A Highlight
Yesterday, while we were at the awesome Texas rest stop, we learned about Palo Duro Canyon, located about 25 miles south of Amarillo. It looked like it was worth a detour, so we decided to visit it today.
Palo Duro Canyon is touted as “one of the most renowned destinations in Texas” and is described as a “mysterious terra-cotta badland.” It is also referred to as the “Grand Canyon of Texas.” Neither Ted nor I had ever heard of it before yesterday, but we’ve learned that it is the second largest canyon in the United States. (Guess which one is the largest.) Palo Duro Canyon is about 120 miles long, with an average width of 6 miles (although some places are 20 miles wide), and a depth of 820-1,000 feet.
The canyon has dramatic geological features, including multicolored layers of rock and steep mesa walls similar to those in the Grand Canyon. A weird thing about it is that, as you’re driving along, gazing at the redundant flatness of the Texas prairie, the landscape abruptly changes and you see this beautiful canyon. Apparently, the flat ground is at an elevation similar to the mesa tops of the canyon, because there’s no advance notice that a canyon is going to appear.
Our schedule for today included a six-hour drive to Albuquerque, so we limited ourselves to frequent stops on the 16-mile driving loop and skipped trail hiking. We could see some of the trails leading to what were probably beautiful vistas, but we resisted and kept our visit to three hours. Below are some of the beautiful views we saw in Palo Duro Canyon.
Another Highlight
For many years, Ted and I were stuck at having visited 47 states. We checked off North Dakota in August, and we checked off New Mexico today. That leaves only Hawai’i–coming up in January 2018.
We are ready to be enchanted.
The welcome center gave us a hint of what/who we might see in Roswell next week.
Naturally, we were reminded that we are traveling on historic Route 66.
The Lowlight
Ted and I were looking forward to driving the Musical Highway, located about ten miles west of Albuquerque. In 2014, rumble strips were strategically placed on a short section of Route 66 near Tijeras, NM so that rolling tires play “American the Beautiful.” The tune can only be heard at 45 mph, a tactic designed to slow the traffic on what is described as “an otherwise unremarkable stretch of Route 66.” The music only plays eastbound, but drivers often circle around to repeat the performance.
Over the years, the rumble strips have deteriorated. Ted and I made three passes over the road, but never heard more than just enough notes to recognize the tune. Bummer! What a disappointment.