New Feature on The Lower 48 (Plus 2 )! The Fruited Plain in Pictures!

I added a new page to The Lower 48 (Plus 2 ) ! It will be a work in progress as there literally millions of photos of beautiful places within the borders of our Country. I think we got off to a pretty good start with this collection.

Read more here...

Texas Tidbits: Palo Duro Canyon - Two Miles From Hell

Two Miles From Hell?

Having extensively travel around Texas, I can tell you from personal experience what are some of the more scenic vistas in the state. Easily earning a spot in the Top 5 is a place that describes itself as 30 miles from water and 2 miles from Hell - Palo Duro Canyon, near Amarillo. This big hole in the ground is a spectacular sight whether you've seen it once or 100 times. At 120 miles long and twenty miles wide in some places, it would probably take a hundred visits for you to see it all. The second largest canyon in the USA, Palo Duro offers dramatic views from anywhere in the canyon. As Wikipedia notes, the canyon has been inhabited by people for as long as 15,000 years, "The first evidence of human habitation of the canyon dates back approximately 10,000–15,000 years, and it is believed to have been continuously inhabited to the present day. Native Americans were attracted to the water of the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, as well as the consequent ample game, edible plants, and protection from weather that the canyon provided." Soon after the Indians that lived in Palo Duro Canyon were removed to reservations in Oklahoma, famed cowboy Charles Goodnight established the JA Ranch in the canyon and for the next fifty years the land was in private hands. However, the area became such an attraction for local residents, that the State of Texas, in 1934, bought 20,000 acres at the north end of the canyon which became Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The park is now nearly 30,000 acres of Nature's Work of Art. The musical production "Texas" ( that's an older link but it's still got some great info there) has been a mainstay at the canyon for almost fifty years and has been seen by hundreds of thousands of folks. Those having seen the show have been giving it rave reviews since its first performance. Just ask my good friend Doreen Bob, she'll tell you all about it. Did I tell you that 'Texas" is performed outdoors on the canyon floor? Incredible. You can drive or hike all through Palo Duro (Spanish for "hard wood" by the way), but I think the best way to explore such a natural wonder as PD is up close and personal. On horseback, perhaps? There's so much more to the history and attraction of Palo Duro Canyon, I could stay here typing for days. In lieu of that, I'll ask you to click on the links in this post, look them over thoroughly and you'll get a ton of fascinating information and photos. To live in such splendor as Palo Duro Canyon, I'd walk 30 miles for water and tolerate being two miles from Hell.

Texas Tidbits: Sorry, Massachusetts, The First Thanksgiving Took Place in Texas

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

I am about to piss some people off, especially those in Massachusetts. The matter at hand is the first Thanksgiving. Sorry, Plymouth Rock, you ain't the home of the first Thanksgiving, maybe not even the second or third Thanksgiving. There are historical records that show that the First Thanksgiving was held in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas a full eighty years before the celebration of thanks at Plymouth Rock. in 1621.

The First Thanksgiving in the New World was held at Palo Duro Canyon on Ascension Thursday, May 23, 1541. On that day, Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his men held a day of thanksgiving after "Coronado's expedition had left Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola, but instead of a mythical city of gold, Coronado and his men found the Llano Estacado, where there were no cities, no trees and very little water." (from homepages.vvm.com)The rest of that story can be found here. This series of events has been verified by historians the world over, so this is the first instance of Thanksgiving as we know it in the New World.

On April 21, 1598, another Thanksgiving took place in Texas. That story can be found here. Now we have two "Thanksgivings" quite a few years before the Pilgrims celebrated their own day of thanks at Plymouth Rock.


I know this story may ruffle a few turkey feathers, but history is history. I don't bring this up to in any way diminish the importance of the Thanksgiving at Plymouth Rock in 1621 as it was certainly one of the most historic days of the American story. Three groups of people came to the New World for various reasons and independent of each other by miles and by years, found a reason to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving in what is now the United States of America, long may She live.

