Yet another pair of Palo Duro Canyon landscapes
Here’s another colorful pair of Palo Duro Canyon landscapes from May 14th.
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If you drive a car much, you’ve probably had the experience of being stopped at a red light, noticing that there was no cross-traffic, and wondering why the red light didn’t turn green so you could go. With that in mind, check out the June 7th article by Christopher Mims in the Wall Street Journal, “The Smart, Cheap Fix for Slow, Dumb Traffic Lights,” with sub-head “Most cities can’t afford smart traffic signals. Fortunately, data from new cars—and even drivers’ smartphones—can make old-fashioned traffic lights work a lot better.”
© 2024 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
That scattering of rocks in the first photo looked somehow out of place. It took me a while to realize I’m so accustomed to seeing fallen rock along roads around Kerrville and such I was looking for the cliffs from which these had fallen. Obviously, they landed on this hilltop by some other process. Perhaps their original home collapsed, and then eroded away: speculation run rampant.
The layers of colors are especially interesting in the second image. Seeing them bright at the bottom and more faded at the top lends a certain dynamism to the scene as the colors draw the eye upward.
shoreacres
June 22, 2024 at 7:37 AM
What plunked those slabs of rock down in the first picture remains as much a mystery to me as to you. Where’s a geologist when we need one?
As much as I was happy with the chance to play rock formations of one color off against those of another, recent rainfall let me also play plenty of green off against the various shades of brown and orange in both pictures.
Steve Schwartzman
June 22, 2024 at 8:16 AM
Perhaps the mystery of those rocks is that the giant children left them behind after playing with them? Just like elsewhere the rocks balancing in weird arrangements…
eremophila
June 23, 2024 at 10:31 AM
This non-giant child was happy to play (photographically) with the rocks.
Steve Schwartzman
June 23, 2024 at 11:30 AM
I suspect that one of the reasons this landscape is so enthralling is thanks to the layering of different and differently colored rock strata with interjections of green.
I wonder how much fuel consumption would decrease if cars didn’t have to stop at red lights.
tanjabrittonwriter
June 23, 2024 at 4:42 PM
I’m with you on your analysis of Palo Duro landscapes.
You’re right that fuel consumption would go down if we didn’t have to stop at so many red lights. Better timing could certainly reduce the number.
Related to that is something I wrote in reply to a friend who commented on this post via e-mail: “Speaking of improving air quality and gas mileage while reducing travel time, I’ve been railing for years about speed bumps. I wish someone would do a study—or maybe someone has—of how much extra pollution is caused by the slowing and speeding back up that speed bumps cause a driver to do. All that bumping can’t do your car’s suspension and alignment any good, either.”
Steve Schwartzman
June 23, 2024 at 6:03 PM
The question about speed bumps is interesting, but there are other factors to consider as well. I’m sure people who live on roads with speed bumps are glad that vehicles aren’t racing by their homes.
tanjabrittonwriter
June 23, 2024 at 6:20 PM
Just as people’s discernment of colors varies, so too is speed a relative thing. I feel comfortable and confident driving faster than some people do. Here too we need studies comparing accidents on similar pairs of streets, one with speed bumps and the other without. My conjecture is that there’s no significant difference in the rate of accidents.
Steve Schwartzman
June 23, 2024 at 10:15 PM
The colour variations in the rock are fascinating!
Ann Mackay
June 24, 2024 at 4:06 AM
Glad to have you joining in the fascination. Perhaps one day you’ll get to see Palo Duro Canyon in person.
Steve Schwartzman
June 24, 2024 at 5:59 AM