Early this morning, we left Guymon and traveled to the northwest corner of Oklahoma's Panhandle. Our first stop was at Black Mesa State Park, where we enjoyed a hike along the rim of a scenic canyon. Bird sightings included sharp-tailed grouse and green-tailed towhees, among more common species; mule deer and pronghorn were also observed.
About ten miles northwest of the State Park is Black Mesa itself, named for its cap of basalt; indeed, this massive tableland represents the eastern end of the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. Rising to 4974 feet, Black Mesa is the highest summit in Oklahoma. Though we did not have the time nor the energy to climb its wall, we did hike through protected lands just north of the Mesa.
The Upper Cimarron River flows past the southern base of Black Mesa and we followed it westward and upward toward its source in northeastern New Mexico; there it is known as the Dry Cimarron River to distinguish it from the State's other Cimarron River which heads in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and is a tributary of the Canadian River. Approaching the headwaters of the Dry Cimarron, bordered by towering mesas, we elected to divert northward into Colorado. After crossing a low pass, we could see the snow-covered Culebra Range and Spanish Peaks to the west, assuring us that we were nearly home.
