ECHO echo echo echo CANYON STATE PARK

Lakefront property

Echo Canyon State Park, state park #5 on our zigzag through Nevada lies just a few miles east of Highway 93, near Pioche, NV. We  roll into the campground, pick a spot, and begin our approach for backing into a campsite. Old, wooden fence posts outline each campsite, which makes backing all the more difficult. It's a tight fit, but doable. The edge of our step-ladder strapped to the back threatens to clip a post so we take the ladder off and place it out of harms way. Besides the width, one has to consider several variables when backing into a campsite--overhanging trees, fire pits, shade structures all have to mesh with trailer doors and slides.

After a few attempts we are in, but we can't open the slide because the fence posts are too close and the toy hauler door opens into the fire pit. We decide to move to another site and as we pull forward Biggie Moms' rear-end brushes one of the decorative fence posts. Annette gets out of the truck, opens the storage compartment, and reappears holding a saw. Before I could say anything the saw is halfway through the post, I then take a turn and finish the job--the post still stands just not quite as tall. As we're pulling out, the ranger arrives just as I drop the saw onto the ground and points us to a better site. We park, set up, and then walk back to retrieve the saw and the ladder left behind at the other campsite. Does dropping some money into the firewood donation box make up for our blunder?

Ash Canyon hike

The next morning, we head out early to hike the Ash Canyon Trail. Starting out from the north edge of the campground, the trail climbs to a ridge, and then descends through Ash Canyon, a narrow canyon lush with the spring green of bushes and trees. Handrails bolted into the steep canyon walls guide hikers along the steepest parts as the trail drops to the bottom of the canyon.We enjoy canyon hikes and this trail is a fun one, requiring some scrambling and a bit of ledge walking atop the vertical canyon walls.

 As we head back to camp, we see American avocets wading along the bank of the reservoir, their cinnamon heads darting in and out of the water. A bonus spotting of a large group of white-faced ibis with their breeding feathers shimmering green and pink in the early morning light brings our hike to a rewarding end.

Ash canyon

After the hike, the weather turns windy and cool so we opt out of kayaking and biking. A quick check of the weather forecast predicts five days of bad weather ahead and we decide to spend just one more night at Echo Canyon before  heading to Pioche to wait out the cold front in a place that has WiFi and a coffee shop. Months of wind has turned us into weather wimps.

Shug gives this campground a 3.5 paw rating due to the fence posts surrounding the campsites (she hates drama).

What happened to that post?

Annette and Shug listening to their echo

Indian paintbrush

Ash Canyon hike

#ENJOYANDVOTETOPROTECTOURPUBLICLANDS

Palo Duro Cayon

Palo Duro Canyon 10/26—10/29.

Wild Turkey in Camp

When visiting the Panhandle area of Texas, everyone says, “Make sure you go to Palo Duro Canyon. You’ll like it.” And like it we do. Pulling into Hackberry Campground in Palo Duro Canyon State Park we glimpse wild turkeys and deer skirting around the campsites. Yellow and orange-leafed trees--hackberry, mesquite, oak, and cottonwood, create a classic autumn scene. Our campsite, #20, facing the creek has a fire pit and a covered picnic table and feels homey. It’s November and temperatures in the 70s make us Colorado girls sigh with happiness as we put out our camp chairs and sit down to sip a cup of tea. We settle in and the wildlife show begins. A flock of wild turkeys wanders through making its way among the yellow shrubs. Every so often a tom displays his tail feathers and gets into a tiff with one of the other turkeys. Golden-fronted woodpeckers swoop in and out of the trees showing off their beauty while deer meander through the shrubs below. Later in the afternoon, a wandering covey of bobwhite quail break from the shrubs and cut across near the picnic table. It’s like our own personal wildlife show.

Fun mountain biking in Palo Duro Canyon

We explore the campground checking out the bathroom to see if it has showers (it does!) and look to see what kind of trails we can find close to camp. It’s the end of October and the campground is almost empty. Most of the campsites have decent natural shrub barriers between the sites offering a feeling of privacy. A couple of trailheads are accessible right from camp. Most of the campers we see have mountain bikes attached to their cars or trailers and we see riders cycling back to camp looking tired and happy. We’re looking forward to taking our bikes out for a spin.



Annette and Shug Lighthouse Rock

First thing in the morning we grab Shug and hit the trailhead located right across from the Hackberry entrance and hike out to Light House Rock. The trail is nicely packed and well-marked. We hike out to the rock formation and climb around before turning around to wander back amongst the red rocks, mesquite trees, and quiet desert beauty to camp. We explore other trails off the Rojo Grande trail with our mountain bikes and find trails of varying difficulty and length all marked with simple signs that give the initials of the trail’s name and distance traveled in half mile increments. The visitor center provides a map that shows all of the trails. It’s often hard to find good mountain biking trails, but Palo Duro delivers.

Halfway through our time at Palo Duro, we make a trip into the nearby town of Canyon. There’s a huge and well-reviewed Western museum here that we do not visit this time because we have Shug and we don’t like to leave her in the truck for too long. We do, however, tour around the old downtown which is charming and artsy, and stop in at Palace Coffee Company. Their coffee tastes great and their warm and cozy atmosphere provides a pleasant spot for a bit of WIFI time. Everything one could need in the way of resupply is available in Canyon. A quick trip to the grocery store and a fuel fill-up does it for us and we head back to our camp.

Spider Selfie just in time for Halloween

Camp Rating: 4.5/5 Loved it and will definitely come back—probably during the same time of year

Ambience: Warm and wonderful. Wildlife, trees, and site amenities all great

Tail Access: Excellent quality and variety

Accessibility and size of the campsite: Awkward parking angles for our 38 ft 5^th wheel, but once parked, a well laid out site.

Connections: Zero Verizon connection. 2 TV stations (both were PBS). A few radio stations, including one NPR station

Bathrooms: Acceptably clean, showers could use a little retiling work, but the water was hot and the bathroom was heated.

Negatives: Flies (which may have been exacerbated by our proximity to the trash dumpster).