"The next best thing to the Grand Canyon," The Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com

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The Wichita Eagle, 6/2/2019 SUNDAY JUNE 2 2019 KANSAS.COM

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Two Asian food businesses are rolling into Wichita 2B

Arts &Culture Wichita’s most popular restaurant rewards programs

BY DENISE NEIL

dneil@wichitaeagle.com

PHOTOS BY MELINDA SCHNYDER Courtesy photo

Palo Duro Canyon – second in size only to the Grand Canyon – and its formations like the 300-foot-tall lighthouse were formed from millions of years of water erosion by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and the wind in west Texas.

The next best thing to the Grand Canyon is just 400 miles southwest of Wichita

BY MELINDA SCHNYDER

Eagle correspondent

I found myself near the second largest canyon in the United States while on a solo road trip last year. I don’t typically hike alone but I didn’t want to pass up my first chance to see this grand canyon of Texas. Sure, the overlook just inside the entrance to Palo Duro Canyon State Park offered a sweeping view of the canyon and a 16mile paved road allowed me to

drive down into and along the floor of the canyon.

But my idea of seeing the canyon was hiking the park’s popular Lighthouse Trail. To be honest, I saw a photo online of the namesake lighthouse formation and I wanted to take my own version of that photo.

The 5.5-mile round trip normally would not concern me, especially on a trail with little elevation. The problem was the heat and lack of shade. The temperature this late May day was 100 degrees at mid-morn-

From history to touristy, Amarillo area delivers

BY MELINDA SCHNYDER

Eagle correspondent

If you plan a trip to Palo Duro Canyon State Park this summer, you’ll want to spend time in the nearby communities of Canyon (15 miles) and Amarillo (25

miles). Some may seem touristy, but if you don’t go, you won’t get the photo.

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon is the state’s oldest and largest history museum. Its two million arti-

Copyright 2019 Olive Software LET THE MEMORY LIVE AGAIN

ing and the trail surfaces are said to be another 20 degrees hotter. The trail map warned: “most heat-related injuries and deaths to people and pets occur on this trail.”

So I decided to at least go out to the view point on the trail, about 1.5 miles into the hike and a nice view of the formation according to the park ranger.

Before I headed down into the canyon, where cell service would be spotty, I texted to let my husband know when I was leaving and which trail I was

facts range from art to firearms to Comanche warrior Quanah Parker’s headdress and lance.

A special exhibit “Cattle, Cowboys & Culture: Kansas City and Amarillo, Building an Urban West” runs through December 2019. It showcases the shared heritage between the cities through artifacts, including photographs, letters, architectural renderings, saddles and other functional goods.

Cattle connected the two cowtowns in the 1870s and the

The unofficial start to summer in Amarillo is the annual Coors Cowboy Club cattle drive, when longhorns stroll down Polk Street to kick off the Coors Cowboy Club Ranch Rodeo.

taking.

When I got to the trailhead, a sign advised I should have at least a gallon of water with me if doing the entire hike. I had about half that. OK, I’ll just hike the 3 miles round trip.

SEE PALO DURO, 6B

connection shaped both urban areas, especially art, architecture and city planning.

The museum is hosting “TX V. KC BBQ Showdown” on July 20. Tickets are $25 for all you can eat as you witness Kansas City barbecue throw down against Texas style BBQ in a 12-team cook-off.

Cadillac Ranch is one of the most popular roadside attractions in the country. When we SEE CADILLACS, 6B

If you’re a regular at any local restaurant and you haven’t signed up for that restaurant’s rewards program, you’re probably leaving money on the table.

Rewards programs, which give loyal diners free food and other perks, are so commonplace now, most of the smaller mom and pops even have them.

They all work a little differently. Some require that you haul cumbersome cards around in your wallet while others let you keep track via phone apps. But they all operate on the same idea: The more money you spend, the more free stuff you get.

Recently, I polled Dining with Denise readers about their favorite local rewards programs and got many responses. I tallied up how many times each program was mentioned and researched how the most popular ones work. In the meantime, I got myself signed up for lots of loyalty programs I didn’t even know existed — and realized that if I’d signed up a long time ago, I could have saved so much money by now.

Here’s a list of some of the most popular rewards programs as reported by Dining With Denise readers.

Picasso’s Pizzeria, 621 W. Douglas, 5900 E. Central: This locally owned pizza chain passes out loyalty cards that customers have stamped by staff whenever they visit.

It’s pretty straightforward: After customers have purchased 10 slices, they can get a free slice of a $7.95 value.

Egg Crate Cafe, 8606 W. 13th: This west-side breakfast and lunch eatery offers a SEE REWARDS, 3B

DENISE NEIL The Wichita Eagle

Il Vicino offers a rewards program that is a Wichita favorite.

6/2/2019 10:26:15 PM ADD-ON OR SWAP

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The Wichita Eagle, 6/2/2019

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Travel

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SUNDAY JUNE 2 2019 KANSAS.COM

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CADILLACS

stopped by there was a motorcoach and 10 vehicles stopped to visit the 10 Cadillacs buried nose first in a wheat field alongside Interstate 40 on the west edge of Amarillo.

