Day 4: Hot, hotter and hopping stuff
Amarillo By Mornin'? No. That song always reminds me of a long-lost friend. Matt McCue would sing it at karaoke, and although I'm not a big country music fan and didn't know the original artist, I could tell he was covering it well.
Anyway, Amarillo. The temperature was 86º today, but it could have been 106º for all I cared - the hotter the better. Compared to day 1 when temps never rose above 55º. The traffic from Dumas to Amarillo was laden with trucks, and most honks, if not all of them, were supportive. The cool thing about trucks is the artificial tailwind created when they blow by at 70+ mph. Sweet.
Something else I've noticed about a trip like this is how a year ago, 30 miles round trip, broken up into two 15 mile increments seemed like a colossal achievement, especially the two miles at the end of the jaunt home - all uphill, and usually into a headwind. When attacking a journey of this length, hills don't seem to bother one as much. I know, I know wiseguys, sure, over 750 land miles the altitude goes from 6,500 feet to sea level (roughly), but it's not like the route was built on a steep and consistent decline over that span. It ain't all downhill, folks. Come on Jim Old, back me up on this.
Funny thing, grasshoppers. They sit on the side of the road, in MY lane, hugging the warm pavement until traffic approaches (namely me). They then decide that the only suitable escape route is a leap up and directly into my crotch. What th'? Like dead skunks, squirrels and other various and sundry mamalia are not enough to dodge, now I must contend with the equivalent of a shooting gallery, and aimed at a place intended only to be treated nicely. Not a big fan of the insects.
Energy was up today as yesterday's epiphany regarding nutrition and "dangit, why am I so tired?" opened my eyes. This morning began with an early wake up call to dine at the only breakfast joint in Dumas - a truck stop named Albert's. The service was excellent, the food great (three eggs over medium, sausage, hash browns and toast) and the price was right. After an hour and a half supplementary nap, we were up and out by 10:30 am.
Today's leg of the ride also afforded more photo-ops. Here's a picture of the road (Highway 287, ab out 30 miles outside of Dumas). This is to show you how desolate this stretch of road can be, and to show Junior that I still know how to cross a highway without getting hit by oncoming traffic.
This next one is for Cleo. She makes me laugh every single solitary time I see her, and this is one of those phrases that just kills me.
PS from the Crew Chief - amazing the benefits of a steak dinner and a good nights sleep - what more does a Rider need? (well, I'll let let you talk to Todd about that......) Anyway, he was "ready to ride" and again made it look effortless as he zoomed past the check points with both thumbs up. The Driver had time for a few update phone calls to "support staff" back home and writing in a journal - the old fashioned way.
Amarillo is, well... Amarillo... so a Texas sized steak seemed the obvious choice for dinner. We watched a restaurant patron do his best to eat a 72 oz steak + baked potato, salad, shrimp cocktail and a dinner roll within an hour - the deal being if he was successful it was free. He made it through all but the baked potato...he had to pay...and no one even clapped. I guess that's Texas for ya!
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 225 MILES
Anyway, Amarillo. The temperature was 86º today, but it could have been 106º for all I cared - the hotter the better. Compared to day 1 when temps never rose above 55º. The traffic from Dumas to Amarillo was laden with trucks, and most honks, if not all of them, were supportive. The cool thing about trucks is the artificial tailwind created when they blow by at 70+ mph. Sweet.
Something else I've noticed about a trip like this is how a year ago, 30 miles round trip, broken up into two 15 mile increments seemed like a colossal achievement, especially the two miles at the end of the jaunt home - all uphill, and usually into a headwind. When attacking a journey of this length, hills don't seem to bother one as much. I know, I know wiseguys, sure, over 750 land miles the altitude goes from 6,500 feet to sea level (roughly), but it's not like the route was built on a steep and consistent decline over that span. It ain't all downhill, folks. Come on Jim Old, back me up on this.
Funny thing, grasshoppers. They sit on the side of the road, in MY lane, hugging the warm pavement until traffic approaches (namely me). They then decide that the only suitable escape route is a leap up and directly into my crotch. What th'? Like dead skunks, squirrels and other various and sundry mamalia are not enough to dodge, now I must contend with the equivalent of a shooting gallery, and aimed at a place intended only to be treated nicely. Not a big fan of the insects.
Energy was up today as yesterday's epiphany regarding nutrition and "dangit, why am I so tired?" opened my eyes. This morning began with an early wake up call to dine at the only breakfast joint in Dumas - a truck stop named Albert's. The service was excellent, the food great (three eggs over medium, sausage, hash browns and toast) and the price was right. After an hour and a half supplementary nap, we were up and out by 10:30 am.
Today's leg of the ride also afforded more photo-ops. Here's a picture of the road (Highway 287, ab out 30 miles outside of Dumas). This is to show you how desolate this stretch of road can be, and to show Junior that I still know how to cross a highway without getting hit by oncoming traffic.
This next one is for Cleo. She makes me laugh every single solitary time I see her, and this is one of those phrases that just kills me.PS from the Crew Chief - amazing the benefits of a steak dinner and a good nights sleep - what more does a Rider need? (well, I'll let let you talk to Todd about that......) Anyway, he was "ready to ride" and again made it look effortless as he zoomed past the check points with both thumbs up. The Driver had time for a few update phone calls to "support staff" back home and writing in a journal - the old fashioned way.
Amarillo is, well... Amarillo... so a Texas sized steak seemed the obvious choice for dinner. We watched a restaurant patron do his best to eat a 72 oz steak + baked potato, salad, shrimp cocktail and a dinner roll within an hour - the deal being if he was successful it was free. He made it through all but the baked potato...he had to pay...and no one even clapped. I guess that's Texas for ya!
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 225 MILES
posted by Road Warrior @ 7:06:00 PM
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