Wednesday, 8/24
78 degrees at 7:30 in the morning when we leave home, heading for Colorado. We have two weeks to roam before we meet with the Riedel (Beth’s family) crew in Denver. Anita and Kevin, John and Yvonne, and Chap and Mam will be there. Tom and Sue unfortunately won’t make it as Tom will be trying a new drug regimen at that time.
Today’s goal is make it to Amarillo, where we’ve booked a night at a Comfort Inn where we’ve stayed before. It is a very cloudy day which keeps the temps down a little. We pass the usual pump jacks, wild flowers and wind turbines, with occasional cattle and goats. Lots of small sun flowers and train tracks along most of the highway.
596 miles and we’re still not out of Texas! Near the Comfort Inn is a Red Robin restaurant which we walk to for a quick dinner. We notice a small prairie dog town in the lot next to the hotel!
Thursday, 8/25
Happy Birthday to Gwynne. We enjoy a decent breakfast at the hotel. Last time we were here it was simply grab and go because of COVID, but today there is a scattering of bright-eyed morning folks! We are off of freeways as we leave Amarillo and work our way up into the Texas panhandle. Pretty dry unless there is irrigation, and few trees. (This is a side road, not the road we were on). Lots of empty land.
Some of the old time windmills are still functioning, bringing water to the surface for animals.
Then we get into rolling hills, with sorghum, cotton and some other crops. Everything here needs irrigation and we wonder how these farmers will be effected with the water shortages and climate change. Without water, the land is dry with scattered brush. Some cattle, but each cow requires many acres of pastureland.
We reach Texline near the Texas/New Mexico border who advertises “Last chance to sleep in Texas”. Ha. We’re in New Mexico and Mountain Time at 10:15 and begin to see antelope and lots of prairie dogs till we get into the mountains. A little less arid here.
We pass Philmont Boy Scout Camp and reach Cimarron Canyon State Park where we’ve reserved site #3 along a stream at Tolby campground. The camp host is a friendly guy whose wife operates the small visitor’s center/campstore. It is a beautiful sunny day in the low 70’s. Higher elevation here and quite green.
The camp host tells us they just stocked this stream yesterday with rainbow trout.
A few apple trees and these beautiful chokecherries. The chokecherries can be used for jams and jellies but require A LOT of sugar to overcome their bitterness.
Wish we knew which ones were edible.
Later, we drive through the 8-mile-long canyon, stopping here and there for photos and exploring, to Eagle's Nest Lake at the end of the canyon.
They have had a good bit of rain here lately, so the fire ban has been lifted and we enjoy a nice campfire as the temperatures drop. We watch several birds bathing in the cold stream. The campground is small and about 1/2 filled.
#3 is the site at Tolby that I always get! Glad you were able to stay at Tolby this time.
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