Panhandle Plains Historical Museum

Friday, Dar and I found internet access at the City of Canyon Texas Public Library. It's probably the most comfortable and quiet place to work online in town. My Verizon Aircard would work just fine here too, buy why not take advantage of the free wifi?

For lunch we tried Feldman's Wrong Way Diner [http://www.feldmansdiner.com/] which is...
"dedicated to anyone who has gone the wrong way, taken a wrong turn, made a wrong decision or in some way wandered off the beaten path....in other words: all of us at one time or another. Often, things just don't turn out the way you thought they would; but that's not always a bad thing."
I really liked this slogan and might steal it for my front page. It can apply to most of us at one time or another, and on a number of different levels. This quirky but lovable place was perfect for our needs. A friendly waitress, good food, and model trains running around on tracks up near the ceiling kept the enjoyment level up. We'll be back the next time we're near Canyon.

The next stop was the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum (PPHM) which is located on the campus of West Texas A&M University. With only two hours before their closing time, we charged in with the mission of seeing and learning as much as we could before they threw us out. Two hours is plenty of time for me in many museums, but this one is so well done that we could have spent a whole day there. The displays and artifacts held my attention, and the descriptions/write-ups were done at the right level -- intelligent enough to maintain my interest and keep boredom from setting in, but not too academic, esoteric, and over my head. In addition to the historical elements relating directly to the region, they have a large paleontology section and separate large collections of cars, guns, and art that would keep me coming back.

Unfortunately, the weather is in the news again. Another storm system started effecting the Texas Panhandle while we were in the City of Canyon Friday. This one won't produce much precipitation, but instead will blow like crazy for a couple days. Saturday they're predicting sustained winds of 40mph and gusts as high as 60mph. We've rigged the bus-house for turbulent conditions and rough seas and will hunker-down with a book and wait it out.

But not so for other travelers. Apparently some people have such tight schedules and so little flexibility in their plans that they've GOT to be out on the roads today. One couple staying in our campground left this morning (Saturday) in their big truck camper mounted on a way-too-small half-ton pickup truck --  probably the worst combination to be driving in strong winds. I hope they were planning on a good physical workout, 'cause I'm sure they'll get it while fighting the winds today.

Hunker'd down in a Huge Hole...
Thom

Slightly Better than Most