March 19, 2021
Not far from Palo Duro Canyon is another state park, Caprock Canyons, which was established in 1982. It is 15,314 acres, just 1,088 acres smaller than the 16,402 acres of Palo Duro State Park.
One of this canyon's claims to fame is that it is the home of part of the state's official bison herd. At one time, the Texas plains were covered with bison, but by 1888 there were fewer than 1,000 bison in the entire state. Some individuals and groups undertook extensive conservation efforts, and eventually the Texas State Bison Herd (yes, that is their formal name) grew to a half-million head.
In 1996, 32 bison were moved to Caprock Canyons State Park, and the herd now numbers 150. Not a bad growth rate for 25 years. I wish my stock portfolio did as well. By comparison, however, there is a herd of 3,000 bison in Yellowstone Park.
Right off the bat, we were introduced to our first bison.
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| Visitors' Center |
Oops, I had already broken the rules.
As soon as we left the visitors' center parking lot, we ran into the grazing part of the herd, figuratively speaking. Apparently they didn't read the rule about staying far away from US.
Once we left the grazing area just past the visitors' center, we didn't see any more bison.
The flora and geology also took a dramatic shift. This looks a lot like Southern Utah.
The park has 90 miles of nicely developed hiking trails.
We opted for the North Prong Spur trail.
Please don't touch the merchandise.
After a while, we left the main trail to follow a wash. We were much closer to the geology this way.
Wind and water have worked together to create artistic masterpieces. White, chalky stripes are pressed between layers of red sandstone.
In general, I think I liked Caprock Canyons more than Palo Duro Canyon. However, that may be because we got out of the car and had a more personal experience in Caprock.
The bison were also a fun touch. We saw them again on the way out.
Not far from the state park and on our way back to Amarillo to visit Cadillac Ranch, we saw some more wildlife grazing peacefully in someone's front yard. Not exactly what I would expect to see in the Texas Panhandle (except for the sheep), or in the same place, for that matter.
Aw, Texas. You are a different country.
After our visit to Cadillac Ranch, we had dinner at Crush, a restaurant in Amarillo.
Their menu is full of what looked like gourmet selections, but we are currently in a mostly vegan mode, so Bob had selected this restaurant for its vegan options.
I had a roasted cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, and corn plate. It was really good, and I almost didn't miss that Panhandle Bison Filet that was on the menu. Bob got five sides: sautéed mushrooms, sautéed snow peas, mashed potatoes, sautéed Brussels sprouts, and rosemary truffle fries. We deserted our healthy eating when it came to dessert (no pun intended). I had the best flourless chocolate cake I have ever had, topped with homemade chocolate ice cream and raspberry sauce. Bob had key lime cheesecake, which was good, but not even close to my cake.
Crush is a place I wouldn't mind going back to.
I loved Caprock Canyons and liked it much more than Palo Duro Canyon SP. The colors are every bit as spectacular as what Southern Utah has to offer.
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