Day 19. Two Yoots!

Friday January 27, 2023.

Woohoo it only went down to twenty five degrees last night! YASS!

I woke up totally rested and feeling starved actually. I could really go for a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich that the deli's back home in NY make...a little salt-pepper-ketchup on it...yummmm.

OK dry cereal it is.

Well I had water with it. Not on it - that would be kinda just soggy cereal. But I definitely seemed a little dehydrated down here in this extra large crack in the earth so I swigged a lot of water down.

I had to check out of this five star campsite by noon today and I wanted to do the Lighthouse Trail before I left. So I did a little organizing around the site and geared up for a shorter ride today. I'm thinking about eight miles total as the duck flies : )

The Lighthouse Trail is this canyons 'signature' trail and if you google Palo Duro Canyon the picture of this trail will probably pop up. It's definitely the most popular hike as evidenced by the big parking lot near it and all the signs about dehydration and heat stroke along the way. I think it gets a lot of novice hikers that drive into the park for a day hike and, being this is down low in the canyon where the sun bakes the earth in the summer, (120 degrees sign says) a lot of these hikers actually get carried out. No joke. But definitely no heat stroke today that's for sure lol. Warmed up to 26 already sweet lol.

A mostly flat, nearly three mile trail but...the last 1/4 of a mile I had to dismount the Salsa bike to climb up some pretty sketchy rocks to reach the plateau between these two towering buttes. Or is it two towering beauts? I mean they were pretty nice looking. Not so much like a gorgeous model - well actually come to think of it they were tall and statuesque and whoa easy! But no, kinda more like a beautiful car. You might see a new car and say "wow she's a beaut" like with a NY accent. Beauts. So yeah these are definitely buttes. Kinda sounds like Yoot. But with a 'B'. What's a yoot? Ya know like "two yoots" in that movie...what was it called? Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei I think? Funny movie. My biological clock is ticking! Ha! So is mine actually. And everyone reading this too geez gotta focus lol.

Got off trail there for a second! : )

Let me paddle back.

I flew (Ha! Another water fowl pun there! Better duck before another one comes!) thru those first 2/12 miles, right past a hiker and her pup too! I then realized I hadn't passed another person on a trail since I've been here. I guess this trail is a popular one!

I scaled those treacherous rocks (a little scary since ducks have big feet and they get in the way a lot) and literally found myself standing on this natural stage with two pillars of red clay colored rock flanking my sides!

Wow stunning!

The sun was strong here as it radiated off the rock so I sat down for a little snack.

Then, who comes into my view but Molly! The awesome pup I passed just a few minutes earlier accompanied by her owner Maggie! Both originally from Michigan and now living in Texas. Spectacular duo that I shared a little conversation with. Conversations like these almost always start out with the "where ya froms" as this one did but we quickly connected and chatted a bit more. Funny how you can resonate with people in such a short span of time! She grew up around her dad's two bike stores back home...wow super jealous of that for sure!

Giving you both a shout out here and wishing you the best of luck in your finance career, your traveling adventures and wishing you a life full of happiness! Glad to have bumped into you both! Send that photo of Molly here somewhere if you're reading this (actually I don't know if that's possible lol. But comments are! For anyone too, shoot me a hello or whichever. Fun to hear from y'all out here).

I grabbed a few more photos, actually Maggie even shot one of me for the record books and then I descended back down some of those craggy rocks to jump back on the bike that I left down below.

I felt like I crushed the ride back to camp and had a blast doing it! Folded up the tent and packed away all the gear inside as neatly as I could, considering it was hard packed with red clay and all.

On the way out I stopped at a small gift shop in the park and bought a T-shirt and headed into town to pick up my wheel. I was totally surprised I remembered it actually. Normally I wouldn't have thought of it until I needed it a week later wanting to go for a ride in Denver or something lol. I spoke with Nugget about my trip briefly, grabbed my wheel and left. No more wisdom to share. Or bite size pieces of chicken either for that matter. Just a solid repair.

I decided to head straight for Arianna up in Fountain Colorado, stopping only for a coffee about an hour north of Amarillo.

Texas is flat let me tell ya. Just miles of it. Stretching from one side of the road to the other. Oh! Something else that went from one side of the road to the other! Tumbleweeds! Not since kids cartoons had I even thought about tumbleweeds...so cool! Us New Yorkers...so easily impressed. (OK who else just thought of Roadrunner and Wile. E. Coyote?).

Not til I hit Colorado it seemed did the mountains rise out in front of me. Such a different feel all of a sudden. Incredible country we live in huh!?

I rolled up to the apartment excited to see my daughter.

She came out to greet me and guide me into a close parking spot...

Wow. My daughter. Family. So many road miles behind me and here I am. Is there anything better?

I chatted with Arianna for about two hours over a baked ziti she prepared for us.

The perfect filling comfort food! Amazing to me...what a gift she is!

Totally feeling spent from the five hour drive and all the bike miles in the last three days I headed off to my own room! Wow so good,.

A warm apartment, a warm bed, the warmth of a daughters love...a warm heart...knocked off easily into a blissful sleep...

Inside

In comparison to all those incredible jaw dropping views I had breathed in the last three days...nothing matches the sight and hug of a Precious loved one. Throw in a prepared meal and sitting across from her at the dinner table - wow - Love you Arianna!

Thanking God for this amazing life we both enjoy...my heart is full.

Outside

Natures beauty never gets old. Just when you think you've seen the most butte-i-full thing you turn the corner and wow there's more. The stunning hardscape of Palo Duro Canyon, the wide expanse of the Texas landscape and then crossing the border into Colorado and seeing the mountains.

Absolutely stunning.

Upside

Meeting so many nice people in my travels - from the older gift shop worker who just wanted to chat, to Maggie and Molly, to a little Nugget of a bike shop, to the two Mennonite ladies working the coffee shop in the middle of Nowhere Texas. Really the world is full of goodness if you just open your eyes and look for it.

Every which way but east!

Hunkering down in Fountain Colorado for a couple of days to spend time with Arianna. Not much riding going to happen, the temps are showing highs of like 15 (wind chills in the minus nine area) and blustery snow all day here in town. The mountains even colder...

The Lighthouse Trailhead

One of the "Beaut's" off in the distance. Look close that's where we're headed!

Stay thirsty my friend! No wait that's not right. Drink a lot!

Early morning camp

Cold but that sun...oh so good!

The shadowy side of the wall

Trails today so much flatter than yesterday!

Two Beaut's!

Yup, that's pretty steep right there lol! Had to leave the Salsa in the trees down below.

Yes that's the way to the flat portion between the two beaut's

Made it! Molly the puppy takes pretty good pics!

Even a 'Pano' pic doesn't give enough credit to God's artwork here...

For you Chris! #kreb_cycle

Definitely not two Beaut's. Maybe a butte and a beaut? Geez no!. A beaut and a Yoot? Well I'm younger than the butte but def not a yoot. How 'bout a butte and an 'ol coot!? That's it!

Crazy to be up here...

Headed back to camp

Last camp shot!

I see how you can build a house with this stuff - it hardens to near concrete!

All packed and ready to leave...

A little for the history buffs

Again these trains seem like hundreds of cars long....

Flat until nearing Colorado...

Both Quacky and I like a reminder of home once in a while...

I thought it said 'Thank God' at first...same diff. So grateful to be able to do this...