CANYON TO CANYON
THE MOUNTAIN BIKERS OF AMARILLO have it better than most. On Thursday evenings, beginners and experts alike gather in Palo Duro Canyon State Park to ride some of Texas’ most thrilling trails. They glide through the canyon bottom, swooping under shady cottonwood trees on the banks of the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. They rattle across sunbaked rocky draws lined by orange pinnacles. Those wanting to test their legs and lungs climb the park road 600 feet to the canyon rim.
When it starts getting dark, the riders gather near the park entrance at a pavilion on the grounds of a complex of vacation cabins owned by the Shepherd brothers, local cyclists. The fridge is stocked with beer from Amarillo’s Pondaseta Brewing. Bratwurst sizzle on the grill. Stories are told and retold with fresh embellishment.
“One of the main things I love about riding in the canyon is every ride is different, whether you’re riding in the summer when it’s humid and like a jungle
