Page 489 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

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The rugged beauty of Palo Duro Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of Texas”
780-sq-mile (2,000-sq-km) ranch, pageantry of Texas, a popular d Abilene
and later led the fight to save play on the history of the state. * 121,000. @ n 1101 N 1st St, (325)
native bison from extinction. 676-2556. ∑ abilenevisitors.com
Goodnight’s home is now E Panhandle-Plains Historical
preserved in the enjoyable Museum Although named for the notor-
“Pioneer Town,” located behind 2503 4th Ave. Tel (806) 651-2244. ious Wild West town in Kansas,
the museum. Open Jun–Aug: 9am–6pm Mon–Sat; Abilene evolved from a frontier
About 12 miles (19 km) east of Sep–May: 9am–5pm Tue–Sat. Closed settlement to a solid, stable
town, Palo Duro Canyon State Jan 1, Thanksgiving, Dec 24 & 25. & community. Also known as the
7 ∑ panhandleplains.org
Park protects the 60-mile- “Buckle of the Bible Belt,” thanks
(97-km-) long, 1,100-ft (335-m) Y Palo Duro Canyon State Park to its predominantly Christian
deep red and yellow sandstone Hwy 217. Tel (806) 488-2227. colleges, where 8,000 students
gorge also known as the “Grand Open 8am–6pm daily (Mar–Nov: study, Abilene’s past is kept alive
Canyon of Texas.” A number of later closing). & 7  at Buffalo Gap Historical Village,
scenic drives and hiking routes ∑ palodurocanyon.com 14 miles (23 km) south west of
run between the rim and the downtown. Founded in 1878,
canyon floor, offering views Buffalo Gap maintains over a
of such geological oddities as s Amarillo dozen old buildings, such as a
the 300-ft- (91-m-) tall stone * 185,000. n 1000 S Polk St, (800) courthouse, a train station, and
“Lighthouse.” Palo Duro is also 692-1338. ∑ visitamarillotx.com a school house. Exhibits include
home to a wide variety of flora Paleo-Indian artifacts and a
and fauna, including spring The commercial heart of the frontier weapons collection.
wildflowers, mule deer, and wild sprawling Texas Panhandle
turkeys. In summer, one of the region, and a key center for P Buffalo Gap Historical Village
canyon’s 600-ft (183-m) cliffs agriculture as well as oil, natural 133 William St. Tel (325) 572-3365.
forms the backdrop for the gas, and nuclear power industries, Open 10am–5pm Mon–Sat,
Amarillo was first settled in 1887 noon–5pm Sun; Jun-Aug: 9am–
along the Santa Fe Railroad. 5pm Mon–Sat, noon–5pm Sun.
The city later thrived thanks Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25. &
7 ∑ buffalogap.com
to its location along the
legendary Route 66 (see p50).
The route is now immortalized
by Cadillac Ranch, a Pop Art
work created from ten classic
Cadillac cars planted nose-
down in a pasture west of down-
town. Another more typically
Texas experience is the Amarillo
Livestock Auction, where
modern-day cowboys buy and
sell their cattle.
P Cadillac Ranch
A striking Cadillac car planted in the ground S side of I-40 between Hope Rd & Cowboy in Buffalo Gap Historical
at Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo Arnot Rd exits. Open 24 hours. 7 Village, Abilene

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