On the edge of the Palo Duro Canyon in the panhandle of Texas.
North of Estellene
Driving across the Llano Estacado towards the edge of the Caprock Escarpment, we watched this storm mounting in the West. Singing Red Steagall’s song, “On a Fenceline North of Estellene”, about the tumbleweeds with poems tied to them by blue string.
At the tiny town of Happy, Texas, we stopped at a charming wayside coffee shop for warm brew and good cheer. A prolonged conversation about Texas history, the scenic Palo Duro Canyon, and childhood memories of the Caprock saved us from driving into a hailstorm in Tucumcari, NM!
What a “Happy” experience!
The painter Georgia O’Keeffe who lived in nearby Amarillo and Canyon early in the 20th century, wrote of the Palo Duro:
“It is a burning, seething cauldron, filled with dramatic light and color.”
This is one of the dramatic hoodoo rock formations in the canyon.
