graham cookies.  Forgot what Mzuri bought.  We are having coffee brewed by Mzuri in her own coffee pot and electric hotplate.  Happily for me, she brought her camping cabinet that has everything.  Our plan today is to pack our own lunch and with blanket, book, camera and the choc cookies visit Palo Duro which is said to be second to the Grand Canyon.  Keep those responses coming - they inspire us.

READER RESPONSE:


FROM SHILO GIRL:

Speaking of canyons I heard that Brice Canyon is worth a stop.  Said to be better than Grand Canyon as well.