Author: Steve

 

…is just like exploring the floor of Yosemite Valley, except that there are hardly any people here and everything else is different too.

 

Spotted a roadrunner.

 

And a cool looking cave off in the cliffs.

 

Worth a closer look.

 

Decided not to make the final scramble to the top.

 

Have to wonder how many people and critters have had that cave for shelter.  A nice view looking back out over the canyon.

 

Couldn’t get any more camp nights at Palo Duro, so we continued north.  We’re at Coyote Keeth’s RV Park just outside of Clayton, NM.

 

It’s not crowded.

 

The Great February Birding Trip Map

 

 

We’re in a good spot to explore for high plains grassland birds at Rita Blanco National Grasslands just east of here tomorrow.

 

 

But not much.  To stay another day, we moved to a different site.

 

 

The park is fully reserved, but that doesn’t mean fully full.

 

At least 50% of the campsites are held back; out of use in the interest of distancing.

 

A cold blustery day and a lot of work to do.  The perfect recipe for staying indoors and getting a lot done.  I can work offline and just send and receive occasionally in bunches.  In fact, being offline helps keep me in focus to get all the way done with one project before I pick up the next one.  Judy made a trip 25 miles each way to Amarillo for supplies.

 

 

Palo Duro.  The largest canyon in North America.  Well, the largest except for that one in Arizona.  Impressive even if it is only second largest.

 

The Great February Birding Trip Map

 

 

This canyon has a road to the bottom.  A fifteen mile an hour winding road and campgrounds.

 

 

 

 

 

No cellphone or internet, but a drive to the rim gets us a burst of connectivity.  This is our burst for the night.

 

 

 

There are always options for how to route the cord from the RV to the power box.

 

 

It might seem like it doesn’t matter, one way being as good as the other, but one of these ways is preferable.  And that one way is preferable just in case things don’t go as planned.  A person could miss a step in preparation for leaving.  If a person happened to drive away with the power cord still connected to the post, one of these ways to route the power cord would inflict less damage on both the RV and the equipment it’s plugged into as the bus drives away trailing that long black snake.  Rule number 1 of leaving is to never hurry; stay methodical.  We’ll make rule number 2 to set things up for the least amount of damage if a person misses rule number 1.

 

 

Scalloped potatoes and ham cooking all afternoon for dinner.  Yum!

 

 

A stop for fuel in Hobbs, then back into Texas and on to Lubbock.  We can hook up and catch up here for a couple days.

 

The Great February Birding Trip Map

 

 

Cackling Goose.

 

It’s like a Canada Goose but with a smaller face.

 

Northern Flicker.

 

 

Bird count.  259.