Have a couple hours to kill in Amarillo with a car load of blue hairs that want a quick tour of tw canyon. What is best route road etc??

It's a loop... not a whole lot of decisions to make.

You can also grab some spray paint and head to cadillac ranch, but if they get out of the car it will definitely mess up their hair.

[This message has been edited by Column (edited 10/5/2013 10:07a).]

I-27 to 217 in Canyon, east on 217, then as said, it's a loop. Don't go down Washington street. Be a few bucks each to ge in. Stop at the gift store/interpet center and the first overlook.

Perfect. Thanks for the help!

On the way I just found the old Pampa Harvester football bus I rode in early 80's. sitting in the middle of a field falling apart. Going in for pictures in case you hear of a shooting on the SE loop....

Definitely check out the new zip line. The olds will love it.

http://www.myhighplains.com/story/zip-line-opens-at-palo-duro-canyon/d/story/Te8_4vNdK0GOZWXG9exc5A

Have someone read the last chapters of McKenzie's battles with Quanah Parker while driving the canyon....from Empire of the Summer Moon. It will give you some perspective on what it was like 'back in the days' and how tough it was to survive. And the skills the Commanche possessed to take whole villages up and down over the cap rock while being chased by US troops.

Quanah wasn't there for the last battle in 1874. And the troopers managed to creep down a narrow trail from the rim and surprise the sleeping village. Because of that, while the people escaped, they abandoned their supplies and 1400 head horse herd, which Mackenzie later slaughtered.

No supplies, no horses, winter coming on, they had no choice but to return to the reservation.

The battle site is not on park property, but is further east down the canyon.

[This message has been edited by Canyonag77 (edited 10/5/2013 10:05p).]

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The battle site is not on park property, but is further east down the canyon.

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Can you get us TexAgs super secret access?

Nope, I can't get there, either. I think it may still be JA Ranch property, not sure.

Great web site for anyone interested in the Red River Wars.

http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/redriver/

The horses were taken south to Tule Canyon and slaughtered there.

I was around there for business in August and planned on camping one night. Got flooded out, though, and couldn't get to the campsite. There had been plenty of rain when I was there and the color contrasts were awesome. Can't wait to go back.

Log, Lake McKenzie on Tule Canyon is a pretty place, though the lake is several miles downstream of the horse kill site, which is also on private land. Anyone looking for a scenic drive needs to drive highway 207 between Claude and Silverton.

(very) approximate location Battle of Palo Duro

Lake McKenzie

Horse kill site (approximate)


If anyone wonders, the bones were picked around the turn of the last century and ground for fertilizer.



[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 10/6/2013 8:32p).]

My son is a freshman at WT, I'll have to tell him about the zip line. He loved the canyon when we went through it when we toured the campus.

We're going up there next weekend to visit and take him his winter coat. He doesn't think he'll need it. heh

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My son is a freshman at WT

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We came close to our first freeze last night.

He'll need a coat.

I haven't seen the zip line yet. It is on private property in the canyon, but outside the state park boundaries.

Don't know where you are staying, but the Holiday Inn express and the Best Western are both relatively new, and very close to campus. Try to make time to visit the PPH Museum. Eat at Sayakomarn's on the square. Any other question, etc. let me know.

I figured the freeze was getting close. He called for $$ last night. Said it was cold. Being from BCS he's thin blooded and astonished it was so cold already. But he loves it up there. We've stayed at both those hotels, very nice.

Thanks for the recommendation on the restaurant. Already saw the museum, wonderful.

Flying in this time, tight schedule and no time for the 9 hr drive. I hope he remembers to pick us up at the airport!

We live in the neighborhood SE of those hotels. Really hated to have them built out there, but they haven't been a terrible problem.

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But he loves it up there.

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We've had a really pretty September and early October. He may change his tune when January snow storms or March dust storms hit.

Has he been out star gazing yet? For someone from the low altitude, high humidity and light pollution of CS, the visibilty and number of stars out here can be amazing. Need to get into the country either at Palo Duro or out toward Buffalo Lake NWR.

We should have a rather spectacular ISS pass on Wednesday night, should be visible, even in town. NASA

I'll tell him about the ISS Passover. He loves the stars. He's very involved with the Wesley Foundation at WT. Haven't heard if he's been stargazing yet.

We toured the campus in April with snow on the ground. We showed him the weather reports during the winter snows and those late, late spring snows you had.

But, you know it ain't real til it's happening to you personally. He'll get it soon enough.

I think it's a beautiful campus, nice quiet town, seem to be great kids, friendly people all around. It's really an undiscovered gem in the A&M system.

It's probably a bit like A&M of 70 years ago. A little rural town with a nice little college. The combination of university, farming, ranching, bedroom community for Amarillo (including Bell Helicopter and Pantex Nuke Weapons plant) make for a VERY interesting mix of people. I grew up about 70 miles away, but moved here when our kids were young, for the excellent public school system.

Some Panhandle/Palo Duro Canyon threads for those, not too tired of my boosterism

Example 1


Example 2

Panhandle photos

Went to Amarillo a couple of weeks ago for a wedding and on the trip back took grandsons through the park at the canyon. We all loved it, it is a beautiful place and i had NO IDEA it is the 2nd deepest canyon in the US. Only the Grand Canyon is deeper.

I think the actual claim is "2nd largest". If it is claimed to be second deepest, that's a bit of hyperbole. Pretty sure the Black Canyon of the Gunnison has it beat.

Gunnison


Painted Wall by CHS Girls Soccer, on Flickr


IMG_4745 by CHS Girls Soccer, on Flickr

Palo Duro

I was at the Black Canyon a little over a week ago. It is within just a couple of miles of where I hunt so I get to see it regularly. Palo beats it for color but not depth.

Old Thread

Pictures of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Yeah, the claim is second largest.

I miss that area some times. I like the actual winter temperatures.