Hudspeth House
My room at the tip-top of Hudspeth House.
I moved over to Hudspeth House yesterday morning. It is truly beautiful and Connie and John Okill, the owners, were wonderful and incredibly helpful in my O'Keeffe mission. They directed me to the house that O'Keeffe roomed in when she taught here in Canyon.
The D. A. Shirley house in Canyon where O'Keeffe was a boarder.
John also gave me a print of the O'Keeffe letter that was found there. Now keep in mind that O'Keeffe lived in Canyon from 1916 through spring of 1918. The letter is dated 1955 and O'Keeffe was writing to Ms Shirley, the owner of the house, about picking up two barrels of belongings she left there back in 1918! I love it!
I went to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and looked at the art exhibit that they had up.
I stopped into the Buffalo Bookstore and found more friendly helpful folks. I desperately needed to replace my road atlas. They sent me over to Hastings Entertainment where I found everything that I needed and a cup of coffee.
I made two trips to Palo Duro Canyon, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
The morning trip was a hiking test. I wanted to try the Lighthouse Trail, but wasn't sure that I was up to it. Sure enough I was right. I took off on the newest and one of the easiest trails in the park. It starts up by the Visitor Orientation Center. At the outset, up at the rim of the canyon, it seemed almost cool with a strong breeze. I had my hat and new hiking shoes on and was carrying my walking stick and two bottles of water. I had a lovely hike, but I'm not 20 years old any more and I weigh a few extra pounds, too. I headed back to the truck after about an hour hike, so two hours total. I got a bit of sun, but the real problem seems to do with lung capacity and stamina. I had pneumonia five years ago and things have never been quite the same.
I owe my dad a big debt for the enjoyment that I got out of that hike. He used to take me along fishing and on walks in the woods when I was a kid. I learned to be quiet and still. It was a good lesson. I listened to bird calls, cicadas, and the sound of the wind. I could smell cedar trees. I sat and watched two road runners not more than fifteen feet from me. I saw lizards, butterflies, caterpillars and more. The real high point, and you may not believe this, but it's true, was watching a bunch of dung beetles do their job. Amazing! I took a picture of them at work. I'll share it with you later. A job for everyone and for everyone a job!
My afternoon hike taught me even more. I learned about respecting your limits and your environment by watching someone else. I was taking Alternate Park Road 5 when I heard sirens. You can't even imagine how out of place that is in the canyon.
There is a cave within view of the road. It is really a tempting place. It's an easy hike. The mouth of it is about, rough guess here, 40 feet high and it looks like a big key hole. I had noticed it the day before and watched a couple of guys scramble around it. I climbed up relatively close to the mouth. It had been eroded and had an opening at the far end, so I suppose it was more of a tunnel. I decided not to make a go of it. I had on the wrong shoes and it just didn't seem like the best idea.
Whoops! I'll continue later. My ride is here!
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