Tag Archives: Texas Panhandle

The Hana Chronicles: Month 8, Day 29

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 19,2026, Bruceville,TX- Hana had a fairly quiet day with her Mom and Dad, while Papa was down here, building more connections with Baha’is from other parts of Texas, as well as Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. There are dozens of children at this camp, more than I’ve seen at any such gathering since three years ago, in Colorado Springs. Texas is a far younger state than many seem to think-and with youth, there are changes in community thinking. The energy I sense in my granddaughter is also evident in those not too much older than she.

As I write this, a dance party, similar to those in which I have taken part in the past, is joyfully playing out in front of me. Hana already likes to bounce on her feet, while singing a tune that reflects her inner joy. I will most certainly encourage both. The embracing of life, while a certain portion of our population embraces artifice and calls it progress, is a clear and present choice.

HANA’S NOTE- Mommy and Daddy are making my day fun. I wonder where Papa is.

EXPANDING CIRCLES– Northwest Texas The Panhandle and Llano Estacado are both oil and gas country, and the hub of the Texas cattle industry. The region is drained by the Pecos, Colorado (not to be confused with the longer river, further west), Red and Canadian Rivers. The Permian Basin,at Northwest’s lower end, also is a treasure trove of mega fauna fossils, both dinosaurian and mammalian. The Turf- Much of the lower half of Northwest, from Odessa to Abilene and west to Lubbock, is flat, with cotton farms taking up the area close to the New Mexico state line.

The northern half, the Panhandle, is cattle country, and is more rugged. Canyons, such as Palo Duro-the nation’s second largest and Caprock, a bit further south, hold their own when it comes to scenic beauty and challenging hiking. Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument showcases an area that was nearly as important to the indigenous peoples of the West and Great Plains as Pipestone was. The flint quarries were invaluable for the shaping of arrow and spear points, and thus were a key factor in hunting.

FIRST NATIONS- Northwest Texas is the ancestral home of the Comanche, (or Numunuu), Kiowa and LIpan Apache peoples.

I have a good friend in Amarillo and have enjoyed that city’s Old Route 66 area of shops and restaurants. I would like to show Hana the Quarterhorse Museum, also along Old Route 66. Between Fort Worth and Amarillo lie the canyons I mentioned above. I’ve had two exhilarating hikes in Palo Duro and would like to revisit there, as well as spend time in Caprock and at Alibates. The little towns between Wichita Falls and Amarillo also have their charms-like the Quanah Museum, in the town named for Comanche leader, Quanah Parker, and Valley Pecans, a large market and restaurant in Chillicothe, which has been one of my favourite pit stops, over the past five years. Northwest Texas has been a good friend, in my travels back and forth to Arizona.

Where I feel most at home: Amarillo Fun Zone, Chillicothe, Memphis, Palo Duro Canyon, Shamrock

Where I feel most at peace: Shalako, at Palo Duro Canyon.

NEXT- Beginning a look at Texas’s nearest neighbours, starting with Oklahoma.

July Road Notes, Day 2

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Family, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

July 6, 2021, Grapevine, TX- It rained buckets last night, across northern New Mexico and well into the Texas Panhandle. In Moriarty, I heard thunder and pelting rain, for nearly three hours. This is just the thing that the region needs; if only it could extend all the way to the Pacific Coast!

I was on the road fairly early this morning, which was a good thing-given that the route to the Dallas-Fort Worth area runs diagonally southeast, from Amarillo. I got into that fair city around Noon, and enjoyed lunch at Smoky Joe’s, with old friend Wes Hardin. The Sixth Street “Fun Zone”, and lunch with Wes, are staples of any trip that involves crossing the Panhandle. As always, he had a few stories of life among the struggling and the grasping, of this rough and tumble city.

I made few stops, along US Route 287, which I last drove nine years ago, on my first visit to Fort Worth. Many places, like Love’s Barbecue (Chillicothe) were closed on Tuesday, an okay thing-as my lunch at Smoky Joe’s was with me, long after the noon hour. I found a lovely new rest area and welcome center had sprung up, near Memphis, TX, over the past decade. Wichita Falls has grown a bit, in these ten years, also. Upon getting to Denton, twenty miles east along US Route 380, it was a circuitous, but not difficult, road over to Grapevine. Being with family, until Sunday morning, will be restful and revitalizing, in any case.

