I particularly like the roadside parks set in the vast openness of my native High Plains of Texas or the Llanno Estacado. Out there a little patch of shade poised over a picnic table is possibly the only respite from the sun a weary traveler would see for miles and miles.

Roadside parks and the structures there have caught my attention for as long as I can remember, even before I was old enough to drive. Below is a picture of one of the parks south of my hometown of Canyon, Texas.

When I was a kid, I would ride my bike out here and gather up pop bottles that travelers left behind here then cash them in for the deposit. Remember deposit on soda bottles? I can remember getting 2 cents apiece. I saved the money and bought a new baseball glove. That was a long time ago.

Now I drive everywhere and when I am in this part of Texas I always stop at this roadside park (pictured below). It is one of my favorite places in all the world. It's on highway 207 and the park is on the south ridge of Palo Duro Canyon. It is a nice place to enjoy a sandwich.