Just south of Lake Meredith is Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument which is part of the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. This is a very interesting place for people who love rocks and geology. The site is a limited access site and can only be seen through Ranger led hikes, which are free, that last about 2 hours. Alibates is reached by a road that bisects private land, and has a side road to McBride Canyon where several hiking trails begin. By looking at the land, you would never imagine that beautiful flint was to be found, but again, looks can be deceiving, and this area has produced some of the finest flint known. The flint is made out of dolomite which differs from limestone by having magnesium in its composition which gives the rock some of its color. The dolomite crystals were agatized, like the trees in the Petrified Forest, and more colors were added from the minerals the water contained. This is the only place in the world so far discovered to have agatized dolomite flint. The end result is flint that contains stripes and bring colors. This flint is in about a 10 mile square area, but mainly concentrated in the National Monument. The vestiges of quarry holes are evident on top of the mesa we climbed, and archeology of the area is ongoing.

The quarry has been used for over 13,000 years, and projectile points made of this flint have been found in the Clovis dig site at Blackwater Draw and surrounding areas, and as far away as Canada. Around 1500 year ago, the Antelope Creek people settled the area and conducted a thriving business by allowing other tribes to come and barter with them for their flint. There are Ranger programs that show flint knapping projectice points. Some of those points are used on projectiles thrown by an atl-atl in another demonstration. Most quarry holes that have been found are about 8 feet in depth, and the flint thickness in some places can reach another 8 feet in depth. I found this area fascinating, but its not for everyone, and the top of the mesa is reached by a climb up several flights of stairs on a trail that winds up the mesa in a gentle grade, using switchbacks and gaining about 200 feet in elevation from the parking lot.

Finishing up around dinner time, I headed back to Amarillo for supper at the Big Texan Steak Ranch, a true tourist trap on old Route 66 that parallels I-40. I got there before the dinner rush and had time to look around and shop for some souvenirs to take home. Of course I had to order a steak, but was sorely disappointed in the service and the quality of the meal. There was a gentleman who did take the 72 ounce steak dinner challenge - 72 oz steak; shrimp cocktail; rolls; butter; salad; and baked potato in 1 hour or less. Very few people beat the challenge, and he was no exception. It was a short drive back to Canyon where I packed for the drive back to Dallas the next day.