Lighthouse, Shimmering In The Heat

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal goals, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

June 18, 2019, Amarillo-

I made it a point to stop here today, for two reasons.  One was my old Xanga buddy, Wes, and his ties to the Amarillo that was.  The other was Lighthouse Trail, in Palo Duro State Park.  I always meet the most delightful people, through both Wes and Palo Duro.  Today was no exception.

Texas Tidbits (Wes’ old Xanga moniker) suggested a meet-up at Smokey Joe’s, which I recall as a most delightful spot.  The cutest, and toughest, little lady was our server last time.  Her co-worker, J, was our gracious and ever-attentive hostess, on this fine afternoon.  We sat around for about an hour, while I savoured a Tex-Mex burger, and solved at least some of the issues that plague mankind.

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Now, I could sit in the presence of Wes and the ladies, for hours on end, but my hiking legs would not forgive me for such self-indulgence.  So, I bid pardner adieu and set off for Palo Duro.

Upon arrival, the lovely and friendly ranger pointed out that many folks had been their before me, snapping up all the campsites. No worries here, though.  The main point of my visit was that Light House in the desert, shimmering as it was, in the heat.  I brought enough water to fuel a truckload of cattle, and set off on the six-mile round trip.

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Capitol Peak and an unnamed “human” figure loom in the near distance, before the trail to Light House Rock veers to the right.

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Other magnificent formations grace the way to Light House.

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The first close-up view of the Light House formation, came as I reached the crest of the only real ascent of the hike.

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Here they are, one at a time.

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This shows the actual distance between the two rocks.

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As the first rumblings of a storm were heard, I took this last close-up.

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Whilst I was doing this, another man was contenting himself with climbing a path to the top of the rock on the left.  He spent several minutes there, fortunately getting down, as the skies darkened and racing up the path, to avoid the rain.

As I was walking back, I met a young couple with a dog, and pointed out to them that the storm was getting much closer.  They deiced to head back and stayed with me to the parking area.  E and M are a delightful pair, reminding me of my son and daughter-in-law.  We noted the lushness of the surrounding area, as a sign of the copious rain that the Panhandle has enjoyed this Spring.

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We got back to our cars, just as the rain was intensifying.  No sooner was everyone safely inside the vehicles, than hail started falling-furiously.   Yet, once we got to the park entrance:  Voila!  The sunshine returned.  With no camping site, I drove back to Amarillo, and have a room at Camelot Inn and Suites.

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Yes, another good day was had in the desert!

NEXT:  When Armies Wear Each Other Out

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2018 Road, Day 39:Plowing On, Through Remorse

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Posted by on in distraction issues, Historical, Social, Travel

July 3, 2018, Moriarty, NM-

I woke up in Sallisaw, just after 6 AM, which is my usual wake-up, when on the road.  Ed’s Cafe was across the road from Sallisaw Inn, so I headed over for breakfast.  The waitress looked to be a sassy sort, the kind that can handle truck drivers very well.  She plopped a menu down in front of me and took my coffee order, then walked over to a gray-haired gentleman and plopped her cleaning rag in front of him.  I liked her right away.  Turns out, he was indeed a regular, coming by here every two weeks.

I ordered the special, and Sassy Stacey got me to change it to the same plate from the regular menu, telling me quietly that “the boss jacks up the price for the special, when all it is, is more hashbrowns.” So I got a good deal on a very decent breakfast.

I headed straight across Oklahoma, bypassing OKC, and stopping at a Braum’s, in Weatherford, for lunch.  I like Braum’s for their milkshakes and malts, getting one of the latter, to go with my chicken tenders.  Weatherford is a nice little town, so getting in out of the heat there, and giving the Elantra an hour’s rest, made perfect sense.

Next was the Texas Panhandle, a far more magnificent place than many people might see.  My remorse came from not giving old Texas Tidbits enough of a heads-up, as I approached Amarillo.  So, it happened that my only Texas stops were gassing up in McLean and a short meditative visit to the rest stop off I-40, at Alanreed.

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Despite the ominous clouds, I did not get so much as a drop on my windshield today.

After leaving Texas behind, I made two stops in eastern New Mexico, dinner at K-Bob’s, in Tucumcari, taking advantage of the chain’s delicious catfish plate and generous salad bar, then gassing up at a Mom and Pop store in Milagro- just because the young couple are making a heartfelt effort to revive the windswept little settlement.

Finally, the day ended at one of Moriarty’s oldest inns: Sunset Motel.  The widowed daughter-in-law of the motel’s founders runs this place with a velvet fist.  Her business acumen and graciousness do not clash- which I find admirable and reassuring.  She keeps her late husband’s and in-laws’ legacy running very smoothly.

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