Author Topic: Palo Duro Canyon: Oct 14-16, 2011 (Read 466 times) Tweet Share

dkerr24 · « **on:** October 17, 2011, 11:48:55 AM »

Got a 3 day weekend this past weekend and took the opportunity to do a dry run of towing my Dad's 2005 Fleetwood popup camper out to Palo Duro Canyon state park.

The weather was about as perfect as you could ask for... dry weather with highs in the 80's and lows in the upper 40's and NO WIND. I'm now kicking myself for not coming to Palo Duro sooner... it's really a nice park with plenty of things to do.

The truck did great on the trip... it's 278 miles from my house in Yukon to the state park gate. Took us about 5 hours to get there, as I drove a leisurely pace of 60-65 mph. I logged 18.5 mpg while towing the 2000lb Fleetwood. Had 2 mountain bikes in on a bed mounted Yakima rack and various gear. Gas in Amarillo was a bit higher than home, and I never get used to their strange octane ratings... 86/88/90 instead of the normal 87/89/91.

The park was packed with festivities this past weekend. It was the annual Palo Duro Enduro run with distances of 20km, 50km and 50miles. We wanted to run the 20km event, but got our entry fee in too late and the race was full. We decided to go to the park anyway and check out the course and ride our bikes as well.

There was also a Mopar car show on Saturday, which wasn't expected but was nice to check out the old and new Mopar's. My truck was right at home

On Sunday morning, they had hot air balloon rides in the large parking lot near the amphitheater. My wife and I have never seen a hot air balloon up close; it was beautiful seeing those balloons light up in the pre-dawn hours.

Wildlife spotted: 8 does, 1 buck, 5 wild turkeys, 1 tarantula walking across one of the trails, and at least 10 million common house flies (the one drawback of NO WIND).

I'll post up some pictures this evening after work.

Darin

Arlon · « **Reply #1 on:** October 17, 2011, 01:28:41 PM »

Only been there a few times. This is the time of year to start thinking about a trip up there for sure. Too darn hot in the summer. Sounds like a fun weekend.

RWZ · « **Reply #2 on:** October 17, 2011, 03:03:01 PM »

Sounds like a great trip. I did the 50K last year and it was a fantastic place to run. The race was well organized and the folks at the aid stations were the best. Definitely get your entry in for the race next year as I am sure you will have fun. The hot air balloons surprised us last year as well. We camped in the Sagebrush campground and woke to the sounds of those things filling themselves up. Spent the next two hours just sipping coffee and watching them take off.

R.W. Brown · « **Reply #3 on:** October 17, 2011, 09:11:59 PM »

I ran in the 20k. It was a blast. Which campground were you in? I probably saw you. I was in Hackberry on the Motorcycle on the end. I saw tons of turkey and deer the kids were feeding them like pets.