by Olivia Discon
Following our adventure at Great Sand Dunes National Park, we made it back to the tip of the Texas Panhandle: Dalhart, TX. Our goal for today, was to get to Amarillo, then to Canyon, TX, and make our way to Oklahoma City. It was–both literally and figuratively–a whirlwind visit. We literally saw our first-ever tumbleweeds.
Cadillac Ranch
As we approached Amarillo well before noon, we stopped at Cadillac Ranch, a unique art installation. We had never seen it before, and what a sight!
Some nice people visiting loaned us some spray paint, and we left our mark!
It was a nice stop amidst the flat Amarillo landscape, made much more colorful by art.
Panhandle Plains Museum
Located on Texas A&M’s West Texas campus, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Musuem. Within the largest history museum in Texas, we had the ability to outline Texas history from indigenous settlement and conquistadors to where we are today.
A collection that served as a great conversation starter was ‘High Fashion to the High Plains’. Here we found an extensive wardrobe from high fashion designers such as Chanel and Emilio Pucci that are representative of the fashions of West Texas over time.
While this is a West Texas museum, we were most enthused with the East Texas representation in their ‘Art of Texas State Parks’ collection!
We saw artist and friend Lee Jamison’s work in the museum’s collection. While we are huge fans of all of Mr. Jamison’s paintings, our favorite one from the museum was of the Grave of Hubris, San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.
I thoroughly enjoy the vibrancy of the landscapes Mr. Jamison creates, whether or not the scene itself is particularly bright. His paintings serve as a reminder to appreciate even the most simple of your surroundings, as there is an innate intricacy to each of them.
Palo Duro State Canyon Park
On such a fitting note, we ventured to the Palo Duro State Canyon Park to capture the scenic views on our last outdoors trek of the trip.
It may be sheer coincidence, but we truly saved the best hike for last! There was truly so much to see while on this short trail, with a different vista under a beautiful sky at almost every turn.
Maybe it was the fact that we had previously been immersed in scenes covered in pillowy white snow, but there was something awe-inspiring about looking over the cliff to see the red-casted landscape.
We explored far more than we anticipated we would, walking out to every outcrop…
…looking over ledges…
…and climbing as many hills as possible.
We did our best to soak it in…
…and explore the area they call “The Grand Canyon of Texas.”
In fact, we didn’t really want to leave, but we wanted to get one more hike in, so we returned to the car.
Our last hike was the “Hole in the Wall Trail,” so named for obvious reasons!
This short hike involved a walk up to a cave. Although short, it was a somewhat rugged walk, and it was also filled with colors and different types of rocks.
The area immediately outside the cave offered interesting views of the landscape.
In the cave were three different holes in the top, and these looked intriguing to us–so much so that we found a way up to the to the top of the hill.
We made it to the top after much climbing and scrambling, and climbed a way into the hole.
We also got interesting photos through the hole, from our vantage point!
I may have been a bit apprehensive to make the climb, but Cinthia was a voice of encouragement (or perhaps she was just more confident than I), and we made it to safety.
While we already live and learn in the great state of Texas, this was a completely new and refreshing day for everyone. However, it was not time to turn back home just yet! We packed our bags and headed towards the last state of our Southwest tour, Oklahoma.
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 