Palo Duro Canyon

Before we started planning this trip, I had no idea that the second largest canyon in the US was just south of Amarillo in another stunning CCC-era state park. The park is indescribably beautiful and we were lucky to have reserved far in advance because it was 100% booked by the time we rolled up yesterday.  We camped all the way at the bottom of the canyon, where you can see the  colorful “Spanish Skirt” rock formations up close. Palo Duro is also a dark sky destination, so we stayed up a bit later to stargaze.  After a bit of a  slow morning today, we went on a small hike, ziplined a quarter-mile stretch across the canyon and hit the road for New Mexico!

And…zip lining!

Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Route 66

I write from the passenger seat having just passed through the pop-up thunderstorm you see pictured in the second picture below as we crossed through Oklahoma City. Yesterday the kids were amazed as we crossed the Mississippi into Arkansas. Peter and I were amazed at how beautiful Arkansas “The Natural State” proved to be, especially as we travelled further into the NW corner of the state. 

We spent the night last night at Devil’s Den state park which Mira was excited to see because it is an old CCC park and her class studied the New Deal last year. It did not disappoint. Tucked into a verdant creek valley between Ozark peaks, Devil’s Den was both gorgeous and well-kept. Even better, was the fact that some dear old friends from my Madagascar days joined us there for dinner and we were able to catch up and meet each others’ kids. 

The temps in Devils Den overnight were down in the 70s, so we had a much more comfortable night of sleep than in Memphis and managed to break camp this morning before 9 am for the long drive across Oklahoma and into the TX panhandle where we’ll stay tonight. We made stops in Tulsa and along old Route 66 to break up the drive before running into the storm. 

However, as I finish this post, the weather is clear and beautiful …I guess weather moves quickly when the land is flat!

Leaving Atlanta and First Day on the Road

We had planned to pick up our van at 9:30 am, but it needed new tires when it was returned be the previous renters, so we did not roll out of the ATL until nearly 3 pm! Undeterred, we decided to go all the way to Memphis anyway so that we could stay on schedule. On the way, we had a nice stretch break in Birmingham, AL, where we visited the Vulcan…the largest cast iron statue in the world. The Vulcan pays homage to Birmingham’s reputation as the steel and iron capital of the south. 

After enjoying the views of Birmingham and a brief summer sprinkle, we kept heading west, stopping for a quick bite in Tupelo, MS, before rolling into Memphis around 10 pm with three sleeping kids. The van’s beds were more comfortable than I thought they’d be, once we set them up, but the TO Fuller campground was hot, humid, buggy, and not super well-kept. However, none of this made too much of a diffference after our long day. Peter and I started out in the popup tent on the roof of the van, but sometime in the wee hours a controversy broke out down below and I needed to swap places with Ezra to ensure people slept. The night passed without incident after that.

Morning came at 8:30 am, given our late arrival and the sun was up and hot! Seems we had the only unshaded picnic spot in the camp! After a quick breakfast, stowing the beds and tent, and packing of our picnic lunch, we headed into downtown Memphis to catch a few sights. 

First stop was the Lorraine Hotel and National Civil Rights museum. We have a civil rights museum in Atlanta, but I’m so glad we made time for this. The exhibits were so well done and really accessible for the kids. It was also sobering to have the reminder that MLK Jr. made his “Mointaintop” speech in Memphis on the night before he was assassinated. 

From there we traveled just over a mile down the street to Sun Records…studio home to Elvis Presley, BB King, Johnny Cash, U2 and more. It was fascinating to see how small the building was where there has been such a tremendous convergence of talent over the years.