Alibates Flint Quarries and Lake Meredith

I woke up this morning finally feeling recovered from my gluttony at the Big Texas Steak Ranch last night. I headed north out of town and headed for Lake Meredith National Recreation Area and Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument. I had a reservation for a tour at Alibates at 10 am, but I wanted to see what the NRA had to offer so I headed towards a spot I found on my map and guide called Mullinaw Creek. 

There was a hiking trail at Mullinaw Creek, but it petered out soon after it started. I hiked in a dry creek bed there for a while before turning around to get to my tour. 

On my trip to the Alibates Contact Station I passed by the interesting McBride ranch house which had been built back in 1903.

The Alibates site itself was excellent. I had my own personal tour and my guide was a volunteer who was knowledgeable and passionate about the quarry. The Alibates flint is a very colorful rock that was quarried and traded across the present United States for material for making weapons and tools.

While it was a hot hike to and from the quarry, I was glad that I had gone. The panhandle of Texas is a sparsely beautiful area with red soils and desert-like plant and animal species.

After my tour I checked out the contact station before heading south. I passed through Amarillo and was soon on my way to Lubbock. I stopped in Lubbock for lunch at Chipotle and then was back on the road. Before I knew it I had made it into New Mexico, my new home state. I passed through the depressing city of Hobbs and then found myself in my new hometown of Carlsbad.