June 2, 2008. Amarillo, Texas. Palo Duro Canyon

Palo Duro Canyon is the grand canyon of Texas. We have seen the pictures and read the reports, but up until today, we have never seen it with our eyes. Southwest flew us up to Amarillo, and after checking into our hotel, we drove straight out to the canyon. It's a trip of about 20 miles by car. We drove the road in the canyon, stopped at the visitor center, ate an ice cream at the trading post, walked all around the amphitheater and booked out tickets to the musical Texas, then decided to return to our hotel in Amarillo and hike in the canyon on Wednesday and Thursday.

We have driven across the panhandle of Texas but we never spent any time there, so now we are checking out Amarillo, which is a city of three hundred thousand.We will stay two nights in the canyon, staying in stone cabins built by the CCC in the thirty's. Amarillo is hot and dry and windy. The down town area must have eight large buildings empty, but the growth is in the suburbs. The small town of Canyon has also become a retirement destination, with many new homes recently built. It also has a University, West Texas A.& M. We'll check it out on Wednesday morning. We stay in Amarillo for two nights before going to the canyon on Wednesday. Our trip to the panhandle will be brief, but probably adequate. I am writing this small web log in the business office of our very nice hotel. Eighty dollars a night gives you a lovely large room, complementary breakfast and snacks and cocktails for happy hour. So far, this hotel is the best thing I have seen in Amarillo. Tomorrow we will go to the cattle auction. They have more cattle auctioned off than any other place in the U.S. And we will visit the quarter horse museum and the botanical gardens. Our five days will be full, I am sure.