Bad Hair Day

Storms passed through today, and at one point a wall of water raced us to the front door. We had just returned home from shopping. As it rained, visibility was close to zero for a bit. The street in front of our house was flooded over the crown and the water was working its way up our driveway. It slopes to about 6-10" above the curb. After it pretty much passed and gave us a little break, I saw this Kite land in our elm tree. It obviously got caught in the rain. Talk about a bad hair day!



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Father's Day

My Father's Day is going very well! Shelley got me a bike rack for the car that pops on and off at will, so we can take our bikes when we go places.



It will work on the truck too, so we can take it if necessary. We hope to do some camping this year, and it will come in pretty handy.

This morning, she took me for a nice breakfast at one of our favorite haunts. This afternoon, we'll head down to the canyon for a picnic, some photography, and just kickin' around.

I also got a call from my son. He's a good kid. Had a nice chat with him, his wife, and one of his boys.

...and the day's not over yet. :)

*** Addendum ***

We did go into the canyon today. Had a great little picnic. :) Shelley's brother Steve went with us. After our picnic, Steve and I did a little bike riding. Got to try out my new bike rack - and it worked really good! While we were riding, we ran into some deer, wild turkeys, and even this little rascal.
Steve did his best to antagonize him. As a result, this tarantula concentrated on harassing him! He would rear up in his defensive/threatening posture as you see here, and chase Steve around. The tarantula would even jump on his front wheel trying to get to him. It was funny! No, tarantulas are not as deadly as the movies would have you believe. IF they would bite you, you would think it was pretty much a good bee sting. Nothing serious unless you are allergic to insect bites.

While all this was going on, a typical family of 4 (Mom, Dad, teen-age son & daughter) from Alaska came by and saw what was going on. They didn't realize at first what "it" was. Upon learning that it was a tarantula, I heard at least one of them say, "Oh, my God!" as if we were playing with fire. A brief explanation of the non-deadly spider, and they laughed at the ordeal and shot some video and stills of our little friend. Through all this, the dad stayed in the car or right next to the open door. He wanted nothing to do with it.

Seems like we've also had an abundance of Mississippi Kites in the canyon this year. Here are a couple more shots I got of them soaring along the canyon walls.



A great day, for sure! Thank you, m'Lady!

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Cactus Blossom

The prickly pear cactus are in bloom. This is one I took coming back on the trail from The Lighthouse.


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Wild Wheat

Light and Wild Wheat

--Photo by Shelley

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Down the Rabbit Hole

This peaceful scene in Palo Duro Canyon just couldn't be ignored.
Its part of the Sunflower Picnic Area.
--Photo by S. Stanton

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A Wonderful Day in the Canyon!

(photo by Shelley) A supercell storm passed over Palo Duro Canyon, but only gave way to a bit of wind and rain. This photo was taken near the Pioneer Amphitheater looking towards the north east near the campgrounds.

Saturday 6/13/2009

We spent most of the day in Palo Duro Canyon yesterday. First we got up at dawn and headed to the canyon to meet friends and take the 5 mile hike to the Lighthouse. They hiked while I drove around the canyon taking shots of flowers, birds, etc. (I have a bad knee and couldn't make the long hike.).

We are shooting photos for a calendar the our TV station is going to use for a pledge premium for our Palo Duro Canyon production. The production is in conjunction with a Ken Burns series on the national parks which will be aired on PBS this fall.

The hike was tiring for Dale, Lynne and her husband Jay and we came home to rest and download the photos we had taken. Dale caputure some beautiful shots of the Lighthouse, Capitol Peak, Castle Peak, and others plus a stunning shot of a collard lizard sunning himself.

The park was full of hikers, cyclists, campers and even some on duty military men on manuevers (the canyon resembles the terrain of Afghanistan!) and other people like us (with fancier equipment) taking photos of our beautiful canyon.

It was such a "profitable" morning photo-wise that we got stoked to go down there again and so we packed a supper and headed back to the canyon at 5:oo p.m. to spend the evening down there. We grabbed sandwiches, wine coolers, salad, baked beans (from the friendly supermarket deli) and some bakery sugar cookies and headed back down to the canyon. Our yearly pass has already paid for itself.

On the way to the canyon, a weather alert came across the radio for Randall, and Armstrong Co. As we headed down closer to the canyon, the skies grew dark and it started to sprinkle. We wondered if the park would let us in, because the river down there is proned to flash flooding. However we had no problem getting in and the rain subsided as we went through the entrance gate.

The cloud systems over the canyon were beautiful and we stopped at the lookout, near the interpretive center to sit on the wall and watch the storm pass over the canyon to the south. We had hoped for a light show from the storm, which was spare. But the view was breath-taking.

(view from the wall of the interpretive center) Photo by Shelley

We drove through the canyon and saw people lining up for the pre-show supper at "Texas!", the musical drama in the park. The camp grounds were full. About 6 pm we pulled into the Sunflower picnic area and found a shady spot to have our picnic supper and Mississippi kites soared overhead and deer grazed close by. At one point, a doe got curious about what we were doing and came over close to our picnic table and shared some the sugar cookies with us. She got as close as 8 feet away and seemed hungry and kept us from devouring the rest of the cookies.

As it grew closer to 8:30, we drove to the ampitheater to get some shots of the rim rider who appears over the top of the cliff above and waves the Texas flag signalling the start of the musical.

