After several days drive from home, we settled in the cowboy town of Amarillo, Texas for the July 4 weekend. (not a good idea to be seeking vacancies in campgrounds during a holiday weekend) It was a nice campground right up the road from a famous steakhouse:
The Big Texan Steak Ranch. We went over there the day we arrived (Thursday); the place was packed and several brave folks ordered the 72 oz. (4.5 POUNDS) steak but nobody ate it in one hour.
The next day we went to see the "Grand Canyon of Texas":
Palo Duro Canyon. What a fascinating place, created by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. We were late arriving to the park and the afternoon was HOT; thus we did almost no hiking. Drove the length of the state park, though, and managed to clamber up to a cave on the side of the road.....
Note: when we got to the park and tried to pay our entrance fee, the ranger told us it was our lucky day, somebody up ahead had prepaid it. What a blessing!
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| They grow BIG thistles here.... |
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| Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. |
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| Unnamed cave visible from the park road. |
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| View from the mouth of the cave: can you see the blue Silverado out there in the distance? |
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| View from the visitor center; those two red formations are called the Spanish skirts.... |
On Saturday, July 4, we found our way to old Route 66 in old downtown Amarillo. Most of it is modern, with storefronts turned into antique shops or restaurants.....
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| If you can, enlarge this and read it; the following pictures is of the inside. |
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| The lady in charge told me that yes, underneath that floor was an empty swimming pool, partially filled in. |
