Off we go into the wild blue yonder

 I'm trying a new experiment today, blogging as we go along. So, we just left Wichita Falls behind. This is Route 287, heading straight across the Rolling Plains of Texas toward Caprock Canyon State Park.

There are so many windmills! I mean, So. Many. Windmills. At one point I counted 82 just in the immediate vicinity, not including the dim ones in the distance and the others that kept coming and coming, emerging out of the distance like groves of strange white trees as we drove along. I thought at first there were hundreds, then realized it must be thousands, and then as they kept on appearing, I began to wonder exactly how many miles of vast Texas are covered with windmills and how many windmills there actually are. Google tells me there were 15,000 as of early 2021. That number seems way too small for what we saw today. And in between the windmills you see oil derricks pumping up and down and enormous power lines marching in all directions and endless freight trains loaded with coal. Energy seems to be what this part of the country is all about.

(Well, this experiment didn't turn out too well, as there was no cell service for most of the rest of the way across Texas and into New Mexico.  But at least we got a start, and this was an amazing day.) 

 

Here's our route: 

 

On the way, in Tampico, Texas, which turns out to be a ghost town in the absolute middle of beautiful Texas nowhere, we found this historical marker: 

 

 

 

A borrowed shot from a distance:

 We also found this creature wedged into the front of the car, having ridden along with us who knows how long. A locust, maybe? 

 

With only a few miles to go before Caprock Canyon, we arrived in Turkey, Texas, to find this sign: 

 

Well, you can imagine how that delighted Dad, and me, too, for that matter. Who knew? (And here's a little contest: how many miles is Turkey from Tampico? The prize is fame and your name in lights!)

 

Shortly after leaving Turkey, we passed the Midway Drive-in movie theater, which appeared to have been closed for much longer than just the winter.  But what an experience it must have been to watch a movie outdoors in that high wild rocky country!

 

 

And then came Caprock Canyon. Wow. 

 

 

Caprock Canyon is home to many bison, and they were among the first things we saw. 

In fact, the bison kept us from hiking on a trail we'd chosen because it was a short loop that we thought we could manage in the heat. No such luck: the park rules say to keep 50 yards away from the bison, and they had picked that trail head to inhabit that day.  There was no way to get past them without coming much closer than 50 yards!

But that didn't stop us from awestruck exploring.  High canyon walls like castles, striped in white and black fragrant juniper, lizards skittering past -- and one of the most exciting sights for me, a roadrunner!

 

 

It was surprising how much the real bird, running very fast across the road, looked like the cartoon.  All it needed was to say Beep Beep! 

 

But the place itself was awe-inspiring.  I don't have words that aren't cliches, so will just let the pictures tell the story. 

(I apologize for the bad framing.  I used to know how to fix it but don't anymore!)

 

As you can maybe see from the pictures, we had the place almost to ourselves -- though many of the empty campsites we passed had signs indicating that they were reserved, and it was Friday afternoon, so maybe that was about to change fast. But Caprock is the lesser-known neighbor of the bigger and better-known Palo Duro Canyon, and it had a kind of deep peacefulness. There's that silence you hear all over the West, if you stop moving, hold still and listen: maybe some small, gentle sounds like wind in the junipers or distant birdsong, but they just emphasize the vast, deep quiet that permeates everything.  The silence is a peace that settles into you. I love it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm stopping here for the moment and will update later with the rest of our trip. Suffice it to say we saw some glorious places that I never knew existed. You'll see!