Palo Duro State Park, Texas

April 3, 2012
9:30 AM
Travel Log Entry

Looking for my life.  Did I pass it in Clifton, Texas? Stopping at David's Market on the South side as I entered the town along Highway 6 for camp supplies - Santitoes (sp?) corn chips by Frito Lay - no blue corn and sesame chips by World Table as at Wal-Mart, six Busch Texas Special Edition 16 ouncers, a chuck steak, and ice. The ice was 10 lbs for $1.00, cheaper than Wal-Mart. The checker was an oh-so-young-and-pretty smiley Texas blonde lady in tight jeans - saying "Have a nice day" as a parting greeting. Her young Spanish companion checker was plumper with black hair and olive complexion, a nice compliment.  Typical Texas women - oh so young and pretty. An modern sounding County Rock band played the old Hank William classic "Hey Good Looking" song softly over the store's sound system as I gathered my wares.

The Clifton Record, the newspaper, Norwegian Capitol of Texas, a downtown store front with a Norweign (sp?) mural highlighting Christmas.  A large rolling city park marked as the site of a horse and cattle fair. A modern big box Brookshire store on the North side of town - the apparent alternative to Wal-Mart - the closest being 20 miles along the way back.

The name Clifton rings a bell with me because it is my first or middle name depending on the situation.

Meridian, The Top of the Hill Country, was the next town along the way to Meridian State Park, my destination for the evening.  My assigned space was too close to the noise of Highway 22 for my liking.  I spent a considerable amount of time looking for an alternative until my Eurovan Camper stalled.  By that time the entrance office was closed so I camped in an unassigned spot.  I was the only camper in my loop. I noticed a singular bright star in the sky.  Is this the Lone Star of Texas? Does it really exist?

The towns of Meridian and Clifton are close together, separated this day by a Highway Patrol sanctioned bicycle tour apparently of the Hill County.  Patches of Blue Bell flowers blossomed and swayed in the wind along the road side.  Meridian may be developing retirement subdividions.  Lake Whitney is located in the vicinity of these towns.

Departing Meridian State Park at 6:30 AM, still dark, I listened to some meloncholy early morning country music - Bunkhouse Serenade - playing country music fit to make one cry.  "This Old Hat", "Blue Northener" - There's a Blue Northener coming in sang of two cowboys heading back to the ranch house in the growing darkness of an early evening Winter day where the sweet wife has bicuits, beans, and coffee waiting as she nervously looks out the window every minute or two into the growing darkness and falling snow until the light of the ranch house was spyed, a hundred yards a head.  They made it in.  "Cowboy Coffee" and "The Lone Star".  Is the Texas Lone Star an actual phenomena?

Palo Duro was interesting camping.  Desert canyons, slightly rolling banked red dirt mountain bike paths. I noticed a predominate star in the sky once again, is this the Texas Lone Star?  A cold front was moving in, the morning was cloudy, I was encountering a Blue Northener of my own.