The above video was shot by Kate from the lookout near the entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park just south of Amarillo, Texas. Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States and is a truly amazing place. Kate recommended that we visit during our time in Texas and it ended up being a fantastic time.

This is the lighthouse – a natural rock formation that looks an awful lot like a lighthouse in the middle of the canyon. We took a hike that took us up close to it and I was able to take this picture. The sky was crystal clear – not a cloud to be seen.

We were surrounded by canyon walls, along with juniper and mesquite. Every so often we would see a small lizard scurry by – but it was very quiet, we encountered only a handful of visitors. There are miles and miles of trails within the park – some for trail running, others for horse back riding and even a bunch for mountain biking. And, to top it all off, there’s a large bouldering field in the middle of the canyon. If I lived in the Texas panhandle this would be my playground.

On our way out of the park we spotted a pair of old Texas Longhorns. These are some of the longest horns I’ve ever seen – and they were only a few yards away! We had seen lots and lots of cows and horses driving through Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, but this was definitely the closest we’d gotten to one.