Another week has passed, making it 8 weeks on the road. Somewhere east of Wichita Falls also marked the halfway point between NY & San Francisco. Currently ( in Amarillo, TX) I'm some 1200 miles from CA & 1500 miles from New York. The halfway point of this whole trip should be west of Las Vegas, meaning I will have traveled well over 5 thousand miles and climbed some 150,000 vertical feet.
Texas turned out to be awesome. The folks out here are truly amazing, the scenery is grand, the roads are in great shape and the temperature is just right. Texas is currently in the longest 1- year drought ever, so I sure hope that as soon as I'm out of here you guys get all the rain you can handle.
The beginning of the week was spent on highway 82. Temperatures were in the 80's and I was flying north-west thanks to a tail wind. Wednesday night a cold front came through and that night the temperature dropped to the low 20's. I figured this would be my first cold test as I've never camped out in cold weather before. I stayed on what I believe was an oil field; it was unimproved land for the most part and I was able to get far from the road, didn't hear a car all night. In the morning the temperature was 30° outside, some 40° in my tent, and a toasty 75° inside my sleeping bag. With a liner and some warmer clothes I'm positive I can handle a low of 0° when I'm traversing the Rockies next week. Frost covered everything that morning so I slept in and let the sun do it's job.
The next day I picked up my first package from home in Greenville, TX. Got a ton of chocolate from my mom, some warmer clothes and a new tire for my bob trailer. I also go my sunglasses from a friend and some welcomed extras. After some 2 months on the road it was definitely nice to receive those things.
I camped out at a city park that night after getting permission from the local police station, and then continued north until I hit Hgw 82 and then 287, which I've been on for the past few days.
My animal encounters this week have been few, the only memorable occurrence was finding my stove pouch half inside a tree all torn up after I left it outside at night. I've been warned to watch out for rattlesnakes, but I doubt many are still out this time of year.
As I'm headed into western America I'm seeing a big change in not only the scenery, but people and their lifestyle. They lead good, honest lives. They're thankful for what they have and are satisfied with the life they're leading. Simply put, their content. (At least that's the impression I'm getting.) Even the radio stations here are simple. They advertise local businesses, don't go out of their way with gimmicks to entice you, and play good 'ol country songs.
Heading on 285 I saw the landscape gradually change from green & lush to yellow & dry. Elevation wise everything was gradual as well. Greenville was at about 500' above sea level and Amarillo is at around 3000'. All the climbing was done in the big ring and most of it was via false flats.
Going to spend another night in Amarillo while I make my decision whether to head North-west into the high Rockies (mostly via highway 64 through Raton, Taos, Farmington, etc.) or go south west on the desolate highway 60. Each route presents it's challenges but folks are definitely urging me to go south to avoid the unpredictable weather up north and cold temperatures.
In the meantime I uploaded some new photos to my flickr account which is on the side >, feel free to check them out!
No comments:
Post a Comment