We vowed to come to the canyon to camp later this summer--perhaps at one of the cabins--and enjoy our pass to its fullest. We are so lucky to live less than 30 minutes from Texas' largest state park, (and most likely the most beautiful) which also happens to be the second largest canyon in the United States!

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**** Dale's Take ****

At first it was tempting to stay in bed, but I was too anxious to actually go to The Lighthouse. After all, it is the iconic structure of Palo Duro State Park. I can't remember if I have ever taken a hike that far before. Wasn't sure how well I was going to take the 6-mile round trip, but I surprised myself. At least a half gallon of drinking water is required (1 gallon is recommended) to keep you out of trouble on the hike. One of the first structures we see as we start out trek is this "Hoodoo", as they call it. It's the pillar-like structure you see here. (This structure is not The Lighthouse.) The white streaks in the walls are gypsum.


Many people don't realize that there is such beauty in the panhandle. The trail to The Lighthouse is no different. Scenes like this are everywhere you look. Even on an overcast day, the colors are astounding. Here, The Lighthouse looms in the distance - still a couple of miles away.


As Shelley said above, a Collared Lizard was nice enough to pose for me for a few minutes. These guys are known for their ability to stand up on their hind legs and run like you or me. They do it to escape predators, and they look like a miniature T-Rex in the process.


As we get closer, Lynne stops to take a shot of our destination while her husband (Jay) takes in the beauty.


On the way UP to the lighthouse, we stopped and looked behind us. You can see the trail that brought us here in places, from the bottom left snaking around through the center of this photo. it goes around the wall on the right side of the floor, way off in the distance. (As with all the images here, click on it for a bigger view.)


Finally, we arrived at our objective! And it was breathtaking!


Later in the day when we returned to the canyon, we had a really nice picnic supper that Shelley worked up for us. We watched mule deer drift around close by, and even had one come within 6 or 8 feet of us as if she didn't have a care in the world. Mississippi Kites seemed to be everywhere, soaring above gracefully. At one time, there were three in an adjacent tree. (You can see more about them HERE in my bird blog.) Sadly, the close-up shots I got of a mule deer doe showed her to be a bit under-nourished - so I won't post it here. I don't know why she was so skinny, but she seemed to be healthy otherwise.



Right around sunset, the TEXAS! musical started in the usual way. A lone horseman rides the canyon rim high above to signal the start of the show. We could see it well from the park road.

We had one fantastic day! It's nice to have a place like this so close to home.


BTW, here's proof that I actually made it to The Lighthouse. :)
(Photo taken by Lynne Groom.)

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Relate Links:

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Musical Drama "Texas!"

Shelley's Palo Duro Canyon gallery

Dale's "This is Texas!" gallery

Indian Blanket Flower

Indian Blanket in Palo Duro Canyon State Park


--Photo by Shelley

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Desert Rose

This prickly pear cactus flower looks like a rose.
The are so pretty and almost "waxy" looking.
Taken in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

--Photo By Shelley

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A Parental Moment? (Two roadrunners)

I caught what appears to be a parent roadrunner, feeding a youngster today in Palo Duro Canyon. We don't see these often. I just wish I had been a little closer but my telephoto zoom lens helped all it could. It is rare to see them doing anything but running off!

--photo by Shelley

Rough and Ready

He's been riding to work.

Watch out! Dale's hitting the streets.
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Storage?

Shelley just got a storage unit for some of her craft supplies. I put it together for her, and she started making use of it right away. As she got into it, someone else did too - a bit different way.

Remember These?

Some charming vintage travel postcards.

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The Boys

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In Defense of Home

Our little Buster has been taking on an active role in protecting our home. This....."thing" (a wine cozy) showed up one day. He seemed to like it at first, but today it did something. It moved! He saw it. He just knew it moved! That's all it took for him to spring into action to save his people....

Buster ATTACKS!

OMG! Buster takes a fall! The "thing" is tougher than he thought. <GASP!>

No more fooling around. It's time for a power slam by Buster The Basher!

Our hero! Thank you, Buster! You saved us! That cozy monster will never move again! How can we ever repay you?

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Stormy Night

Storms are passing across the panhandle just north of us tonight. The lightning bolts are low in the sky, but I can still get a shot or two now and then.


By the time I checked my first set of shots and got back out to try again, the storms had moved off and the lightning was really low in the sky from my vantage point.

This one would have been pretty good if I had a better position.

I'll get it next time!

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Ain't He Cute?

Security Blanket

We had some storms go through the area again tonight. Chip stayed under the house until it was all over, but little Buster took a different approach. He laid low on the kitchen floor, snuggled up with a wine bottle cover - as if it was a security blanket.

BIIIIIIG yawn....!

Have you ever seen so much "cute" in such a small space?

Tornado warnings had filled the airwaves, the rain had just slacked off, the sky still darkened with ominous-looking clouds. What's that I hear? Could it be...? Is it? An ice cream truck??? A stormy night, and the ice cream man comes out! Brings to mind images of popcorn at a movie, but ice cream with a tornado??? Only in Texas! :)
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Rainy Day

We had some much needed rain/storms go through the panhandle this evening. It was a very welcome sight! After the storm cells slipped off to the East, they left behind some mammatus clouds glowing in the setting sun.

My Guy - Big Canyon

Yesterday, Dale and I went down to the canyon (in the morning) to get some shots for a calendar that we are putting together for the tv station. Dale is so good with his photography and he's one of my favorite subjects to take photos of. He so into it. Here he is at the scenic overlook about to take a shot. That's a long drop down there!