Texas Tidbits : 30 Miles from Water, 2 Miles From Hell

A Big Hole

Having extensively travel around Texas, I can tell you from personal experience what are some of the more scenic vistas in the state. Easily earning a spot in the Top 5 is a place that describes itself as 30 miles from water and 2 miles from Hell - Palo Duro Canyon, near Amarillo. This big hole in the ground is a spectacular sight whether you've seen it once or 100 times. At 120 miles long and twenty miles wide in some places, it would probably take a hundred visits for you to see it all. The second largest canyon in the USA, Palo Duro offers dramatic views from anywhere in the canyon. As Wikipedia notes, the canyon has been inhabited by people for as long as 15,000 years, "The first evidence of human habitation of the canyon dates back approximately 10,000–15,000 years, and it is believed to have been continuously inhabited to the present day. Native Americans were attracted to the water of the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, as well as the consequent ample game, edible plants, and protection from weather that the canyon provided." Soon after the Indians that lived in Palo Duro Canyon were removed to reservations in Oklahoma, famed cowboy Charles Goodnight established the JA Ranch in the canyon and for the next fifty years the land was in private hands. However, the area became such an attraction for local residents, that the State of Texas, in 1934, bought 20,000 acres at the north end of the canyon which became Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The park is now nearly 30,000 acres of Nature's Work of Art. The musical production "Texas" ( that's an older link but it's still got some great info there) has been a mainstay at the canyon for almost fifty years and has been seen by hundreds of thousands of folks. Those having seen the show have been giving it rave reviews since its first performance. Just ask my good friend Doreen Bob, she'll tell you all about it. Did I tell you that 'Texas" is performed outdoors on the canyon floor? Incredible. You can drive or hike all through Palo Duro (Spanish for "hard wood" by the way), but I think the best way to explore such a natural wonder as PD is up close and personal. On horseback, perhaps? There's so much more to the history and attraction of Palo Duro Canyon, I could stay here typing for days. In lieu of that, I'll ask you to click on the links in this post, look them over thoroughly and you'll get a ton of fascinating information and photos. To live in such splendor as Palo Duro Canyon, I'd walk 30 miles for water and tolerate being two miles from Hell.

Texas Tidbits : Amarillo

Amarillo sits at the Top of Texas in the middle of The Golden Spread. The once Helium Capital of the World is closer to the capitals of five other states than it is to its own. Check this out...
Distance from Amarillo to:

• Santa Fe, NM- 281 mi.
• Oklahoma City, OK - 260 mi.
• Denver, CO - 421 mi.
• Topeka, KS - 432 mi.
• Cheyenne, WY - 445 mi.
• Austin, TX - 491 mi. 

I don't want to say that Amarillo is in the middle of nowhere, but when the closet big town to you is Lubbock, you are Officially In The Middle of Nowhere. Honestly, it's not that bad. Amarillo is a fine town and a nice place to live. I know. I have lived there. Hell, even Oprah has been there. The first European to see what is now Amarillo was Francisco Coronado in 1541, when the area was home to the Comanches. Coronado also was the first European to set eyes on one of the most stunning vistas in Texas (and that's saying a lot)...Palo Duro Canyon. Cattle have played a major factor in the history of Amarillo and some of the ranches in the region were bigger than some New England states. As a matter of fact, the JA Ranch founded by Charles Goodnight in 1877 is still  in operation today. Other nearby attractions include the World Famous Cadillac Ranch and the magnificent Lake Meredith, where Fish.Fear.Me.I can't, in good conscience, write about Amarillo and not mention The Big Texan Steak House, home of the FREE 72 oz. steak (if eaten within 1 hour). That's over four pounds of steak! There's lots to do in and around Amarillo and on a long drive it's a great stopping off point to spend the day and see the sights. Palo Duro Canyon and Lake Meredith are must sees. I have visited every place in town mentioned in this post and I can tell you that Amarillo is a pretty damn good place to be.