Out of the Wilderness

The Unexpected Deer in Caprock Canyons State Park

These pictures today, as hip women say, “I can’t even!!” They’re definitely topping the collection of favorites from all my travels this year. What makes a photo special to me, well, it’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately even as a hobby photographer:

Am I getting a shot no one else has gotten, or can get?

Usually the answer is ‘no’ because lots of people get lots of great photos. My picture of an owl might be one I like, but there are lots of owl photos out there. Or sunsets, eagles, fog on a spring-fed river. To be totally honest, I’m sure people have taken pictures of deer in canyons before. But those people weren’t at Caprock Canyons the morning I set out to take early morning pictures. I rode my bicycle out to the canyons with no real goals except to capture some of the beauty of the colors as the sun rose and lit up the canyon. Well, that kinda sounds like a goal.

Leave the road, take the trails.
Pythagoras

I was on a trail for about 5 seconds then climbed up to a place I thought would have a better view. It was so quiet. Peaceful. I loved seeing the vivid colors of the canyon come out as the sun rose. I thought that might be the best part of the morning… but then…

It was one of those moments I won’t forget. I look over and two deer were perched on the side of the canyon. I couldn’t believe my eyes and all I could think as I changed lenses was, “Please don’t leave, please don’t leave, please don’t leave.” I was as quiet as a mouse in church as I snapped in the zoom lens. The deer already knew I was there but didn’t run off. I was so sure they’d leap away the moment my camera was ready, because… you know, Murphy’s Law.

Are the shots I’m about to show you ones that no one can get or has ever gotten?

I don’t know for sure the answer to that question, but I know this: these are my favorite wildlife photos I’ve ever taken. I love that I was there this early morning as these two deer awoke and started their day. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them…

As the sunlight began to eliminate the shade of the canyon side, the deer meandered down and into the shady valley below. I was not thinking I could top that moment for the rest of the morning so I returned to my bike. For the entire ride back to my camper all I could think is that somehow I love God more after this amazing experience. Seeing the deer in the canyon, perched on the side like they were, was part of God’s best work and I got to take photos of it. Lucky me!

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Prairie Dogs of Caprock Canyons State Park

Hello and welcome back. This is the third post (are you tired of hearing about how awesome Caprock Canyons State Park is yet??) in a collection of recaps about the cool things I encountered at this park. Obviously, the canyons take center state and after that, the bison. Click here for canyon photos and here for bison photos. But the most adorable creature is the feature in today’s post. I was so surprised to see them on the way to use the campground restroom that I could barely believe what I was seeing. A field full of prairie dogs! Chirping (or barking?) as if I was a pending threat! They were the cutest things I’ve ever seen and I want one. One of the first I got a picture of was howling out a tune and you can see the dedication in this first picture.

It just seemed to get more adorable every time I saw them. Here are a few of my favorite prairie dog photos and if you want one, get in line behind me.

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

The Bison of Caprock Canyons State Park

Hello and thanks for coming to my blog! I’ve been touring around the south and midwest with my two pups, Piper and Asia. We started in the panhandle of Florida and now we’ve made it to the panhandle of Texas. If you’ve been to cities in Texas and didn’t know Texas could look like this…

…then I was right there with you until this camping adventure. This isn’t Austin. This isn’t Dallas. This is basically desert! And from all the camping I’ve done this year (photos and recaps are on my Camping Stories page), Caprock Canyons State Park has become my favorite already, and it might be the best in the country! Yesterday I posted pictures of the canyons so today, just like the road in the pic below, belongs to the bison.

My story with the bison begins with my arrival to the park. The ranger at the station where I checked in warned me about the bison. She basically said they wander around the park freely and that “they’ll see my dogs as predators and they’ll remove them.”

OK, so watch out for the bison, got it. My heart rate is pretty high as I drive to my campsite, herds of bison way off in the distance. I’m excited to get my camera out and, with a zoom lens of course, get some photos of the big beasts.

My first full day started with walking the dogs. Eating breakfast. Marveling at the sun lighting up the canyons. Then I had the chance to take pics of the bison. Here are a few of my favorites from my time at the park.

pictures

This is the second post in a series of photo collections from the park so check back soon for the cutest animals at the park – prairie dogs! I’ll be posting these tomorrow at 1pm central.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

Caprock Canyons State Park – the best campground in America?

Hello and thanks for visiting my blog! Well, I think the search is over. I might have found the very best state park in the entire United States. Of course, I’ll keep searching but if you’re ever in Texas or passing through or even thinking about going somewhere, you need to book a site at Caprock Canyons State Park in Quitaque, Texas.

From the hiking and biking to the wildlife and scenery, I hardly have words to describe this hidden gem of Texas, as one camper I met calls it. I was here for 5 days and it seemed like every day there was something new to see. But before I get into the treasures of this park, I’ll give you a little rundown of what’s to come. There’s so much that I want to share that I’m going to break it up into into smaller posts for the sake of your time. Obviously, the big draw at this park are the ginormous, amazing canyons. So why not kick off this series with the canyon collection of photos, shall we? As a teaser, though, I’ll tell you the upcoming posts after this one will include stories and photos of bison, prairie dogs, owls, a roadrunner, sunsets and stars, and deer… plus THE BEST photo I’ve ever taken in my entire whole life! But we’ll get to that. First up, the beautiful, steep, colorful, memorable canyons.

I post every day at 1pm so please come back for more photos from this wonderful park. Tomorrow… the bison! Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

A nice break at Copper Breaks State Park – a recap with photos

If you’re in the middle of Texas and need a state park to camp in, Copper Breaks might be the perfect break from society.

This state park is about midway through my tour around the south and midwest, which started in Florida and the last stop is in Mississippi on my way back to the Florida panhandle. About Copper Breaks, I’d say that coming from the east this park was the first one that really had a desert flavor to it. It’s Texas, but it’s not how I pictured anything in Texas would look. It’s pretty great. I didn’t see much wildlife, which is something I’m always on the lookout for, but there was still room for hiking, biking, and photography. With that said, here are my favorite photos from Copper Breaks State Park in Quanah, Texas.