spring break phot-o-rama 2012

we're off on our spring break adventure to

palo dura canyon!!!!!

as usual we arrived super late but when we woke up for our first full day we where greeted with the canyon and a beautiful camp site...

our first full day was SUPER warm!!!!!



but there was a breeze and we decided to "scope out" the park by truck first

our first stop was....

built by the c.c.c. in the 30s

then we moseyed over to the TEXAS theater - where every summer the musical "Texas" is put on

quannah parker...

and shame on you if you don't know him



daddy acting like the guy who wrote "Texas"

j.man being his cute self!!!

because the musical doesn't begin until june - the boys had to give us their rendition - y'all may want to wait for the original

next stop - the "goodnight dug out"

as in charles goodnight - it's a home/hut built into a mud bank

you can walk on the roof - pretty cool

then we found this opening/cave and "hiked" over and up into it

this is myself and g.money on top of the cave waving down at daddy and j.man -

hi down there all you ants

it was a good first day!

our second day - daddy wakes up and says

"i hear turkeys!"

and lo and behold.....

the plan for the day was to do some hiking -

we chose to go see the "lighthouse" and "castle" formations

yep - you read that right - 6 miles - up/down/around a canyon

this is us before we left the parking lot

this is us a mile into the hike!!!!!

but we rallied - and off we went

the canyon is amazingly beautiful!!!



still hiking.....



getting closer.....

isn't he cute!?

well - that's one way to do it

yeah!!! the "lighthouse"

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO KEEP CLIMBING!?!?!?

but so worth it...

g.money and daddy climbing on top - yes - on top of the castle peak

WAY WAY WAY up there!!!!!

look! he made it!!!!!

now - look closely - so you see that tiny trail WAAAAAYYYY down there?

we have to take that

back to the car

and away we go

i can take this mountain!!!

happy trails...

now don't think that we were through - nope -

that night we went on the "sunset hike"

an informative hike about flora and fauna of the canyon ending with a spectacular sunset

our interpreter guide....

the sun going down over the canyon...

and right as the sun was setting we saw a family of these guys eating dinner....

then - the sun went down

and we went back to the camper to celebrate 2  hikes well done!!!

day 3

st. patrick's day!!!!

and the cavalry!

some bike riding....

playing...

and digging a time capsule....

on our last day

we took the boys up to the ranger station where they turned in their junior ranger books and received junior ranger badges

all that camping is hungry work - so we left palo dura and went into amarillo for lunch before heading home...

then we said good-bye to amarillo

and booked it home!!!