Caprock Canyon - What a Ride!
TETRA hosted a ride at Caprock Canyon on April 25-27, 2014. Debby Alley did a fabulous job organizing the ride with twenty-one TETRA members attending. Some came a day or two early to enjoy more days of canyon riding. Most everyone had a several hour drive with Sue Stacey and Fran Jacobson driving nine hours to get there.
Friday night several members got together and enjoyed great conversation and hot dogs. Edgar Graham, the Trail Boss, guided us out on Saturday morning at nine and we toured the bottom of the canyon. The trails were well groomed, sandy with only a few patches of rock encountered. The red rock canyons had marvelous formations with something new at every turn. Saturday afternoon, Edgar took a somewhat smaller group along the upper edges of the canyon. What an exceptional view peering into the depths with those who did not have a fear of heights, getting to the edge. He did an exceptional job getting us through the inner workings of the canyon. His experience was apparent when he kept us from going over a washed out ridge which was created by the last big rains, something of which the canyon has not seen in quite some time. Every river bottom with the exception of one was dried up.
The only difficulty we had was the wind. However, with hats and caps pulled down tight we ventured out on the trails. Saturday night everyone got together for a mouth-watering pot-luck dinner. Ham was served with various side dishes and all went back to their camps with their appetites satisfied. The get-together proved to be a challenge as the high winds would not let up. We all had a work out chasing plates, dishes, cups and food items as they were scattered by the wind. At sunset the winds ceased and we could fall asleep in the calm. However, early Sunday morning around 2 a.m. the high wind gusts kicked into high gear and were still blowing as the sun rose. Edgar had planned on taking the group along the Mesa after a Sunday church service but nature changed everything. Debby Alley said, “The wind was too much for everyone, I mean everyone, and they all left Sunday morning. It was a mass exodus like rats leaving the drowning ship.”
