Day 18-Tucumcari, NM-Dalhart, TX

95.3 official miles

6:04 time, 15.8 average

2,000 feet of climbing (more or less)

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Ok.   Today is going to be a short write-up.  We crossed into the promised land today.  For those unenlightened souls that would be Texas.  There are a few pics of us posing by the Texas State line sign complete with pockmarks from bullets.  How great can it get.  Oops, I forgot about those blasted headwinds.  We started off the 96 mile ride with great optimism.  We had a strong tail wind and just flew for the first 30 miles averaging 22 mph which included going through 2 towns.  Cities would be a totally inappropriate use of words here.  We went through a town named Nara Vista right before the Texas border.  Not a soul in town and it’s only two stores had closed.  They had turned the school into a community center where the three citizens play Texas Hold em on Friday nights.  That’s about all there is about that.

Early in the morning the wind shifted to ENE just as we are heading to Dalhart, Tx.  Needless to say we had trouble maintaining 13-14 mph for the remainder of the ride and arrived pretty beat up at our hotel.  The staff keeps commenting on how our luck is rotten with all of the headwinds.  If we didn’t have bad luck, we’d have no luck at all.  The problem with the wind is that we sit in the saddle a lot longer and that means saddle sores.  Almost 14 hours in two days is way too much sitting.  Don’t offer me a chair at this point.  Well, it can only get better.  And it certainly makes the legs stronger.

It is funny watching my biking partners amazed at visiting a feedlot.  Now I used to live in Hereford, Texas and not once did I find the occasion of visiting the feedlots with their 45,000 head of cattle.  They thought it stunk a little, I thought it smelled like money.  The stench of sugar beets was always much worse for me.  I think they were all surprised at how desolate (read beautiful) the land was. 

Well tomorrow, we are heading out of Texas into Guymon, OK.  Hopefully we will have favorable winds, but I won’t be holding my breath. 

Signing off for another day.

Feeling kind of small. We did and yes you can see for miles and miles. (isn't that a song?)		The first greenery we saw in Texas. Obviously irrigated.		Welcome to the Great State of Texas.
Little white church. We saw no people in this town and both stores were closed.		Elmer was just a little bit too uneasy around the cows.		Jim H trespassing with his bike. Note he is on this side of the fence.
Ty touches native soil.		Windmills. What more can I say. Brings back childhood memories.		X marks the spot. Our rest stop stores were all closed.