Flat, flat, flat

Today's view - windmills, roads & silos

Largest cross in the Western Hemisphere

Day Eighteen - 5/11/2003

Tractors for Rich and Brandon

Have a nice day.

Lucille:

May 11 - Sunday - I started my day by attending 11 o'clock Mass at St. Hyacinth church in Amarillo.  Nearby was the San Jacinto section of Amarillo that had several antique and quilt shops I was eager to explore.  Unfortunately, it was Sunday and the shops were closed.  I got on I-40 and soon came to a very large and very nice travel center.  I stopped to get some Texas info and to have lunch at one of their picnic tables.  About 50 miles down the road I saw specks of orange and yellow in the distance.  There was no safe place to stop as I passed Tom and Eric.  About 8 miles later I came to a large rest stop and decided to take a break, have an orange to eat, and wait for Tom and Eric to get there.  I was able to take Eric's pack and bike rack to lighten his load for the last 35 or so miles.  We are staying at Western Motel in Shamrock tonight.  Shamrock's dining options are limited.  We ate at Mitchell's Family Restaurant.  Their salad bar had some different choices to add to the iceberg lettuce -- creamed peas, pickled okra, cucumber in sour cream, corn in some sort of sauce.  We saw lots of flat farmland today.  Silos, windmills, round bales of hay, large irrigation systems, and cattle were seen for many miles.  As we got closer to Shamrock, there were low rolling hills.  On to Oklahoma tomorrow.

Cows

ERIC:

Day 18 - (5/11/03) Since we had the wind to our backs the last few days it was time for us to ride straight into the wind.  During the night last night the wind had changed direction and we rode directly into the wind.  The wind was not as strong as it has been, but none the less it made for a long day.  We started by riding thru Amarillo, TX.  It was neat seeing all the old buildings and brick streets.  After we left the city we had the same scenery we had yesterday.  Lots of farm land, cows, silos, and windmills.  Halfway through the day the scenery changed a little.  The road was no longer flat.  We ended the day with lots of rolling hills.  We rode over 100 miles for almost 8 hours.  We had a time change last night and lost an hour.  This made last night a late night.  Today was exhausting.  Tomorrow we ride into Oklahoma within the first hour.  The first city we go by in Oklahoma is Erick.  This city was named after me when they heard I was coming.  We will tell them tomorrow they spelled it wrong.

Rolling hills

Horses

Total Trip Distance:1612.62

TOM:

Day 18 - Amarillo, TX to Shamrock, TX 101.35 miles. The day was mostly down hill from 4100 feet to 2300 feet.  The last 15 miles were rolling hills and took extra effort since it was at the end of a long day.  The southwest wind that has been pushing us along for the last several days missed us so much that it turned around and kissed us in the face today.  The end result was a slower average speed of 12.8 mph instead of 17.7 mph. This made the riding time today 7 hours and 54 minutes and the total time with stops 8 hours and 45 minutes.  The terrain today became greener as we proceeded through the 101 mile day .  We saw many large irrigation systems fed by wells.  There were lots of windmills but most were not operating since they have been replaced by pumps for more water volume. There was also much more farming as we proceeded along the trip. There was cultivated land, cows, horses and lots of farm machinery.  From the start at Amarillo to about 15 to 20 miles before reaching Shamrock the land was flat and reminded me of the Sacramento Valley. There was a beautiful half moon in the blue sky in front of us during the afternoon.  We also saw a cross advertised to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere.  We spent most of our riding time on Route 66 with only two required legs on Interstate 40 for a total of about 15 miles.  The Interstate is very nice in Texas.  It is smooth and has a wide shoulder for us to ride on.  We find that Route 66 has almost no traffic and is quieter and more peaceful.

Amarillo, TX to Shamrock, TX (I-40 Bus) 95 miles. This day is mostly down hill from 4100 feet to 2300 feet.