Much by chance (but advised by our friendly dinner waiter), we found
that the Cadillac Ranch was nearby so thought we definitely should go visit this iconic sculpture and
make leave our personal mark as envisaged by the artist. There is so much paint on the cars now they are probably twice
as heavy as when first “planted”. There was an interesting cross section of visitors. It was really helpful that others had left cans of spray paint for others (like us) to leave our unique calling card.
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| Cadillac Ranch |
By the same artist (whose name escapes me) is another interesting site is called the Floating Mesa which was recommended by our waiter but unfortunately we
couldn’t find it. It is apparently now in considerable disrepair which may explain why there is no directions to it.
Next stop was Palo Duro Canyon, USA's second biggest canyon and the biggest in Texas. We did wonder if it was worth visiting the second biggest having already seen the biggest but it was definitely worth the trip. After entering the park the road goes to the visitors centre on the canyon rim. The road then twists down to the floor of the canyon dropping from about 3,400 feet to 2,800 in about ½ mile. Then there is about 16 miles of paved road to explore and many spectacular outcrops and pinnacles. There are also many miles of walking, mountain bike or horse riding trails in the park.
Next stop was Palo Duro Canyon, USA's second biggest canyon and the biggest in Texas. We did wonder if it was worth visiting the second biggest having already seen the biggest but it was definitely worth the trip. After entering the park the road goes to the visitors centre on the canyon rim. The road then twists down to the floor of the canyon dropping from about 3,400 feet to 2,800 in about ½ mile. Then there is about 16 miles of paved road to explore and many spectacular outcrops and pinnacles. There are also many miles of walking, mountain bike or horse riding trails in the park.
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| Palo Duro Canyon, the canyon floor is 600 feet below the rim |
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| There are several fords to cross, this one had water, although only a few inches deep. |
As we hadn’t seen
much local wildlife so far (although we think we caught a roadrunner on video today) we
decided to visit the Amarillo Zoo. It is quite small (20 acres) but has some interesting
exhibits including some unusual reptiles. Although Maritta didn't think to highly of the space given to some of the big cats the zoo currently have. We did see Bison and black bears. At least all look very healthy.
Interestingly the weather has turned cooler this afternoon (low 20's). Today was the first consistent rain we have seen so far.
Interestingly the weather has turned cooler this afternoon (low 20's). Today was the first consistent rain we have seen so far.
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