Alibates Flint Quarry

On Monday Joe and I went to  Alibates Flint Quarry.

Alibates Flint Quarry is the only National Monument in the state of Texas. It is about 30 miles north of Amarillo in Fritch, TX. Alibates flint is the only flint that has color and is only found in this area. It is found along the sloping canyon rims of the Canadian River Valley. Small pits and tons of stone manufacturing debris are testimony to prephaps 13,000 years of quarrying the brilliantly colored stone. Prehistoric hunters traveled-or traded-over distances of 1,000 miles to obtain this stone. Points and other tools made of Alibates stone have been found as far north as Montana, as far south as Central Mexico, and east to at least the Mississippi River. Finely flaked and fluted Alibates flint have been found at the scene of a mammoth kill in New Mexico. The site dates to 13,000 years ago at its earliest. There is more evidence to suggest that later visitors to the quarry mined the stone more intensively. They used the flint to outfit all parts of their "toolkit" as well as for trade for other materials. In 1877, Allen (Allie) Bates bought the land and it became the LX Ranch. To this day, no one knows what happened to this mysterious LX Ranch cowboy , Allie Bates, whose name has become famous in this part of the Texas Panhandle. 

 The mesquite tree has been growing since the Ice Age which lasted from about 1.8 million to 10,000 years ago. At that time they were wide spread because its natural partner was the mammoth. What makes it so interesting is that the pod has a parasite that kills the seed, but when consumed by mammals, the parasite is killed in their digestive systtem, and the seeds were widely dispersed in their "poop". So mesquite trees grew wherever mammoths roamed. In the 1500's, when the Spanish brought cattle to this area, the mesquite had a new natural partner. Today these trees are widespread throughout the Southwestern U.S. from southern Kansas and west to the Colorado Desert in California. Native Americans relied on the seed pod as a dietary staple from which they made tea, syrup, and ground meal. The bark was used for basketry, fabrics, and medicine. And the taproots (which are often bigger than the trunk) were dug up for firewood because it burns slowly and is smokeless.

This is a dried mesquite seed pod.

Palo Duro Canyon

 Yesterday, Joe and I rode the Harley to Palo Duro Canyon. It is about a 30 mile trip from our campsite in Amarillo. The state park opened in 1934 and the roads and buildings that were constructed in the 1930s are still in use today. The cost is $5.00 per person for a day trip.

 The canyon is 120 miles long and as much as 20 miles wide. It is the second largest canyon in the United States.Palo Duro was formed by water erosion from the Prarie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. This photo was taken at the Visitor Center/Museum.

 Humans have resided in the canyon for approximately 12,000 years. Early Spanish explorere discovered the area and named it Palo Duro which is Spanish for "hard woods" because it was abundant in mesquite and juniper trees. The state park is one of the largest with more that 26,000 acres of scenic landscape. Walls plunge almost 1,000 feet to the canyon floor, exposing brilliant multicolor strata.

This formation is "The Lighthouse". There are hiking trails to it.

 The park offers camping (tent and RV sites with water and electric hook-ups), picknicking, restrooms and ahowers, horseback riding and hiking and biking trails. Also there is an interpretive center and amphitheater where shows are staged during the summer season. There are 3 restored cabins (made of stone) located on the canyon rim for rent.  Within the park is also a historic marker citing the last great Native American battle in Texas.

 The road travels from the top to the bottom of the canyon. We took a 16 mile loop into the canyon floor. There are 6 water crossings on the road and number 6 was flooded and impassible which shortened our route.

This is "Capitol Peak".There are biking trails to it.

One of the camping site areas was designated for tent camping with your horse...four pups are enough, can't imagine taking your horse!