Roaming with the Bison

We experienced a very usual welcome gift as we pulled into our campsite at Caprock Canyon…fresh bison chips right next to where we parked our rig. South Plains Bison roam freely in this marvelous state park, including around campsites on occasion. Just today I saw a bison grazing on the edge of our campground. While maintained appropriate social distancing, I invited him to our site, but alas, he preferred to graze.

Caprock Canyon State Park lies 100 miles south east of Amarillo. Prairie grass and scrub brush greeted us at the entrance, as well as a couple of bison grazing near the Visitors Center. As we made our way to the campground, the flat land gave way to red-rock canyons. While I still love snow capped mountains, I think red-rock canyons are my favorite landscape. After miles of flat fields on our drive north, I giggled with glee to see such beauty. Though I tried with numerous clicks of my phone, this picture doesn’t quite capture the magnificence of this canyon. Wish you could see it in person too.

Prairie dogs are everywhere in this park. They squeak with a high pitch, running to and fro and ducking down into their holes. These little creatures play an important role in restoring the prairie ecosystem in this area of Texas, as do the bison. The prairie dogs also provide free entertainment; just watching and listening to them is rather comical.

We were fortunate to hike the Eagle Point Trail to the natural bridge (see below) and back on our first day. High heat and stiff winds limited our hiking on day two in the park. Hope tomorrow’s conditions afford one more hike before we move on.

This weekend we’ll enter Palo Duro Canyon State Park, famed to be the Grand Canyon of Texas. Should be another vision of glory! Hope you’ll come along for the ride!