The hum of the road against my tires droned on. ‘The Canyon Run’ was underway and there was no turning back now. I called this trip ‘The Canyon Run’ because we had five days to get the Grand Canyon and back. It was a mad dash to see one of the places I have dreamed of seeing most of my life. This was also the time of year I had always wanted to see it, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

First Sight in the Daylight
35mm Fujifilm Superia 200 - Canon AE1

The plan was to stop at a Texas state park south of Amarillo for the night and continue west the next day. As the saying goes “Plans are a fool’s errand”. That could not be truer on that day. For all my preparation and packing, I could not control doctor appointments. I was at the mercy of her schedule. Unfortunately, I could not leave Ocean Springs until 1:00 pm. My navigation showed 13 hours to Palo Duro Canyon – my first destination. When I say that leg of the drive was miserable, it was beyond that. By nightfall, I had only reached Shreveport and I was already weary. Thoughts of just staying the rest of the week in Palo Duro began to creep into my mind. The further I drove, the more I thought this journey would be too difficult. Even though I am only 35 and in relatively good health, I was not sure I could handle 45 hours of driving.

The Road Less Traveled
35mm Fujifilm Superia 200 - Canon AE1

The miles on the navigation decreased as I got closer. “Just keep going, its only a few more hours”, I thought. When I hit Dallas, I was reminded of how awful people can be on the road. Even at 9pm drivers were whipping around me, cutting me off, and driving like they were late for a meeting. Maybe they really had to go to the restroom? “Psychotic” would be the best way to describe Dallas drivers that night. By the time I got through the chaos, my nerves were shot but I could relax a little as I got on Highway 287. It was a straight shot to Amarillo from there. But I was still hours away from my stop. I hit 85mph and hit the cruise control. Luckily, most speed limits in Texas are 75mph. I cruised on through the dark night. Few cars passed by. My mind drifted. I started to feel the wind against my truck as I pushed into a cold front. Flashing red lights across the horizon appeared. “Am I that tired and hallucinating?”. As I neared them, I realized, they are windmills! Hundreds of them across the dark and flat Texas landscape – all flashing at the same time. You could say it was quite trippy.

Stopping in Childress, I got some gas and walked Lucy for a few minutes. It was then I was welcomed by that cold wind of the plains firsthand. We stopped another time or two. Everything started blur together at that point. We hit Amarillo and made a few turns before getting on the last road to Palo Duro. The darkness seemed to swallow my headlights as they found nothing to illuminate beyond a short distance of the road. Suddenly, I felt the land fall away from my wheels! I thought, “This must be it!”. Close, but not quite. Ahead my headlights finally found a point of reflection. The entrance! It was a about 3:00am when I pulled through the gates and headed to our campsite. I drove slowly as the road turned then made a sharp descent. Plunging down into the dark canyon I could see only hints of the rock faces.

Exhausted beyond words, I found our campsite and finally shifted the truck into “park” for the night. The wind was blowing hard, and the cold dry air was thick with dust. I could taste the Texas plains. I had no intention of digging out and setting up the tent, so I shuffled things around and made my bed in the backseat of the cab for the remainder of the night. Lucy slept snugly in her own sleeping bag as the temperature began to drop outside and within the truck. When I awoke several hours later, the temperature was below freezing. I looked outside the foggy windows, and the view nearly took my breath away! I slept well past sunrise due to our extremely late arrival, but even around 9:00am the canyon still held on to the colors of early morning light. The reds and greens of the landscape were a welcome sight to my tired eyes that had seen only the dark night and asphalt for far too many hours.

Emerging from the little warmth of the truck, Lucy and I greeted the canyon on a morning walk. I made sure we took our time, I decided there was no need to hurry off to Arizona that day. This place was quite incredible, and deserved a full day to soak it in. Plus, I was way too tired to drive 11 more hours that day.

I dug out the Coleman camp stove to cook up some sausage and eggs. The stove was new, so this was its christening adventure. Just like they always do, it worked like a charm. My cooking skills, on the other hand, are just good enough to keep me alive. Let’s just say breakfast was “edible”. With some carbs in my stomach, we ventured out (mostly driving because I was too exhausted to hike with cameras and other gear) to explore Palo Duro Canyon and take way too many photos and videos. I could not help it though. It was so much more amazing than what I was expecting.

The canyon also played a role in American History. Discovered by the Coronado Expedition in 1541 Apache Indians occupied the canyon. Some time later, Comanche and Kiowa tribes overtook the area. Although he was not chief at the time, Quanah Parker was a fierce warrior and known throughout the tribe as a leader. In 1874, Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie led an ambush on the Comanche village that had resided there. Quanah led a retreat out of the canyon that perplexed Mackenzie and prevented further loss of Comanche lives. Quanah later became chief of the Comanche tribe and played a significant role in ending the Red River Wars and convincing the tribes to stop fighting and assimilate into the white man’s culture.

After exploring as much as we could handle that day, Lucy and I headed back to camp to have a walk and rustle up a nice, freeze-dried meal for dinner for me and dog food for her. It was some type of lasagna and I washed it down with my favorite box wine. Believe it or not, it was a great dinner! I got a call from a good friend, and we chatted a bit. I told him that I may not continue out to the Grand Canyon. He insisted that I better do it. “When are you ever going to have a chance to do this again?”, he asked me. I knew I wouldn’t and of course I knew my body would likely not be able to withstand the brutal drive ever again. It was now or never. Lucy was ready for bed and I rearranged gear to make my bed in the backseat again. As the night grew darker, light began to rise up from the canyon wall across from me. The moon rose slowly from the dark canyon and shined directly into my truck like a spotlight. It was so bright, I just had to admire it. I looked at Lucy and said, “We’re going to at least try, let’s just hope we don’t die”.

The Canyon Run: Part 1

The Canyon Run: Part II

Listen & Learn