Day 24: Caprock Canyons State Park, Quitaque, TX: Way hey blow the van down
What up weather forecast? You said the wind would dissipate at night. You were not accurate! Stars were beautiful. Because the wind was supposed to die down, we left our outdoor carpet out doors weighted with shoes and rocks. The wind picked up to 40km/h steady and 60 km/h gusts. We were parked head into the wind parallel to the road. We did not have much wind protection. I guess that is the price we paid for being on the bison super highway. In the morning I found the carpet at the back of the campsite about 80 feet away. The shoes and rocks had only travelled about 20 feet. Not much sleep by any of us.
Morning was windy. I got ready for my walk, went outside and came back in. I decided to wait an hour as the wind would be the same but it would be 2-3 degrees C warmer than the 8 degrees it was.
Before the walk, we a single bison friend. I departed towards the Eagle Trail. The trailhead is ~1.3 km from our site. I wore shorts, a t-shirt and a wind breaker. I didn’t get too far down the trail as the wind was just pelting me with sand. Free dermabrasion! Total walk was 5km. Decent pace despite all of the uphill sections. I saw one large bison near the RV dump station. I took a few pictures then made a wide path around him. Perhaps he will be there tomorrow to complement me on my fine faeces containment skills.
Back at the fort, we hung out hiding from the wind. We were changing sites again today so around noon we started to pack up. Not nearly as many bison came by this morning. One young fella came by early then another one that put on a show scratching himself on a nearby tree ( I did not get shots of the scratching but did get a bit of video – not posted here). Why do we all like to be scratched?
We finished packing up and went out for a drive around the park and to do some of the Eagle Trail. Mrs Milddogs and Amy had done the other side of the trail last year so we did this side. Sadly, Amy wasn’t super interested and kept stopping. We continued to get sand blasted as well. It was a short walk. We toured the other nearby parts of the park as we had done the far extremes yesterday. No exciting bison sightings.
We parked in our new site. It’s a fine site but can never live up to the last one. One plus is that the view from the back of the site is, well, wonderful.
We went over to the prairie dog area and got some pictures. Amy also did not enjoy this walk.
We had some nice relaxing time in the afternoon as the wind started to diminish. We sat close to the side of the van as it provided wind protection but no sun protection. I may have a slight sunburn. Mrs Milddogs made a lovely chicken curry for dinner while I puttered around fixing a few things on the van.
Post dinner, we went over to the Canyon Rim Trail and did the loop. Amy was more willing this time. Poor puppy picked up a few burrs (stickers they call them here) in her doggy feets so we had to stop and remove them. But she was pretty game to complete the 4km loop. Again, beautiful scenery, but no bison. Canyon Rim is a good trail to do in the evening as the sun lights up the sides of the canyon.
Post walk, Amy got a special foot bath. She was looking a little on the dirty side so we compromised and only washed from the legs down. Pretty much filled our grey tank in the process. I wish I had taken pictures as the amount of red sand coming off of her feet was comical.
Since Amy was somewhat cleaner, I copied and headed over for a shower. We move to Palo Duro State Park tomorrow, I figured I best shower up now in case it is not a great shower situation.
It doesn’t look like there is any cell coverage in Palo Duro. Might not be an update for a few days. By then we will be on the way home. Weather for the trip home is looking a bit challenging. Hoping the weather is kind to us. As soon as it drops below zero, we have to winterize the van. Tonight it is supposed to go down to 4C. Monday night in Palo Duro the current forecast says 0C.
Not sure what trails I will follow in the morning. We won’t be in a rush as Palo Duro is about 90 minutes from here. We shall provision in Canyon, TX. The route takes us through Tulia, TX which was one of the most depressing towns we went through last year. Maybe things have improved.
It’s starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl
For Kicking Jack Williams commands the Black Ball.