The autos are buried from oldest to newest, from 1949 to 1964, and were chosen when the installation happened in 1974 because they featured the iconic big tail fin. Many visitors bring spray paint and leave a message, so be careful of anyone spraying while you’re there.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is more than just a 72-ounce roadside attraction. The restaurant, famous for offering a free 72-ounce steak to anyone who can finish it along with a plate full of extras in 60 minutes, is now a craft brewery and operates an entertainment devel-

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opment about a mile from its I-40 restaurant. Starlight Ranch has a maze, zipline and an outdoor stage with regional bands and touring tribute bands on summer weekends.

A free option in Amarillo is the small RV Museum at the Jack Sisemore RV dealership. Just go inside and ask, and they will send you to the museum behind the main building. The displays are well done and include the world’s oldest known Airstream, a bus used in the Robin Williams movie “RV” and nearly 30 motorcycles on display, too.

Affiliated minor league baseball returned to Amarillo this year. The Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles are a San Diego Padres team playing downtown at the new Hodgetown stadium.

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JoAn Lemon – 90th

Jody was born 6/5/1929 at home in Pawhuska, Ok to Charles and Lura Bookout. She was married to the love of her life, Johnny Lemon for 65 years. She has Copyright 2019 Olive 2 children, Cathy and John

Software

MELINDA SCHNYDER Courtesy photo

Cadillac Ranch features 10 Cadillacs buried nose first in a wheat field on Interstate 40 on the west edge of Amarillo.

Visitors spray paint the installation. . ......................................................

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PALO DURO The trek to the view point was stunning – beautiful sandstone formations striped in bands of red, orange, brown and white, with an occasional hoodoo. Yes, from this spot I could see a large formation off in the distance that could inspire the name lighthouse. But that wasn’t the dramatic photo I was wanting, and I felt pretty good. I kept going.

When I got to the end of the trail, I was tired, hot and trying to ration the remaining water for the return trip.

The kicker: I could not see the formation. It was behind a massive outcropping and I did not see a trail leading the way up or around. I decided this was my signal to head back, even though I felt I had wasted the extra effort since I wasn’t getting the photo I was after.

I returned home with several lessons learned.

When visiting the Texas panhandle and the forecast exceeds 100 degrees, start hiking early in the morning and be off the trails by 11 a.m.

The canyon, second in size only to the Grand

Canyon, is just 400 miles southwest of Wichita. You need more than a day to explore inside and around Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which is about 25 miles southeast of downtown Amarillo.

I returned this April, accompanied by my husband, my bicycle, cooler temperatures and more time.

We stayed two nights at Doves Rest Resort’s recently built cabins 3 miles from the park entrance. Our one-bedroom had luxury westernthemed furnishings and picture windows in the bedroom and living room, but most of our time there was on the patio that backed up to the west rim of the canyon. We spent hours watching longhorn cattle roam an adjacent pasture and miles of canyon change colors during sunset and sunrise.

Palo Duro Canyon is 120 miles long, ranges from 6 to 20 miles wide and as deep as 1,000 feet.

In comparison, the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 8 to 18 miles wide and as deep at 6,093 feet.

Palo Duro Canyon State

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Where: 400 miles southwest of Wichita. The park is about 25 miles southeast of downtown Amarillo, in the Texas panhandle.

Fee: $8 per person per day, free for ages 12 and younger More info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/ state-parks/palo-durocanyon .......................................................

Park encompasses just 5 percent of the canyon, and the park entrance is the narrow end of the canyon.

A visitor center with exhibits and a gift shop is on the rim, and in the canyon there’s a store serving breakfast and lunch and selling groceries and souvenirs. The park has six campgrounds, three Civilian Conservation Corps-era rim cabins and four primitive cabins on the canyon floor. There are more than 50 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. You can bring your own horse or riding stables are operated by a third-party in the canyon.

Old West Stables also has a young longhorn trained to eat out of your hand for $2 a bag of cattle feed.

The 54th season of the outdoor musical drama “Texas” (https://www .texas-show.com/) started June 1 at the park’s 1,700seat Pioneer Amphitheater, built around a 600foot-tall canyon wall.

The family-friendly show follows the story of early panhandle settlers through singing, dancing, fireworks and fire and water effects. The cast is

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college students from around the country.

Performances are at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays and run through Aug. 17. While summer temps are warmer, it’s the ideal time to visit because all the attractions are open.

You can hike early, then spend the day and evening exploring Amarillo and Canyon, 15 miles to the west and the nearest town to the park.

Ranches around the canyon offer adventures, too. Between the cabin and the park entrance, I ziplined a quarter-mile across the canyon and walked across a ravine on a 300-foot swing bridge.

Palo Duro Zip Line & Adventure Park also has a tower zip ride and a tent/ RV campground.

A western horseback adventure on the canyon’s north rim was my favorite outside the park. Phyllis Nickum runs Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West from her private working cattle ranch. Nickum and her guides share the history of Texas and honor the heritage of the people and horses of the Old West during 1-, 2- and 3-hour horseback experiences.

We rode posse style, rather than nose to tail, at sunrise, and sitting high on my horse Hero at the rim overlooking Palo Duro Canyon was touching.

The most rewarding experience, though, came inside the park, when we rode our bicycles – stocked with plenty of water – on the singletrack Givens, Spicer, Lowry Trail and connected to the Lighthouse Trail. Where the trail officially ended, we parked the bikes and found the narrow, steep ascent that took us to the 300-foot-high formation.

I got the photo.