Lake Theo, Caprock Canyons

As soon as we got to Quitaque, we checked out the travel center and asked for a Texas map of the Caprock Canyons Parks and biking trail. We picked up camp site #10 in Honea, the most quiet spot a block away from the facilities.

Biking around the place led us to Lake Theo and Dry Creek. Me and Joe are  always on the lookout for a place to swim. Some people camped out near the wooden bridge by Lake Theo. I couldn’t blame them, ’cause the area is so relaxing. You could sit by the bridge and watch the sun go down while children play by the shallow part of the lake.

Since the sun doesn’t set in northern Texas until about 7:30 at night, we were still able to roam around at the South Prong Primitive Camping area. There was a lone old man in his car. When he saw Joe and the rest of us climb up one of the lower canyons, he came up to us and said, “Boy, I never thought that place is accessible until I saw you climb up there!”

I took a good look at the spectacular view around me while standing on top of the canyon. Joe and Jayson set off to climb the summit of one particularly steep one, about half a mile away from where I was.

The Caprock Canyons Saga

It was about noon when we started getting all our camp stuff ready to load in the Durango. No food yet but we brought our big blue cooler to put snacks and tomorrow’s breakfast when we stop by at Wal-Mart. Our bikes have to be tied up to the back of the car. Joe’s behind the wheel and the destination in our Texas map is Caprock Canyons Park in Quitaque, Texas.

The obsession for old pinball machines led Joe to stop by at a couple of antique stores in Childress. We were surprised to find out that a tornado hit the downtown area which caused many buildings’ windows to break and some houses to collapse. Downtown Childress looked like a ghost town now. We went inside a jewelry and gift store where two women greeted us. One of them said there was a pinball machine or videogame down the street which the owner has abandoned since the house turned into rubble.

“It may be a pinball machine or a videogame. I’m not so sure. You have to drive down that tunnel and up. It’s right up there where everyone can see.”

After taking apart a little board inside the old Atari videogame called Asteroids Deluxe, we left for another antique store. Apparently no one cared since we asked a man on the other side of the road and said that the owner of that house abandoned that place. It was a total mess. Yet Joe called up the owner just in case he has other games that he might want to sell him.

I get to drive the Durango on the last 25 miles to Turkey and Quitaque.