Day 16 of our "50th Journey"

Wichita, KS  33º

For the first time since December 2008 we saw fresh snow first hand.  Not much, but a skiff last night while the temperature dipped to 27º. 
When we were at Elk City, OK yesterday morning and the temperature was 37º the old Ford hardly started.  It nearly refuses to start at anything below 40º and I had to crank it probably 2 minutes before it would fire enough to keep running.  This morning I dug out the magnetic heater and stuck it under the oil pan and plugged it in to see if it will help.  It is supposed to warm up fairly quickly and there is bright sunshine with no wind right now.

We had stopped about 5 pm and set up in a nice pull-through and didn't have to unhook.  Was really nice and warm, though really windy.  The house rocked and rolled a little in the night after it had gotten real still and the wind switched from the south to the north.  We had breakfast, pulled up the levelers, brought in the TV Cable, water hose, and electric wire and headed east around 9 am.  It rained, or misted all day on us.  We stopped and got diesel for "only" $3.52; which is the least we've paid since year ago June.,

On Sunday we had intended staying in Palo Duro Canyon, but by about noon we had walked a couple trails, windshield viewed the canyon and decided with the predicted colder weather coming we would head east.

This amazing canyon resembles the Grand Canyon when you are in it.  And until you get within a half mile or so from it you are driving on a very flat plain and there is no evidence of this canyon.  It is all below the level of the surrounding area with no raised edges on it showing from a distance.

 Lots of color and lots of vistas.  We saw a nice DVD on history of the canyon at the visitors center and I was able to buy it and have viewed it several times since.  Also bought the book on Charles Goodnight who ranched in it for many years.  When they first brought their cattle and wagons to it they had to take one cow at a time down the rough edge, took apart all the wagons and carried them down by the piece and reassembled them as well as all the wagons were carrying.

 I am going to have to read the book to see how they eventually took the cattle out when sold, etc.  Imagine they had to rough in roads.  It was quite a descent with the trailer, and even steeper, it seems, when pulling the trailer back out.

There are lots of trails.  We only walked part of a couple.  One could spend a lot of time just walking or biking.  The paths were not wide enough in the brush,etc., to take the three-wheelers.  Some were horse trails and others had "No Horses".
I have up-loaded 175 photos taken at Palo Duro Canyon at my Picasa of Palo Duro Canyon

Click to see that album.



We stopped in Amarillo at the restaurant near where we visited Phyllis' cousin back in 2005 to see her.  Found she had passed on a couple years ago.  We did visit with the waitresses about her and her family while we ate lunch. 

Heading out of Amarillo we stopped at  The Big Texan Steak Ranch where you get a 72 oz. steak free if you eat it and all the extras (potatoes, salad, etc.) that come with it within 60 minutes.

We had just eaten and it didn't even sound good.  You have to pay $45 to attempt, then get it back if you succeed.  Some newspaper articles on one wall indicated there had been some 37,000 attempts since the mid 1970's and I think there were something like 2,700 who succeeded.

A true Texas landmark in this part of the country.



On to the east at Groom, TX we stopped and spent some time at The Cross

Will post pictures on that this afternoon when I catch up on this blog.
Lynn