For years I heard about Palo Duro Canyon, and on every trip out west since the first ski trips in the early 1980s I saw the big brown signs along the interstate around Amarillo pointing the way.

It only takes about six hours to drive from my home in Ada, Oklahoma to Palo Duro, so it’s close enough to make a long weekend out of it. With a perfect blue sky above, I set out with uncharacteristic spontaneity.

I stopped to shoot the famous (at least along I-40) Leaning Tower of Britten.

By early afternoon, I found an excellent campsite in the Hackberry Campground, with cliffs and trees all around.

I made a driving tour of the park, with excellent results: a nearly cloudless sky, golden sunset, and cool and dry. Little black flies and wild turkeys shared the campground with a moderate number of good-tempered campers who were mostly in vehicles.

At dark, as I was preparing to make a star trace photo, a number of deer passed close to my campsite.

As I slept, more wild turkeys came through the campsite. Coyotes woke me up on two occasions.

In the morning, I hiked the Lighthouse Trail. I was told it would take two hours – I did it in an hour and ten minutes. I was the first there; excellent images on the trail and at the formation. Images on the internet failed to capture either beauty or scale of the scene.

After lunch, I took the Paseo del Rio Trail. I also hiked a short distance up a bike trail; passable images but great fun exploring.