During our trip through Texas in the spring of 2015 we were treated to splashes of color from the wildflowers blooming beside the roads, in fields, in the woods, and beside trails. We had timed our trip in hopes of seeing bluebonnets and weren’t disappointed. We were also treated to many other wildflowers including many I couldn’t identify.
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush along Park Road 4
Indian Blanket Flowers
Indian Paintbrush
Periwinkle at Longhorn Cavern
Golden Ragwort at Inks Lake
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush at Lake Arrowhead
Spiderwort at Inks Lake
Phlox at Inks Lake
Unidentified Wildflower at Inks Lake
Wildflowers in Llano
Wild Mint Llano
White Prickly Poppy Llano
Unidentified wildflower
Wildflowers at Padre Island National Seashore
Love the blooms here
Cactus Flower at Inks Lake
Claret Cup Cactus Flower Enchanted Rock Summit Trail
Unknown wildflower beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
Texas Stork’s Bill beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
Unknown wildflower beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
Unknown wildflower beside a rest area in the Texas Plains
I would love to get some help in identifying the unknown flowers! Please leave a comment if you know what any of these are, or if I have gotten any of the identifications wrong. Thank you!
Paris, Texas was our last stop in Texas. Of course we couldn’t miss the Eiffel Tower with a red cowboy hat. It is located between the civic center and a very impressive Veteran’s Memorial. The replica of the Eiffel Tower was originally dedicated in 1993 and was 65 feet tall. In 1998 the red cowboy hat was added to make it a few feet taller.
We walked around the town square and stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to pick up some postcards and find out more about the area. The Chamber shares space with an art gallery and we enjoyed talking with one of the artists who grew up in the Atlanta area but now lives in Paris.
Downtown Paris, TexasChuck Wagon
While at the Chamber I spied a brochure for Chisum Days with Chuck Wagon races on Sunday. I didn’t know what to expect at a chuck wagon race but it sounded like something we didn’t want to miss. I love it when we happen to be in the area when a fun event like this is taking place. Usually I see a poster for something I’d like to do and it was last week or next month.
Up close with the horses
The event was a fund raiser for the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars and was held at Lake Crook Park just north of Paris. We attended the event on Sunday, the last day. Rain had left the grounds pretty muddy. There were horse trailers, RV’s and trucks parked all around a large field where the races would take place. We arrived about an hour before the races began and enjoyed watching all the activity as people went about preparing for the races.
Showing of the Colors and the National Anthem to open the event
The races were really fun to watch. If not for a great announcer we wouldn’t have known what was going on. Each team consisted of a driver, a cook, and an outrider. Two teams competed at a time. At the start of the race each outrider had to load the wagon with a bedroll and cook box before mounting their horse. Each team rounded a barrel before racing around through the woods to the finish line. To win the race the outrider had to cross the finish line before the wagon and the wagon had to have both the bedroll and cook box. All this happened in less than two minutes!
Getting ready to start the raceStart of a Chuck Wagon RaceNearing the finish lineAn outrider racing through the mudBuckboard Race
What a great ending to our Texas adventure!
Sunset over Pat Mayes Lake
We camped at Pat Mayes West Corps of Engineers Park north of Paris in Powderly, Texas. It was an older park with most of the other campers there for the boating and fishing.
Every once in a while we discover an unexpected gem of a park. We just needed a quiet, restful place to stay for a couple of days after our adventure in Palo Duro Canyon. A place where we could buy some groceries and just chill. Lake Arrowhead State Park south of Wichita Falls sounded like it would fit the bill. As it turned out we enjoyed it so much we stayed an extra day.
It was wonderful seeing so much green after the brown plains of Texas. We had a nice big site with plenty of green grass and trees. There were hardly any other campers in the park and we sometimes felt like the only ones there.
A great place to chill
Texas has been going through a drought for several years and many lakes have suffered because of it. Lake Arrowhead is really low and has been for a while. The fishing pier is high and dry and all of the boat ramps are closed.
Lake Arrowhead is really low
There is a Prairie Dog Town in the park that has spread to some of the campsites. Some of the holes were right beside the road and Blondie tried to stick her nose in them as we walked by. The Prairie Dogs would scamper away to their hole and disappear as Blondie and I approached on foot. They would stay around longer when we drove by in the truck.
