Good Eats: Best Thai Restaurant, Canyon, Texas

While at Palo Duro Canyon State Park, we drove into nearby Canyon one day to shop, visit the museum, and eat. We were surprised to see no fewer than 3 Thai restaurants lining Highway 87. Donna and I both love Thai food, so there was no question that we would be eating Thai on this day; the question was, which of the three restaurants we should try.

We chose well. Our choice was Best Thai, located at 210 23^rd Street, just across from West Texas A&M University. Their menu is available at Urban Spoon at http://www.urbanspoon.com/cities/81-amarillo/restaurants/1571550-best-thai/menu. The menu is varied and should provide just about anything a Thai food  fan would crave.

We both had curry chicken. For an additional $.50 – which brought our individual meals to a mere $5.95 each – we could add another entrée. Donna chose stir fried mixed vegetables while I chose lemon chicken. In addition, we both had sides of rice and egg roll.

The chicken curry was excellent, with the perfect amount of heat. The egg roll was among the best I’ve ever had anywhere. Service was delightful, and the restaurant was clean, comfortable, and pleasant. Our total bill was $14.69, which included a pot of hot tea and tax.

If we ever pass through Canyon again, we'll certainly stop in for another meal at Best Thai.

Palo Duro State Park

Palo Duro State Park is a beauty. At over 20,000 acres, it is one of the largest parks in the state park system. Although we had just come from Caprock Canyons SP, we found Palo Duro to be more dramatic, with steeper, more sharply defined canyon walls.

View from the rim

History abounds in the canyon. There has been human activity in this area for about 12,000 years. This was the last stronghold of Native Americans in Texas. In fact, the canyon floor was the site of the last major Indian engagement in Texas when Colonel Ranald MacKenzie led his troops into the canyon to attack an Indian camp there in 1874 during the Red River Wars. Although the battle resulted in few casualties on either side, MacKenzie and his men were able to capture all the clothing, food supplies, and other possessions of the Indians, including their valuable horse herd. As winter settled in, the Indians had little choice but to come in to the reservations and surrender, thereby ending all resistance in Texas. Later, Charles Goodnight and others ran ranching operations in the canyon.

Cowboy dugout. It was a rough life

The park is beautiful, and it is a great contrast to the surrounding flat, treeless terrain of the High Plains. The Prairie Dog Fork of the Red River carved this masterpiece, and numerous trees follow the river bed. Wildlife is plentiful. Each night, numerous deer would approach our camp just before dark, coming within feet of us and exhibiting little fear but great curiosity as they calmly grazed. We also heard coyotes each night. Since Palo Duro is far away from highways, it is quiet and easy to hear all sounds. Woodpeckers and hawks were also plentiful within the park, as was other wildlife.

A little friend came to visit each night. I did NOT zoom in for this picture

Wild Turkeys. Look just below the turkey on the far left, and you'll see a rabbit. Guess the poor little fellow has identity issues.

Woodpeckers were numerous. This one was in a tree near our camp.

We had hoped to do some hiking while there, but due to recent rains, the trails were quite muddy. We set off on a trail one day but turned back after a mile or so due to heavy mud. And to be honest, after our grueling hike at Caprock Canyons, our heart and legs weren't really into hiking.

Several campgrounds in the park offer various facilities and shade. We stayed in Hackberry Camp Area (site #24), and the best collection of trees can be found there. However, because of the large trees, which include cottonwoods and chinaberrys, views of the canyons are somewhat restricted.

Our campsite, #24 in Hackberry

View from our campsite

Cabin in the Cow Camp Camping Area

We had absolutely no cell phone service in the canyon. I inquired about WiFi and was told that the tower had been damaged. Even so, I would imagine service would be limited to the office area as with many other parks. There are no full-hookups in the park.


We were blessed with continued cool weather during our stay in the park. I believe we ran our AC for a while late one afternoon and then some the last day we were there. We did not need AC at night, though. We also had a bit of rain one night. Because of the heavy rains earlier in the week, several of the 6 low-water river crossings in the park were closed the first day we were there. Crossing #6 remained closed our entire stay.

Palo Duro is a gem in the state park system. It still gives a sense of the wildness of nature, and it is easy to see why the Indians camped here. It provided water, wood, and game, as well as protection from cold north winds in winter.

For the feint of heart, be forewarned that the drive from the rim to the canyon floor can be a bit unnerving. It is 1.5 miles in length, with the final mile being the most taxing. Our neighbor was in a class C motor home pulling a small car. She felt the drive up might be too much for her RV pulling the small vehicle, so she drove the motorhome to the office on the rim, then caught a ride back to drive her car up. I had no problem pulling my 30 foot trailer, though.

The way in. Falling rock possible along this slope.

Palo Duro's most notable formation, the Lighthouse. Since we did not hike the trails, we had to settle for this long-distance shot. Notice the tall trees in the foreground, uncommon for this part of Texas.

Cave in the side of a canyon wall. Look closely and you will see 2 people, one in the cave and another at the bottom of the scree.

On the Road: Caprock Canyons SP to Palo Duro SP

After 3 nights at Caprock Canyons SP, it was time to move on. Our next destination was Palo Duro SP, just east of Canyon, Texas.

The first part of the trip was simply retracing the route we had previously taken from Tulia. After arriving at Tulia, we turned north on IH-27 for a short drive to Canyon, where we then turned east and headed for the park.

From Caprock Canyons SP to Palo Duro SP

The countryside was more of what we saw on our trip from Big Spring to Caprock Canyons. Various crops dominated the landscape, but much land was devoted to ranching. The land here is flat, with only gentle swells. From atop one of these swells, you can literally see for miles and miles. Few trees appear, and most have been planted.

As we approached the park, suddenly a fissure appeared to our right, and the earth fell sharply away into the head of a canyon. We were at the start of Palo Duro.

A Pair of Panhandle Towns

While staying at Caprock Canyons State Park, we drove into Quitaque and Turkey, the two closest towns to the park. It was like stepping back in time, and I mean that in the nicest way.

Both towns have populations just under 500, and children from the towns attend Valley School, located almost halfway between the towns on Highway 86.

Country music fans may recognize Turkey as the hometown of Bob Wills. It is also home to the Turkey Hotel, located about a block north of Highway 86 in the downtown area. The downtown area is very clean in appearance, but many of the buildings are no longer in operation.

Bob Wills monument in Turkey

Turkey Hotel

Downtown Turkey on an overcast day

10 miles west of Turkey, Quitaque is a bit more progressive, but it still offers a glimpse into the past. Side streets are in better repair than in Turkey, and the downtown area shows signs of recent work with sidewalks reflecting handicap-accessible upgrades. 

An old Mobil station restored to its former glory

Located about halfway between the towns, near the Valley School, is the old appropriately named Midway drive-in theater. Although the sign states it is closed for the winter, it is obvious that it is permanently closed.

Midway Drive-in Theater

The Caprock Canyons Trailway bypasses both Turkey and Quitaque. Signs in both towns indicate the trailway’s presence, but do not indicate where the trailhead is.

I was surprised to find cotton growing in the area. I thought this area is a bit too far north for cotton, but the farmers know more about this that I do. In fact, as much land between the towns is used for cotton farming as far ranching. The crops I saw were healthy.

Cotton fields between Quitaque and Turkey