Cold and Flat, with Cadillacs

Here's my first post about why I'm riding and here's where to donate to Water Life Hope.  It'll make your day and ours.

Cadillac Ranch, almost to Amarillo

April 11: Tucumcari, New Mexico to Adrian, Texas.  63 miles by bike, 1/2 mile on foot.

In the middle of the night the wind subsided and the temperature dropped.  Steve and I set out in the morning bundled up.  I had on 6 top layers: a microfiber base shirt, a jersey, a flannel mountain biking shirt, a fleece vest and a rain jacket.   From the waist down there were winter wind-front biking pants with hefty knickers underneath, along with wooly socks.  There were winter gloves and my Buff neck gaiter.  The sheer number of garments described the temperature.  And they didn't come off all day.

Adrian is right in the middle of the windmills

About a half a mile after leaving the campground where we'd spent the night  Steve spotted a school bus in a junkyard.  The violent wind yesterday had slammed the rear door against the rear lights on the bus.  The lights themselves were undamaged but one red and one yellow plastic covers were cracked.  Steve managed to get a red cover, while ticking off the proprietor with his bargaining.   We retreated to the route, and made San Jon by lunch time, a whole 25 miles.  I'm slow in the cold and Steve was nice enough to stay with me.  When we got there Carol had scored two yellow plastic covers.  Well done.

San Jon's chief attraction is a restaurant in a Phillips gas station on the shabbier precincts of the north side of the freeway, Taste of Indian.  I was startled to see a tall man in a Sikh turban smiling and placing fresh naan in the steamer.  I got the buffet, and added a mango lassi and more to share.  It was almost like being home, and the Indian food gave strength to continue.

Carol and I set out from San Jon with more oomph.  Still, the front that had gone through and the wind that remained was a headwind.  We crossed the line into Texas, and we quickly came upon windmills that we'd first sighted from well into New Mexico.  Adrian is a tiny town with windmills at its fringe.  I could see the bus when I realized my rear tire was flat.  Carol walked with me for the last half mile to the campground.

Steve pumped the tire and it popped loudly back into place on the rim and held air.  We went to bed happy.

April 12: Adrian to Amarillo.  47 miles.  No sense in reporting climbing numbers.

When we woke up my rear tire was flat again, but we were still hopeful.  That loud pop of the bead re-seating might mean that it only needed more sealant.  So we set up the repair stand in the warm campground laundry room and tried it.  We were slow and maybe a bit awkward but we got it done and the tire held.

Vega likes to remember that there were buffalo here once.
These fake ones are just sitting there.
No sign, just big buffalo dolls.

It was colder than the day before, and Carol put on everything she had to ride with me into the headwinds.  Steve met us 14 miles down the road in Vega.  Were we ready to call it?  I wasn't convincing but I said no.  Carol found some hot food and we launched into the flatlands.  We saw Steve again at Bushland.  By that time we were just a couple of miles from the Cadillac Ranch.  Arriving there made good on a goal for the trip.  We spent a little time wandering through the graffitti-encrusted bodies and then made our way into Amarillo.

The cold was getting worse by the time we came in, and there were predictions of snow for the next day.  We had scored a really nice AirBNB and settled in for a rest day.

April 13 & 14: Amarillo Rest Days

Although the predicted snow on Saturday the 13th didn't materialize, it was still cold and we were just exhausted from the last few days.  And we have an incredibly wonderful AirBNB, near St Andrew's Episcopal Church.  So we stayed an extra day: do laundry, fix bus lights, get more stuff at bike stores, church on Sunday morning and just plain sleeping. 

Mmmmmm............