A pleasant Sunday drive through three states

Trust me this is the Oklahoma State sign - Joan took the photo

Today was a leisurely Sunday drive compared to yesterday’s long distance marathon. The weather has been improving as we travel west and we are praying that it holds up for Tuesday in Flagstaff. Last year picked up the trailer and headed down the hill just two hours before a foot of snow hit the area. The forecast calls for none of that this year.

We left the Quality Inn this morning in bright sunshine and except for a couple brief overcast periods. As promised the hotel made fresh bacon and sausage as I requested the night before. Even with late arrivals it appeared there couldn’t have been more than ten people in the hotel overnight. Traffic was light and Joan spelled me for a 100-mile stretch through Oklahoma so I arrived fresh and hungry into Amarillo tonight.

We have never come through Oklahoma when the wind wasn’t blowing at gale force. Until today, there were winds but the least wind we have ever encountered crossing the plains. Likewise, in the Texas Panhandle the winds were there but nowhere near what we have struggled with before.

Where better a place for a wind farm than Oklahoma?

Temperatures got to 60 degrees – with one stretch at 64 -  for most of the afternoon and it was warm enough for us to walk to a nearby Red Lobster restaurant instead of getting back in the car and finding a restaurant in town. This is our fourth stay in Amarillo and we used to go to a wonderful Mexican restaurant, but we are on a special diet right now which prohibits the eating of cheese, bread and sugar. And what is Mexican food without cheese?

Gas prices have been steadily falling since we left Michigan and tonight I topped off the tank for $2.06 a gallon here in Amarillo at the Flying J station near the hotel.

Every year we come through the panhandle we see the remnants of the harvested cotton fields, but today we saw the huge truck-trailer sized bales lined up in the fields. It was a pretty impressive amount of cotton.

We passed the usual landmarks, the huge cross just east of Amarillo and the leaning water tank, but because I have taken those pictures every year, I gave the camera rest today.

Texas - Joan did better - note the blue skies

We listed to a variety of XM stations today, including Radio Classics (“The Shadow Knows….”), sports stations and the NHL broadcast of the Toronto versus Detroit outdoor game.

I really love the 75 mph speed limits on the Oklahoma turnpike and the panhandle section of I-40 in Texas. The miles pile up pretty quickly with that limit.

At one point, we passed a Quad Graphics truck and Joan remembered that my brother-in-law Jeff works for them in West Virginia. 

When you think of people who have to work holidays – police officers, firefighters, etc. – it is good to remember that a lot of long haul truck drivers are still on the road delivering the things we need to live on. It was surprising to see how many trucks were on the road today – New Year’s Day.

Also I always think of my Dad when I am in Amarillo as he has fond memories of his days here as a World War II Army Air Corps enlistee. "The only place where you can be up to your waist in mud and have sand blown in your face!"  "The only thing that stops the wind is the barbed wire."

Flagstaff tomorrow!

Mileage out: 61338

Mileage in: 61073

Time out: 7:59 a.m. (CST)

Time in: 5:30 p.m. (CST)