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Published: July 12th 2013
Where the Red River begins
Just a day's drive from San AntonioTwo years ago, we met a little girl and her Dad while hiking in Big Bend Nat'l Park. We were impressed that they were obviously good hikers and had been there many times before. The little girl knew all the trails, described the hikes and then the "payoff" for every endeavor. She used the word "payoff" several times and it made an impression on me.
The payoff is the whole reason we ditch work, pack up the truck and head out to places unknown. And that's exactly what we did on Sunday. Michael and I grabbed the tents, tarps, camping stove and cooler for our slow road trip from San Antonio to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. We planned to camp along the way and Michael picked out some great spots for us.
The first leg of the trip was through Texas to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. During our 9-hour drive, we happened to stop for gas in the little town of Mason where we couldn't deny the lure of the smoke coming from Cooper's Barbecue next door. We walked over to the pit, where apparently you place your order with the
Monday morning coffee
We're gettin' packed up and ready to move on to Colorado Madame of the Meat. She asked what we wanted. We asked what she had. She flung open the giant metal lid to reveal slow-smoked pork, beef ribs, cabrito, chicken, sausage... basically every meat except baby rhinoceros. We picked jalapeno sausage dipped in something the Madame recommended and got a couple of slices of white bread. It was a totally decadent, unexpected prize. And it was the first thing we did that felt exotic, signaling that our adventure had begun. That and fill up an extra gas tank that we flung into the truck bed. How often do you get to do THAT everyday? That's right.
So we drove on through the beautiful Texas Hill Country and then beyond it to the boring panhandle. Yes, Lubbock and Abilene are two big yawns but we thought Amarillo had the potential to be a charming spot. If you ever stop there, let us know what you thought and if you found anything to do other than count the number of toothless old men that convene in the local diner.
Anyway, we finally reached our exit from the long, flat highway and headed east another ten miles or
Early morning meeting
Michael plans our route for today so. We noticed a big crevice in the earth to our right. And it got bigger until it was a gulch. And bigger again until it was Palo Duro Canyon! We entered the state park with the usual detailed instruction from the ranger as well as a choice of which campground we wanted. We chose the one farthest away, closest to the canyon walls with the fewest number of other campers.
It was a great payoff. The canyon walls were dramatically close and the late-day sun bounced off them, creating a masterpiece in hues of red and brown. We fired up a simple pasta dinner and hit the sack.
Overnight there was a little rain but our tent fly worked perfectly. We woke up at sunrise, ready for breakfast and adventure. Michael went for our plastic container of delicious camping food when he noticed there had been some serious foul play. The top had been pried off and four Clif bars were missing. Their shredded wrappers and numerous muddy paw prints revealed the carnage that had taken place overnight.
It wasn't the loss of the Clif bars that bothered Michael as
Prints of darkness
Get CSI on this case ASAP! much as being violated by the local wildlife. For the rest of the day, he muttered about the "damn animals" under his breath. And I'm sure the "damn animal" that was smart enough to foil our food container was basking in his big payoff - if not suffering from a bad stomach ache.
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Kathy
non-member comment
Welcome back!!
Sounds like you had a wonderful time - except for the food thievery!! When we used to camp, Lindsay would put our food in a sack, put a rope around it and haul up off the ground so that nothing could get it. So much for getting a quick midnight snack for anyone!! Hopefully, we will see you soon. Pool is awesome.... :-)