Palo Duro Thanksgiving

[ed29]

This Thanksgiving was spent and thoroughly enjoyed camping in Palo Duro State Park. We rode the canyon itself and the surrounding caprock on our 250 dual sport bikes. Elzi on her Sherpa, me on my XR. I thought about posting this in the DS section, but that seems out of place since we rode mainly on pavement, and all on public roads.

We both had to work a half a day on Wednesday, so the back half of the day was a blurry sprint to get there before the gate closed for the day. We made it with about an hour to spare, abd set camp in the dark.

Thanksgiving morning began the relaxing fun of being out there with good company and good bikes. This was a maiden voyage for my new camera, so its first real shot was sunrise on Thanksgiving.

Home for the next few days was this patch of canyon floor.

With the hectic Wednesday behind us and a slow paced few days ahead of us we decided to go for a hike that day instead of a ride. I had to make a quick ride into canyon for a few supplies that I had left in the fridge when I packed the cooler. Could not have had skillet cornbread to go with turkey stew for dinner otherwise.

Rojo Grande Trail had an offshoot that came right up to back of our camp site, so we set off on it for two miles until it joined up with the Lighthouse Trailhead.

On our way to Lighthouse it kept looming larger as we approached.

The last half mile or so was steep and slick with loose sand and rocks.

The view was absolutely worth the walk.

We hiked around the side of the lighthouse for a view from that side.

This is a creek bottom below lighthouse that looks like it would be fun to explore..

Lighthouse from the back..

Wiley enjoyed the outing too.

The walk back to camp was punctuated by light sprinkles and the view walking out was different and just as enjoyable as the view walking in.

More later... after we fire up the bikes.

 

[lonestarrider]

What a great way to enjoy Thanksgiving.

 

[donroger1]

Sure beat sittin' around the house sucking down medicine and groceries.....

 

[gotdurt]

 

[Gilk51]

Yeah, you can tell it's a new camera - all the images have a red tint to them...

I assume it was a good time to go. Palo Duro in August has these very annoying biting flies...

Oh yeah, I'm ready

 

[ed29]

Hmm... I though all the redness was from all the red rocks and red dirt in that area.

Y'all do know that my posts are only the appetizers here... Once TexasShadow has a chance to gather her pictures and thoughts the real story of the trip will unfold.

Sunrise Friday was flat... the thick cloud deck prevented the colors of the day before from a repeat show. The overnight rain dampened our gear, but not our spirits. We had a busy little neighbor that day....

Our little gopher buddy was busy doing some remodeling.

We set out with an aggressive day planned, starting with a trip down Goathead Road. One of my maps showed it having a loop that came close to the escarpment above Fortress Cliff. With temps in the high thirties, high humidity, and a headwind gusting to forty miles per hour the going early on was rough. Just as we were coming to what was going to be the curvy loop we found the first locked gate of the day.

It was punt time... we were cold to the bone and the long ride we had planned just did not look like it was going to be fun. We headed for Claude in search of hot coffee, and it turns out gas too.

Chuck, this shot is for you!

On the way into town my XR hit reserve... only 89 miles into the tank. This is nearly 50 miles short of usual range, so the headwind and my worn motor were working against us that day. Sights are so far apart out there that on my next visit I will be bringing a bigger bike. Having fifty to seventy miles of pavement or straight gravel roads between the challenging bits put the little XR out of its usual fun zone.

We found hot chocolate and some tasty burgers in a small roadside joint that has an identity issue. Different signs had different names on them, and inside it was a combination cafe, pool hall, and video rental place. Gotta love small towns with Leatherman style places. Like many of the small places this way it was cash only, no cards accepted.

The bikes always spark interaction with the most colorful locals, and we got a reminder of how small a world we live in. Chatting with a local about the roads, the sights, and which places were simply not accessible or even not there any more was a highlight of the day. The fellow had worked ranches in his younger days, and his family had been in or around Claude since the 1890s. It turns out his grand-daughter and her husband live in Arlington, and she teaches at a junior high school not far from my home. Like I say... small world.

We learned that one of the old ranch houses we had planned to visit had burned to the ground and was gone, and another place was firmly behind locked gates. After lunch we headed down the highway to Goodnight for a glimpse at the former home of Charles Goodnight. It is being restored, and I hope it will be open to the public some time soon.

He had a passion for many things, among the was the buffalo. His private herd had a large role in preventing the American Bison from going extinct. A small tribute to that role is in the yard of his house.

More shots at his house.

Heading south on CR-25 we hoped to hit a meandering gravel loop taking us to the old headquarters of the JA ranch.. We jumped up these critters along the way..

Hard to see them, but these mule deer headed across the pasture as we came into view, then hung around for a couple of pictures.

Once again just as we came to the good stuff we found a locked gate. the old rancher that lives there checked on who we were, and told us of the theft problem he has been having lately. Once he was satisfied that all we were taking were pictures he got more friendly and wished us well.

We headed north to look for the college founded by Charles Goodnight, and the Goodnight cemetery. Nothing is left of the college, and the historical marker for it seems to have been a target of the thieves... it was not to be found.

The cemetery was interesting.... My pictures and descriptions fall short, so I will leave that subject to the real writer and photographer on this trip.

Having managed to exhaust most of the daylight we headed back to camp for dinner and more hot chocolate.

 

[voyagerrider]

Great report Ed! We have visited the Palo Duro area a couple of times. Camped in State park once. Rode FM207 south from Claude. We visited Goodnight to take a picture of the mansion with our bikes for a ride we were doing.
it is neat to see pictures of places we have been visited by other folks. Brings back lots of memories.
Marty

 

[klrno2]