Day 9

2004_0410Image0021.JPG on West Texas A&M Campus 2004_0410Image0023.JPG T-Anchor Ranch Headquarters (1877), oldest surviving house in the Panhandle 2004_0410Image0024.JPG Charles Goodnight stature 2004_0410Image0025.JPG 2004_0410Image0030.JPG Rhino skeleton 2004_0410Image0032.JPG From a recreation of an 1800's town in the museum 2004_0410Image0033.JPG an old whiskey still 2004_0410Image0036.JPG WWII Harley 2004_0410Image0037.JPG Harley used to make a scooter (1962) 2004_0410Image0039.JPG Bison roamed the plains for 500,000 years 2004_0410Image0042.JPG WWI ambulance wagon 2004_0410Image0043.JPG 2004_0410Image0045.JPG Full-scale model of an oil well

Day 9
Caprock Canyons Park to Canyon
0 miles on bike

A norther blew in overnight while I camped at the state park.  It rained all night with major wind gusts.  When I got up the temperature had dropped to about 35 degrees with a 20 mph wind out of the NNE, and I needed to go north.  And the weather is supposed to be worse on Easter.  So, the original plan was to slog it out and head to the nearest town with a hotel, Tulia, and hang out there through at least Sunday morning, and then skip Palo Duro and just head straight to Vega.  However, it turned out Geoff, one the park rangers, was heading into Canyon that morning, which is right outside Palo Duro Canyon, so I hitched a ride.  This'll allow me to ride into Palo Duro and check it out if the weather clears Sunday, and then head to Vega Monday.  I  also got to spend some time in the afternoon at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, which is a really excellent museum.  It's really several museums in one, with geology, paleontology, culture, and art.  I learned a lot in just a couple of hours.

I suppose a purist would fault me for catching a ride into Canyon, but this has worked out well for me.  Actually got to do a load of laundry at the Holiday Inn.