Camping and Biking in the Palo Duro

75 Days
Until Departure
Bike Ride from Amarillo to the Mississippi River along Route 66



Camping in the Palo Duro Canyon



The family and I decided to spend our spring break at the Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo. It has been some time sense we have been camping so it was definately an adventure. We brought along my daughters friend so we had to buy some new stuff.

I hoped to learn a lot from this camping trip. I took mental notes all weekend as to what I needed to bring on my bike trip. What I needed, and what I didn't.

The first thing I wanted to know was which tent should I use. I had our big tent (8 person), a four person, and a 2 person junior tent. The weather was extreme so this was a great test. The weather started warm with a cool night. We forgot some comforters and had to use a borrowed sleeping bag. The next night was snowing blizzard with sub zero temps.

Our big tent, the one me and my wife stayed in, did extremely well holding up to the wind and the snow. Because there was a mesh top and a rainfly, everytime the wind blew, the snow blew in under the tarp. The bottom stayed very dry. I cant use this tent on my trip. It is too big and heavy.

The four person tent that the girls stayed in did very well until the snow came. The snow blew under the rain fly and the snow soaked in through the sides. But the dome style was very good for moving around and getting dressed. I dont know how well it would do in the rain. I will have to test it out with the hose. This tent was a lot lighter than the big on, but it was still pretty heavy.

The two person tent was just plain too small and didnt stay dry at all. I cant see putting gear and myself in there. My son barely had enough room to sleep.

Mattress
We got the Coleman air matresses. These things roll up small, but they are pretty heavy. But I thought they were very comfy. I dont know how long it would take to blow it up by hand, but I am sure it would take a while. I think that these things wont work for my trip because it was too heavy and impractical. I will have to try out a foam pad.

Sleeping bag.
I used a 45 degree sleeping bag. It worked well in the cold and it was nice to unzip and was cool to the touch. Comfy. I think this will work.

Stove.

I used the stove my father gave me to cook. It worked great if you can get the match to light in the wind. I think with a good wind break, it would work great. The downfall is that it is bulky and heavy. The good thing is that it works great on a very small amount of fuel.

Food.

I cooked water and it worked well for my coffee. It think with a small pot, I could boil enough water to make breakfast and coffee. The freeze dried food was good tasting, but didnt fully cook in the cold tempts.


The weather was pretty brutal, but we did fine. I have never camped in the snow before. We were cold, but we definately tested our gear to the limits. High winds, rain, snow, you name it we had it.


See you on the road!!