Palo Duro Canyon

State Natural Area, Texas Parks & Wildlife

Chef Emile's Lighthouse Trail Log - Revisited

July 26, 2010

In October of 2006, I helped cater the inauguration of my great friend El Presidente' Pat O'Brien at WTAMU...... Go Buffs!!!  ......  At the end of my trip, I wanted to see why Canyon Texas was called Canyon!!  Ok, so I went to see the Canyon..... Palo Duro..  WOW !!

Sooooo, this time, with Ticks, Ann and Karen O'Brien in tow, I revisited Palo Duro.   

This is the view from the overlook at the Visitor's Center, a plaque shows what you can see in the distance.  We are going to the Lighthouse Trail about 3 miles away.  You can see them labeled in the two marked locations, Capitol Peak and The Lighthouse. 

The temperature on the canyon floor was HOT, I mean in the mid 90's HOT.  We brought plenty of water, But Ticks was really suffering from the heat and sun!  She was on a leash, and would try to hide under every scrub brush.  I was afraid that she might find a rattler or something.

This is Fortress Cliff  (distant background) and one of the first trail markers that you encounter on the Lighthouse Trail.  I was struck by how green the canyon was from my trip in 2006. The under growth has really benefited from the earlier Spring rains of 2010. 

Left, is what I call "The Teepee", or at least this is what it looks like as you approach it.

  But once you get close and from the right angle, you can see why I have called it such.  BTW I named it back in 2006, see my first Lighthouse Trail Log!

Once you round the back side of the Teepee, you gotta turn around and look backwards. WOW, and very impressive ridge line.  On my 2006 trip, I called this Sharks Jaw Ridge.... Cool.. HUH?

Look closely at the these pics, the canyon floor and up the sides of the ridge in the distance, there is a tremendous growth of trees and under brush.  This is all because of the rains from the Winter and Spring of 2010. 

 BUT it is hot and dry today, and Ticks, is overheating.  We were using all of our water to keep her cool.  So we had to turn around..... OK, we were overheating too.!!!!

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Chef Emile L. Stieffel, Aurora Catering, Inc. email address: ChefEmile@CustomCatering.net
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