An Old Guy's Random Remembering #3

SOLID AS A ROCK
5/22/05

WITHIN THE SPAN OF THE FORTY-TWO YEARS SINCE I LEFT MY SPIRITUAL HOME IN NEW MEXICO FOR THE GOOD LIFE IN TEXAS, I HAVE CROSSED THE CAPROCK BETWEEN 60 AND 100 TIMES. I CANNOT REALLY COUNT THE TIMES CLOSER THAN THAT.

AS ONE WHO REVERES THE CHAOS OF NATURE, THE REGIMENTED MONOTONY OF THE ROCK IS DEPRESSING, AND TO BE PASSED ACROSS WITH ALL POSSIBLE SPEED TO
REACH THE CHAOS ON THE OTHER SIDE. EVEN THE SKY IS AS FLAT AND FEATURELESS AS THE VAST FLAT LAND. SOME SAY THAT THE REASON IT’S CALLED THE LLANO ESTACADO IS THAT EARLY TRAVELERS ACROSS IT WERE OBLIGATED TO DRIVE STAKES IN THE GROUND TO MARK THEIR PROGRESS AND TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK.

IN ALL THESE YEARS AND TRIPS, I HAD NEVER THOUGHT TO SPECULATE ON AN EDGE FOR THIS VAST NOTHINGNESS. THE EASY CLIMBS ONTO THE ROCK NEAR BIG SPRING OR POST DO NOT REVEAL MUCH TO THE TRAVELER.

SO, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, I’VE LOOKED OVER THE EDGE!

THE DEFINITIVE CITIES OF THE CAPROCK IN TEXAS, LUBBOCK AND AMARILLO, GIVE NO HINT THAT, ONLY A FEW MILES AWAY IS CHAOS SURPASSED ONLY BY TEXAS’ BIG BEND. I HAD HEARD OF PALO DURO ALMOST AS LONG AGO AS I CAN REMEMBER, BUT HADN’T BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT ITS NATURE. I HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT TO GO THERE SOME DAY, THOUGH.

THURSDAY OF LAST WEEK, WE DROVE TO CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK, NEAR QUITAQUE, TEXAS, AND THE TRUTH WAS REVEALED. ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CAPROCK NEAR AMARILLO, THE CAPROCK IS GRADUALLY BEING CARRIED AWAY TO THE SEA. NOWHERE ELSE IN MY CAPROCK EXPERIENCE HAS THIS BEEN MORE SPECTACULARLY DEMONSTRATED. AFTER TWO NIGHTS, WE PACKED UP AND HEADED ABOUT 100 MILES UP THE ROAD FOR PALO DURO, WHICH WE DISCOVERED, IN THE BRIEF VIEW WE WERE GIVEN, IS CONSIDERABLY MORE SPECTACULAR.

I SUPPOSE THAT FAME HAS SPOILED PALO DURO FOR THOSE OF US WHO EXPECT TEXAS TO BE AVAILABLE. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO STAY OUR SINGLE NIGHT AT PALO DURO, BECAUSE IT WAS “FULL UP”, SO WE DROVE HOME, ARRIVING A DAY EARLY.