My Great Trek to the Midwest
Day 3, Wednesday, May 10, 2006
New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma

Day's Route Overview:
Today, was on highway 40 across New Mexico, the Texas panhandle and into Oklahoma.

This is the old Route-66

I had planned on getting to Oklahoma City, but fell short. I over-nighted in Clinton, OK, about 90 miles short.

I got kind of a late start, the hour loss to the time zone didn't help.
Starting out:
Trip / Odometer / Time:
129.2 / 31,294 / 9:02 local time (MDT)
Guadalupe County is in Santa Rosa

After having found the local klink, I gassed Lola and stopped
in the local McD to do the same for myself.  In the parking lot
were two Goldwings, one of which was a trike.

Inside, I stopped and talked to two couples in their 60's
I'm guessing.  They are from Iowa and are headed out to
Phoenix and then up to the Grand Canyon.  They really looked
to be enjoying themselves.
Just before leaving New Mexico, I caught Quay County in
the town of Tucumcari
Texas appears not to have rest stops on the highway.
They have picnic areas.  These are pretty stark.
A few tables on concrete pads with a roof for the shade
and some portable plastic facilities.

They do, however, frequently have a coral for your livestock.
Oldham County Texas Sheriff's Office had almost no markings.
I did find a sign at the old courthouse in Vega.

All along, every little town boasts of being involved with
the original Route-66.  Vega has a preserved gas station.
Tripp`s HD
640 W Interstate 40
Amarillo Texas 79102

From MapQuest, I knew exactly where this place was.
On the way, about 2 exits short, I spotted a dealer sign and
doubled back.  I asked if there was another location, the
lady said no in an "of course" kind of manner.
The Texas Tourist Information location for Northern Texas
is in East Amarillo.  Since Amarillo is nearly in the middle of
the panhandle, this make sense in a simplistic way.  However,
if you're like me, I'd like to have the information as soon as I
enter the state rather than half way across when 50% is no
longer of any interest.

I arrived just at 4:55 (CDT) and they were closing.  A nice
woman met me at the door with a handful of maps and
brochures and explained each for me.  I thought that was so
much better than the normal lock-the-door-in-your-face
that most government employees might resort to.

Then two bikers arrived in need of the facilities of which I myself had just taken advantage.
I got to talking with them, both in the late 50's to early 60's.  They are returning home to Florida having just visited Denver.
We shared stories about yesterday's huge winds and they said that the gusts were reported to be as high as 60 mph.
No wonder I had such a hard time riding through them.
Being really behind schedule at this point, I lit the afterburners.
The next hour saw 83 miles put behind me.

A quick bite in Shamrock, TX a perusal of the coupon books,
and a plan.  Clinton, Oklahoma would be it for the night.
Finally into Oklahoma.  Stop at the first rest stop.
It's really nice.  Particularly in comparison with Texas rest stops

Done for the day:
82.0 / 31,769 / 6:07 PDT

  

ABC Letters: Counties: G, O, Q, States: Texas, Oklahoma

Total: 475 miles, 10 hours 5 minutes
Trip Total: 1,550 miles, 32 hours 10 minutes

Updated: Monday, May 12, 2014 04:48:48 PM