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A lesson in geology
Jeep tour of ranch shows ancient formations.
By Kathleen Scott
Special to the Express-News
January 15, 2011
Sprawled on my stomach, I inched forward until my head hung over the rock edge of Legend Falls. The day was dry and hot, but as I looked down it was easy to picture a wild gush of water scraping an ever-deeper slot in the bedrock, leaping to the slopes hundreds of feet below.
Behind us, the steep switchback trail disappeared in the brush. Legend Falls is 400 feet below the rim of Palo Duro Canyon on the Elkins Ranch, land once owned by Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight.
About an hour earlier, we had left the canyon rim in a doorless four-wheeled jeep with neon pink bumpers, a black-and-white cow-spotted body and massive longhorns mounted on the hood.
Lee Chappell, our driver and guide, talked geology, wildlife and canyon lore nonstop as we bounced the gullied path.
About a million years ago, the Lower Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River scoured rock and carried debris downstream, forming an ever-widening Palo Duro Canyon. Lee pointed to the valley floor, at a red-orange mound of rock shaped like a pyramid. The Quartermaster Formation would be our next destination. Nearby were Spanish Skirts, wrinkled mesa walls layered in color like petticoats of times past.
As we bumped down a steep cattle trail, the orange-brown-gold-white canyon walls rose around us, as if we were moving back in time to a place where early nomads hunted mammoth and later tribes tracked buffalo.
Wild sheep roam canyon steeps now, and deer forage in the valley, co-existing with the cattle that still range the ranch. We walked among hoodoos, tall reddish claystone pillars capped in overhanging harder rock, and Chappell pointed out an ancient coral fossil bigger than a basketball.
The only sounds were our voices and the wind in the trees. Or was I hearing the spirits of ancient Indian tribes and the settlers who later came to this difficult and breathtaking place?
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) created four oil paintings when she lived in Canyon from 1916 to 1918, according to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Visitors can follow in O’Keeffe’s footsteps with other stops in the small Panhandle town that’s 12 miles from Palo Duro Canyon.
Framed: “Red Landscape, 1917,” one of the oil paintings O’Keeffe created while living in the area, hangs at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. The museum’s art and exhibits on regional paleontology, geology and archaeology are also worth a visit. 2503 Fourth Ave., PanhandlePlains.org or 806-651-2244. Adults, $10; children 4-12, $5.
Room and board: The boarding house where O’Keeffe took her meals is now Hudspeth House Bed and Breakfast. Jill Shelton, one of the owners, enjoys sharing information about O’Keeffe with guests. The rooms are appealing, and Shelton serves gourmet breakfasts in the original dining room. 1905 Fourth Ave. HudspethInn.com or 800-655-9809. $90-$145.
Room with a view: O’Keeffe lodged nearby in a sparsely furnished upper room chosen for the dormer windows, through which she could see the sun rise. It’s a private home, but the exterior can be viewed from the street. 500 20th St.
History: The town square in this National Main Street City reflects a community that cares. Many of the historical buildings have been preserved, including the fine brick county courthouse, built in 1909, which centers the square. CanyonChamber.org for a list of 27 historical sites.
Time out: Shoppers will enjoy wandering the stores on the square. True Texas, housed in the 1909 First National Bank Building, offers eclectic clothing, housewares and gifts. Don’t miss the chocolate mocha cake-pop at The Cake Company. True Texas, 1401 Fourth Ave., 806-557-4092. The Cake Company, 1502 Fifth Ave., CakeGirlsTexas?.com or 806-655-8700.