Prairie Dog Mama and her pups next to the picnic table in one of the campsitesPrairie Dog protecting his turfPrairie Dog at Lake Arrowhead
There is a working oil pump in the campground. After seeing so many of them in the fields as we drove through Texas it was interesting to see one up close. The engineering term for this type pump is a walking beam. More common names for it are horsehead pump, nodding donkey, beam pump, rod pump, grasshopper, thirsty bird, pump jack or jack pump.
Inspecting an oil pump in the park
I was happy to see bluebonnets and other wildflowers growing beside the road.
Bluebonnets at Lake Arrowhead
Unknown Wildflower at Lake Arrowhead
Unidentified wildflower Lake Arrowhead
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush at Lake Arrowhead
It was a great place to chill before continuing our trek east.
The ranger who checked us in was very friendly and helpful and gave us great directions to shopping in Wichita Falls. She also recommended the Branding Iron for barbeque and it was delicious.
Our site was a pull through with paved pad, large grass sitting area, a covered picnic table and fire ring. The site had water and electric hookups. There was a bath house close by, several picnic areas and hiking trails in the park.
If you would like to read my detailed campground review of this park, click here.
I was really looking forward to camping in Palo Duro Canyon. Just the idea of looking up at the canyon walls from our campsite was enough to plan our trip around a stay in the park. It was worth the two mile drive into Palo Duro Canyon down several switchbacks and a 10% grade to get to one of our most memorable campsites in all of our camping years. Our site in the Sagebrush campground had great views of the canyon and a private little sitting area behind our RV.
Our private picnic area behind the RV
Known as the Grand Canyon of Texas, Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. With 16 miles of paved roads through the canyon and miles of hiking, biking, and horse trails, there is enough to make everyone happy.
One of the most popular trails in the park is the Lighthouse Trail through the canyon for a close up look at the Lighthouse formation, the symbol of the state park. The multi-use trail is about a 6 mile round trip from the parking lot. We started out early on a cool Sunday morning and encountered cyclists, runners, and other hikers but no horses along the trail. A transplanted Georgian who now lives in Amarillo stopped to chat as we passed each other on the trail.
View from the Lighthouse Trail
The trail was packed red dirt and rock but not difficult. Our plan was to go to the base of the lighthouse but when two different hikers stopped to tell us about two rattlesnakes ahead of us I was done. Henry went a little farther and tried to convince me there was no sign of them but I wouldn’t budge! I was tired and ready to head back so we turned around about .2 miles before the end of the trail. We were done for the day when we got back to the campsite and loafed the rest of the afternoon.
Starting the Lighthouse Trail
Along the Lighthouse Trail
Juniper on the trail
Is this a purple sage beside the trail?
Our first view of the lighthouse from the trail
Hoodoo on the Lighthouse Trail
The Lighthouse
Hoodoo on the Lighthouse Trail
Henry searching for rattlesnakes on the trail
Although there was no wildlife along the trail (except for the rattlesnakes we didn’t see) there was plenty of wildlife in the park. On the first afternoon I spotted a threatened Texas Horned Lizard in our campsite.
This Texas Horned Lizard ran through our campsite
This Mule Deer beside the road wasn’t afraid of me.
Mule Deer
Wild Turkeys wandered through the campground one evening.
Wild Turkeys wandered through the campground
We took a short hike to explore the Hole In the Wall.
Hole in the Wall
Henry climbed up to explore while Blondie and I waited below
And explored the replica of a Cowboy Dugout.
Cowboy Dugout
There was a rainbow one afternoon.
Rainbow after a short rain shower
We saw T-Bone, one of the resident Texas Longhorns in the park.
T-Bone, one of the Texas Longhorns
We enjoyed our stay so much I think this is now my favorite state park!
There are several campgrounds in Palo Duro Canyon State Park with backpacking, equestrian sites, tent sites, and RV sites with water and electricity.Our site in the Sagebrush Campground had large private sitting area with a covered shelter over the picnic table and a fire ring. There are hiking, biking and equestrian trails. There are also several day use picnic areas, cabins, stables with guided horseback rides, an interpretive center, and the Trading Post Restaurant and Park store. If you would like to read my detailed campground review of this park, click here.
Wandering Dawgs 