Hard to believe it has been nearly a year since I’ve posted on this blog. But then again, I seem to say that every year. We go on a photography trip, I make several posts, and then nothing until the next trip.
I have been busy posting photos on the FaceBook page, usually 3 times a day excepting Sunday. Kind of a daily diary of things I see around the farm with my camera. You can follow along <<here>>.
In other news, Karen and I will be making a trip in the coming weeks to chase waterfalls in the state of Arkansas. Wish us luck and we’ll have photos and stories to share once we get back.
Prepare for cuteness overload! After spending days at Palo Duro Canyon and not seeing any tarantulas mating, aoudad sheep, or even rattlesnakes, we came to Caprock where we saw the official bison herd of the state of Texas, and these cute little guys–the little prairie dogs!
Cute little rodent
According to Google, Prairie dogs are burrowing, colony-forming squirrels that are native to the grasslands of North America. They are considered the keystone species of the western plains.
They can be destructive and create unwanted holes in prairies which cause injuries to animals and humans alike. They also compete with cattle for the grass that they both feed on, which is why ranchers are not keen on having them on their land.
On the other hand, the tunnels they create are also used by other animals, such as burrowing owls, to hide from predators.
Guarding home
Prairie dogs are very social critters. They live in families in their underground homes, and they take turns standing sentry to warn others to take cover whenever a predator approaches. Their high-pitched squeaks can be heard from quite a distance giving the others plenty of time to take cover.
Keeping watch
On the darker side, their family love does not always seem apparent. The females of a few species are known to commit infanticide and eat the young of their extended family. Again, according to Google: Researchers hypothesize that this behavior increases the chances of survival for their own offspring. They believe that competition is so extreme that sometimes natural selection favors prairie dogs to kill the offspring of close relatives. Not what you expect when you look at their cute little faces.
Standing tall
There are at least two prairie dog towns at Caprock Canyon SP. One is right next to a parking lot, while the other is off a trail about a half mile from the parking lot. I was told by a park ranger about the burrowing owls but failed to find any in either town.
Sounding the alarm
As we walked past the holes, the high-pitched squeaks sounded out across the field. Try as we might, we just couldn’t get very close without them diving for cover. Luckily, with a long lens and high megapixel camera, we got a few decent photos to share of the critters.
Sweetness
And with that, we come to the end of our Palo Duro adventure. With four days of driving, hiking, and photographing, it is time for the 9-hour drive home with a couple of days to recuperate before returning to our real lives and jobs. Reality is a harsh taskmaster, but to work we must go.
We shall return with more adventures, and hopefully, with this trip as a kick starter, this blog will start being updated much more often.
Be on the lookout for the next post.
Michael & Karen
Words and photography copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography
Welcome back. The main attraction of Caprock Canyon is the canyon itself. It is very picturesque, but once again we were plagued with dull, empty skies. No clouds to be found today. At least we weren’t doing any long hikes this time!
The rugged landscape makes one think of the stories we used to read in history books in school, about the explorers that were first scoping out this land from Europe. What must it have been like seeing all of this!
Beautiful scenery, but blank skies
The park is the third largest state park in Texas covering a little over 15,000 acres. The geology of the area is very unique. “The park sits along the Caprock Escarpment, a long, narrow rocky formation as high as 1,000 feet. The escarpment is a natural transition between the flat, high plains of the Llano Estacado to the west and the lower Rolling Plains to the east.”(TDPW Website)
We drove around the park a bit, checking out several overlooks and were able to see the canyon from several different locations. Each stop provided a slightly different sight of what the canyon offers.
Caprock was very green this visit as well
At one overlook I was able to take a nice panorama that covered about 180 degrees. This landscape really takes you in.
Caprock panorama
A friend who grew up in the area commented that it is very rare to see this much green in the canyons. Makes us wonder what this landscape would look like in a “normal” year. This normally arid landscape has had a record amount of rainfall this year.
More green than usual
Spanish explorers began going through this area in the 16th century. Imagine if you will, traveling with a large contingent of men across the plains when suddenly you come up to a very large ditch which you have to figure out how to cross with all your equipment, men, and animals. This would have been the situation with the exploders as they approached this area. According to the TDPW website:
Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado crossed these plains in 1541. Spanish colonies in New Mexico appeared around 1600. Trade between Plains Indians and New Mexicans gradually grew.
If ever you are in the area, the vistas are worth the effort to stop and check out. This park really deserves more time than we had to offer this trip, so if you go, plan at least a couple of days here.
Next time, we’ll share the cutest members of this park, the prairie dogs.
Until then,
Michael & Karen
All words and photos copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography
