Day 13 Aug. 12

Shamrock to Amarillo TX

Total 98 miles

The best description for today 5 towns and 8 churches.  

The route is not generally following old Route 66 and runs parallel to I-40 now.

Towns passed through:

• Shamrock
• Maclean
• Groom
• Conway
• Amarillo

We are now in the high country of Texas and there  is not a lot going.  The land is dry and for the first time in the last few days i noticed some crops rather than just hay and cattle.  There were several fields of cotton one of corn and one of sourgum (maybe one of soy but doubt it). A lot crop land of it was irrigated.   I saw two fields being worked with tractors I would guess they had winter wheat on then.  

Dianne is now on a mission to skip the heat as much as possible and try to beat the heat of the afternoon.  So as soon as she is awake she is ready to go often leaving after just one cup of coffee and no breakfast to speak of.

The weather today was warm not to hot during the riding hours but over 90 in the late afternoon.  Wind was still there but much lighter I would guess around 10 mph.  The weather app said 16 mph cross wind so maybe it picked up after we stopped.

The other thing I noticed today is a lot more old homesteads still standing but clearly abandoned.  They look lonely in the fields surrounded by a few trees.  

The land color is change to more browns and is really flat.  

Measured the distance from when I first saw a grain elevator and it 9 miles.  

Most of the roads we are on are empty of cars would guess we had no more than 3 cars pass us outside of towns towns today.  

Given the lack of traffic it should not come as surprise that the roads are not common and therefore not build if not used.  This resulted in the route putting on the interstate twice today.  Having seen this on bicycle routes it did not bother me much but Dianne did not like it.  I think the word she used to describe it was “exciting” and Scary”.  The shoulders were broad so I was comfortable and a lot of the truckers would pull over a lane as they passed us giving extra space and causing less wind effects.  

The towns we were in all look small and used up.  Lots of run down homes, empty store fronts, empty motels and old gas stations.   Some homes were clearly rebuild to modern style but many just looked old. 

General View of the country (plus a cow, (Note I was not referring to Dianne)

Every farm has a gate over it this is one of cuter ones

Neat old church in Groom

Route 66 Classics got to have one every day

Given my work I had take pictures of these old grain Elevators

Love the crooked water tower.  

Stuff seen:

• two slow deer one flat snake
• 8 churches
• 5 RV parks 
• 10 Old gas stations (Dianne won’t let me stop for them all any more
• 3 or 4 old motels
• 1 wrecking yard (wrecking yards and storage units seem to require people and lots people here just leave old cars out back)
• 15 fields of cattle and 2 fields with horses
• 2 dogs that tried to chase us (unlike on a bicycle we can outrun then easily, though as Dianne is following I think she more problems with them than I do as when I pass they are not ready)
• 4 deer statues on a lawn (funny same house had the dogs)
• 4 old tow trucks parked in fields (see note on Wrecking yards)
• 3 motorcycles on interstate 
• 3 wind farms
• 6 bug strikes (not sure why they were fewer today)
• 4 Buzzards just cruising on the wind.
• 6 grain elevators (two no longer working)
• 5 irrigated fields and one of the arms was a mile long.