We left Texas for New Mexico at 3:00 PM and yet I’m at the New Mexican border, an hour’s drive away, typing this up at 3:00 PM! How’d I do it? Magic? Teleportation? Nah, we just entered the Mountain Time Zone.

This morning in Amarillo, we drove to Palo Duro Canyon, the second-largest canyon in the United States, to go horseback riding. At first, we were in a rush to get to our 10:00 AM appointment at the Old West Stables located within the park. However, upon arriving at the park entrance, the ranger told us that our appointment would have to be rescheduled because it rained and flooded last night. This allowed us to take our time the rest of the way through and it’s a good thing. The winding road through the canyon snaked all the way down to Old West Stables and a lot of turns provided no guardrails. The 35 mph speed limit signs were no joke.

It was as beautiful as it was scary. Multicolored layers of exposed canyon walls gave the mesa and hoodoo rock formations red, light brown and white stripes, and it extended for miles. The steep descent eventually led to Old West Stables where we learned they would indeed take us horseback riding without having to reschedule. I’m glad that we didn’t take the park ranger’s word and try to gas up or eat lunch before checking it out for ourselves.

Old West Stables gave us a fantastic deal when we pre-booked the horseback riding appointment over the phone. It was just $35 each for an hour-long guided tour of a canyon trail. I was surprised that they still took us this morning, not because of the rain the night before—this place is very dry, so there were few streams remaining—but because only two other people showed up. It was nice for us because the four of us had a small intimate tour of the canyon with two helpful guides on horseback. But at these prices, I don’t know how they do it.

The streams actually made the experience more fun while riding my horse, Sooner, named after the eager settlers of Oklahoma who claimed land before it was legally open for settlement. She too was quick to gain ground, especially when it came to crossing the very shallow, not-even-ankle-deep streams.

All of the runoff water was located in miniature valleys, so my horse would charge down a tiny hill, splash through the streams as quickly as possible and immediately climb up a symmetrical hill on the other side. The vertical terrain taught me some unanticipated balancing techniques that I learned on the fly while riding the horse and it made for a bumpy, but exhilarating ride. For the not-so-steep price of $35, this steep descent into the country’s second largest canyon proved to a better experience than the flat, docile horse trail that I traveled a couple of years ago in Aruba.

As soon as the hour was up, I dismounted Sooner, thanked our first-rate guides and we drove to the top of the outlook point to take an incredible panoramic photo of the canyon on the way out. From Palo Duro, we filled up on crucially-needed gas and ate lunch at a Sonic Drive-In, another fast-food restaurant I’ve never been to before this roadtrip. Instead of eating in the car, we ate outside because it was so hot and the car is packed with luggage and my belongings.

Now in New Mexico, we stopped at the visitor’s center to photograph the nearby state sign and spotted a man riding from the center into Texas… on a horse. We had to take a picture of that, too. It’s not everyday you see someone crossing state lines on horseback. We have to go the other way, on a horseless wagon, into New Mexico to tonight’s destination: Santa Fe.