Ever since our New Mexico trip last year when we drove through Palo Duro and Caprock Canyon State Parks, we have been wanting to go back to camp! We wanted to wait until the Fall, and since the kids had the whole week of Thanksgiving off, we opted to camp the weekend before and Kevin used a few personal days into the next week. It was seriously the best trip and I want to go back next year. This might become our new Thanksgiving week tradition :)
After doing some research about which park was better for mountain biking, we decided that we wanted to camp in Palo Duro. Unfortunately, all sites were reserved, so we had to go with Plan B and booked a primitive campsite at Caprock Canyon. Fun fact: Caprock Canyon is home to the Texas Bison herd and they roam freely throughout the park. This was equal parts awesome and a little scary, haha.
We made the 4.5 hour drive on Saturday morning and arrived early afternoon. As the boys used the restroom, Brooke and I wandered a bit and took a few pictures.
Our campsite was in the most beautiful spot! I loved the red rocks behind us and although we did have one neighbor to our left, it felt like a very secluded area.
It didn't even feel like we were in Texas anymore!
Kevin purchased a new sharpening stone, which kept Colby entertained for quite some time.
Brooke busied herself with making sure everyone's bed was set up perfectly...
We met our first bison a few hours into our stay. Kevin called him a "road hog" and after he meandered past our car (literally right next to our windows), Brooke said, "That was 100% REAL cool."
It was pretty insane to see these beautiful creatures along the side of the road. We saw their droppings near our tent area, so I know they wander all over the place, but I was just hoping that we didn't see one TOO close to our tent, haha.
They had a playground outside the bathroom, so Brooke worked on her climbing skills.
We went for a little pre-dinner adventuring. We especially loved seeing the gypsum lines throughout the siltstone.
Kevin caught a picture of me taking a picture of the stones, haha.
Colby was super impressed with the thin shavings of rock and silt, but sadly, they kept breaking. I assured him that taking a picture was the way to go.
Night one was a success and the breakfast tacos the next morning were delicious. Kevin ordered little fire starters which were only semi-effective, but the kids didn't give up until they had a fire going.
Brooke struggled more than Colby to get a spark, so she didn't appreciate my picture taking :)
We drove over to Palo Duro on day two to check out the mountain bike trails. We made a quick stop at the Visitor's Center before we started out on our adventure...
All was going well until Brooke fell off her bike and got some sort of cactus needles in her forearm. She was in pain and not happy about having to continue on our adventure. She kept telling me that she was DONE with biking, but after driving an hour and 20 minutes to get on the other side of the canyon, and biking less than 30 minutes, we weren't ready to call it a day. I tried to remain calm, be compassionate about her arm, etc, but she was upset and wasn't responding favorably to my efforts. Kevin sent Colby and I ahead and said that he would catch up with us in a few minutes. I was hoping and praying that he could get Brooke out of her funk, and 20 minutes or so later, they caught up and she seemed to be doing better. I asked Kevin what he did to change her attitude so drastically, and he said that we would talk about it that night around the campfire.
Basically, he acknowledged that she didn't think we understood how she was feeling. They had a heart-to-heart about how there is someone who knows exactly how we are feeling, and that person is Christ. We did everything we could for her (pulled out needles with the tweezers I somehow remembered to bring, cleaned the area, applied an ointment), but then we needed to ask Heavenly Father for help. I guess that's all it took, and I felt so grateful that Kevin had the insight to help her through the situation. (She even joked about her "thorn arm" by the end of the night!)
There were quite a few steep areas we had to walk our rides, but overall, we did well on the Moderate trails. Oh, and we hiked up to the cave just before the sun went down.
We had a bit of rain during the night, but our trusty tent kept us warm and dry. It was a very brisk morning, but nothing a little cocoa couldn't fix :) The kids even roasted us some marshmallows to go in it.
We made biscuits and gravy for breakfast and it was a smashing success. One thing I love about camping is cooking together. It's such a process and a lot of work, but a really good way to build memories together.
Morning snuggles with my tiny girl, haha.
Brooke really wanted to hike, but we decided to bike "a quick loop" and then go for a hike. Well, that turned into FOUR hours of biking and we about died. Kevin was the one that planned our route, so I kept asking him if he had looked at the mileage on the map!
But man, look at these views!! The beginning part was my very favorite.
The trails were all marked Moderate, but we had to keep crossing over dry river beds, which were basically soft dirt that was impossible to bike through. Then you had to get your bike up the other bank. Colby was struggling, so Brooke rushed over to help him. I was so impressed with that small action and it totally changed the course of our day. After she helped him, he went back down the bank to help Brooke with her bike. This trend continued for the next few hours on our never-ending bike ride. (But it provided an amazing lesson on how our actions affect others and can impact our relationships.)
I frequently teased Kevin that he pulled a dirty trick on us with this "adventure."
I sent Colby down a path that looked perfectly fine, then headed down myself. As I turned the corner, I hit a rock that destroyed me. I didn't actually fall off my bike, but it jolted me forward, sending me onto my crossbar and then my seat jammed into my lower back, leaving some road rash. It definitely could've been worse, but my back was still feeling it a few days later.
I was SO proud of my kids for powering through, especially when they were tired and ready to be done. Since we were working so hard, we kept peeling layers of clothing off and Kevin was cramming them all into his backpack.
After 3 hours of biking, we had to make a decision. We could either complete the loop on the trails, which could potentially take another 2+ hours, or we could make our way to the road and ride back to our campsite on a paved path. We knew there would be lots of hills, but being able to ride on a paved road seemed much better than the river bed trails we had spent the last few hours facing, so we opted for the street.
Again, I was so proud of my little family for conquering something pretty difficult. I still need to figure out how many miles we actually biked, but four hours was no joke!
Way to go, family!!
As we entered Caprock Canyon and drove back to our campsite, we saw a few bison grazing nearby. Such huge creatures!!
We cooked dinner in the dark, but the kids were awesome helpers once again. Brooke wanted to be in charge of the chicken and she owned it. We made our spanish rice in the tea kettle, which has become a family joke/tradition from the time we forgot our pot to cook it in.
We were expecting strong winds that night, but nothing could have prepared us for the night we had! Winds were 40+ mph and we were honestly a little scared. You could hear the wind approaching (so eery), then the tent would violently shake for what felt like forever. It would eventually subside a bit, but would come back with a vengeance. Brooke was especially freaked out, so I hardly slept making sure she knew I was right there next to her every time she was woken up. All that to say, I was not the least bit surprised that the kids were extra sleepy the next morning.
We made the yummiest pancakes for breakfast, and the boys experimented with blueberries and raspberries in their batter. We are still learning to cook in our cast iron pans, but we are definitely learning tips and tricks each time we use them.
After breakfast, we packed up our site and made sure it was cleaner than we found ir.
We went on one final hike before heading home because we just couldn't get enough of those beautiful red rocks.
One of the kids spotted this cute heart on the trail...
Kevin was getting artsy in the photos, so I tried to match his flair, haha.
Stone loungers, anyone??
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