W15 Days 28-32

Day 28 March 13

Last night, we checked weather between New Orleans and the Gulf Coast and the Texas Panhandle Plains. Believe it or not, the Plains won, and we headed north to San Angelo.

Another driving day, so here are my observations:

• “Tanks Alot” (which sells, of course, tanks of all shapes and sizes!
• Nice town names: Welfare, Comfort, Sisterdale, and Mountain Home
• Cooper’s BBQ where we bought enough to eat for a few days:

• a store selling Antler Lamps and Deer Jerky
• SIX Baptist Church vans heading OUT of Eden!
• a Romney-Ryan sign (huh?)
• a herd of cattle in KickaPOO Creek
• the town of Wall with cotton schmutz everywhere and a Cotton Bale Warehouse and the “Ole Gin Steakhouse”

We got to San Angelo State Park (Site 27, $20 E/W), set up and went for a bike ride (was meant to be just a short jaunt and ended up being 8.8 miles of empty reservoir and Buffalo (Bison):

We chatted with Dean and Nancy, from Guelph, whom I’d spoken with in Seminole Canyon.

Mandy likes it here:

Here’s the view from my chair (yep, David’s wearing shorts):

Day 29 March 14

Today started with a gorgeous sunrise:

It’s Spring Break week here, so there were a lot of activities for kids (but not many kids). We were among the 20 adults and 15 kids who enjoyed the Bison/Longhorn tour. We piled onto benches in a trailer pulled by a good ole boy from Virginia and went into the fenced in pasture.

The Bison are part of the official Texas State Bison Herd and the cattle are 200 of the Texas State Longhorn Cattle Herd. The Bison “charged” us as we drove in (truck = food):

…and they seemed sweet but HUGE:

Loved the Longhorns as well:

So much fun. Back for lunch then for a little more of a rugged bike ride (8 miles today):

Here’s Armand the Armadillo, the view from my chair:

Day 30 March 15

Up early and heading north for a bit of a nostalgic tour to Caprock Canyons and Palo Duro State Parks (from our first trip here). Again, lots of driving so more observations:

• Men’s Correctional Facility and Goat Farm
• Goodyear Tire Proving Ground
• a long line of Wind Turbines near Sweetwater with Enbridge, oil pumping and hydro towers: a little energy hub
• Rotan, “A Genuine Texas Town” was in the midst of cotton fields, a Delinting business, the Boll Weevil Authority, the Gin Company, and Crop Insurance business
• then, miles of nothing, then more cotton, some cattle and more cotton!
• pronunciation of Quitaque (Kitty Quay), home of the park

We got to Caprock Canyons State Park (site 5, $15 E/W) and rode a bit (4 miles) to see the beautiful views:

…some small animals (there’s a Prairie Dog Town here):

…then some big ones, more Bison, running free:

Gorgeous. Here’s the view from my chair (more shorts!):

Day 31 March 16

Remember those free-roaming Bison yesterday? Well, three ran through the campground, so loudly and quickly that we were stunned and didn’t get the camera in time. Wow!

We decided on the Canyon Rim Trail in hopes of avoiding riding DOWN in to the canyon. It started well as we rode through the Bison herd:

…then met some Roamin’ Oklahomans on horses:

Things got a little more interesting as we headed down a little:

…then got crazy as we had to walk down some precarious descents:

…and ride on sandy paths. We ended up at the bottom (and I ended ON my bottom when I fell off my bike on a flat, sandy part) after all.

Though the views were worth it, we STILL had to ride UP this hill (but it was not the road):

We clocked 7.25 miles on the GPS: 5 riding, 2.25 hiking up and down, and 4 feet falling from my bike seat!

It was an uneventful afternoon and evening! But we did see a large flock of noisy birds fly overhead. We had heard the same cries earlier today and thought (and had confirmed) that they were Sandhill Cranes migrating north. What  a great day.

Here’s the view from my chair from this morning, just after the three bulls ran in front of our campsite:

Day 32 March 17 (Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!)

It was a very different day today: at least 25 degrees F cooler and very windy.

But we dragged our sorry butts back on to the bikes and rode the Canyon Rim Trail until THIS point (which was the first decline from yesterday);

Not a Bison to be seen, but the Prairie Dogs were their squeaky cuteness:

Lunch and a nap (I AM still recovering!) and we headed out for another ride (8 miles total today) on roads only. we stopped at the Discovery Centre and learned that we had NOT seen Bison last time since that was the first year they were let out to run free,

We met up with the neighbours and learned we had seen one couple (Pecos Bill, another real “cowboy”) and his wife at South Llano. Love the look of these guys.

We saw the three bulls from yesterday having a drink in the lake:

…and confirmed how BIG these animals are:

Then one more tiny creature, and a Life Bird, a Vesper Sparrow”":

So glad we came up north!