I’ve driven past a sign for Caprock Canyon State Park on US 287 in northwestern Texas numerous times on my way to some western destination. So when planning my July, 2021 trip to the Grand Canyon North Rim, I decided to make this my first stop over along a different route than I would normally take.
I departed US 287 in the tiny town of Estelline, Texas heading west on Texas Route 86, traveling through an unfamiliar part of rural Texas. I noted that the countryside looked exceptionally green with lots of thick, green grass along the edge of the roadway, green pastures and farm fields with water filled low areas. Evidently, there had been more than the normal rainfall in this area recently.
Even though I had mapped out my route, the drive on this narrow, backroad route was slower and seemed longer than I had anticipated. There was little traffic, but the speed limit was much lower than the 75mph on the more substantial routes.
I passed through a number of very small towns and/or rural communities, stopping in Turkey, Texas to top off my tank at the only filling station in town, since I did not know when I would see another convenient filling station.
As I came into Turkey, I noted a prominent sign proclaiming Turkey to be the birthplace of Bob Wills, a famous and early Country and Western performer, with the group “Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys”. Bob Wills was one of the featured performers in the Ken Burn’s “Country Music” documentary on PBS. I had heard some of his music on radio in my early childhood.
Perhaps the best remembered piece by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys is “San Antonio Rose”, which has been performed by many others.
Continuing on my way, I soon came into Quitaque, Texas. I had to look up the proper way to pronounce the name of this town. The locals pronounce it “Kitty Quay” and there is even this pronunciation indicated on signs on either side of the route through the town. The name reportedly comes from a Native American word meaning “end of the trail”, which is fitting for this portion of my journey.
Quitaque is a picturesque little Texas town and I noted several items of interest on my way through town and on the short stretch of roadway from town to the entrance to Caprock Canyon State Park. I did not take time to stop on my way to the park, but I was determined to take time for photographs the next day, before I continued my journey. More on this in the next post, but here are teasers:
I had checked into my campsite online, but I stopped in the park headquarters on my way in just to be sure I did not need to do anything else. The park ranger, warned me to keep my distance from the Bison and that they were free roaming and might wander into my campsite.
As I left the headquarters on my way to my campsite, I noted quite a few bison, but I did not stop to photograph them, thinking I would have plenty of opportunity for that later and I’ve seen plenty of bison previously. There are even bison ranches in this part of Texas, but the herd here is the only free roaming herd in Texas.
In the campground there is a prairie dog town near the restroom facility. The prairie dogs would bark a warning, whenever anyone walked along the walkway towards the restroom, most would scamper into their underground dens, while one seemed to keep watch.
The restroom facilities here are old and in great need of updating. This seems to be a popular park, as there were many RVs in the campground. So it seems to me that upgrading the park facilities would be a priority. I’ve since written e-mails to the Texas State Representative and Senator for this area, pointing out the need to put forth a better image for such a popular state park.
A recent Texas state ballot issue was approved to address the lack of funding for state parks. A previously targeted method for funding Texas Parks and Wildlife existed, but the state found other ways to use that money, rather than use it for its intended purpose. It remains to be seen, if the recent effort will result in much needed maintenance and updating of Texas State Park facilities or if our elected state officials will divert those funds, maybe to use in totally useless audits of the previous federal election in some districts or to sue school districts that want to require students and employees to wear masks during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a hiking trail originating from my campground, so I decided to head out late in the day, hoping to find some photographic opportunities. I hiked for some distance along the trail, eventually going down a steep slope into a canyon, but I did not find anything I considered photo worthy. I did not even see a bison, although there were plenty of indications that they had been in this area. There were also many irritating flying insects, mostly large biting flies and I had not even thought to put on insect repellant or bring any in my day pack, since there were few insects buzzing around the campground and mosquitoes are seldom a problem in this part of Texas.
I eventually decided there was no compelling reason to hike any further along this trail, so I turned back, taking a different branch back towards the campground.
There were some wildflowers scattered around and as I walked along scanning the area, often looking at the near trail wildflowers, I heard a very distinct sound that immediately increased my heart rate.
I stopped in my tracks and looked up. A few feet in front of me a rattlesnake was stretched across the trail issuing a warning. For all the times that I’ve hiked in wild areas, this is the first time I’ve encountered a rattlesnake. My camera was strapped to my backpack, so I tried to pull my iPhone from my pocket to get a shot, as the snake moved to the side of the trail and kept an eye on me for a few moments. By the time I got my phone out, it had already begun to disappear into the vegetation along the trail. So the image above is all I managed to get.
After this encounter, I was much more vigilant for the rest of my hike.
To be continued,
Ken