I arrived in west Texas on Saturday, September 22nd. I saw that there is a state park about two hours southeast of Amarillo, so I decided to spend a night there. It is a state park that has a Texas State buffalo herd which I thought could be interesting. Caprock Canyons is not too far from Palo Duro Canyon which I stayed at last year. It also has the red rock canyons which are absolutely beautiful.
Caprock Canyon
Caprock Canyon
As I entered the park I looked for the buffalo but did not see any. I did see the signs telling visitors to watch for them. It’s open range area, even driving on the roads. I decided to drive through the park but after going up and down two 16% grade hills I decided not to drive down to the bottom of the canyon. I knew I would have to come back up and the two hills I drove on were tough on the camper’s engine. So, I proceeded to find my camp spot and got set up. I went for a walk around the camp area and saw several prairie dogs and their mounds. They are really cute, but I know they damage the ground by digging their tunnels which eventually cause the ground to collapse.
I woke up about 4:30 a.m. and went outside to look at the sky. The stars that were visible were absolutely breathtaking. They shone from tree top across the sky to the tree tops on the other side. Inside the constellations such as the Big Dipper, Orion, etc. there were so many more stars and/or galaxies showing. I don’t think I ever saw so many stars. There were no lights anywhere which allowed the sky to be viewed with so many stars. After star gazing for a while, I went inside the camper and went back to sleep.
In the morning, I got up, took a shower, cooked myself an omelet for breakfast, cleaned the dishes, and got ready to leave the campground. I was hoping to see the buffalo herd on my way out of the park, and I did. Most of the buffalo were laying in the grass not too far off the road. However, I did see a mom, dad, and baby buffalo run across the road just before I got a little further down the road so I was able to get some pictures. I had my camera ready just in case I spotted any buffalo. I posted an album of the canyon and buffalo on my photo page. 
After I left the park and got phone reception, I called my friend Jim in Amarillo as I got closer to there to say hello and catch up on life since I was there last October. In Amarillo, I stopped at a tourist spot called Big Tex and had a steak and baked potato for lunch. They advertise that if anyone can eat a 72 oz. steak with potato and veggies in an hour can have it for free. Otherwise, I think it’s about $72 for the meal. There were three people taking the challenge but I didn’t stay to see if they succeeded. I couldn’t even finish my 9 oz. steak and potato, so I took it with me for a snack later on.
