176: Running against the wind

We are not exactly burning up the miles today. That's what happens when we are in a metro area. There are always a few stops that we have to make, like the drugstore and the bike store. So it's noon, and we have only gone about ten or eleven miles.

Sam and Bob in Sun Adventure Sports

Sam and Bob at the bike store gave us some insights on the next segment of our journey. Somehow the knowledge only increases my apprehension. This is going to be a very tough couple of weeks. After the riding we have done, you'd think it would get a little easier.  At least, I thought so!

But we are now facing fierce head winds, probably for the rest of the way home. Maybe in the mountains the wind won't be so bad, but then - we'll have the mountains!

Our plan is to get to Adrian today. We will be camping there for the first time in weeks. For now, however, we are sitting at the Red Robin restaurant, eating what may be our last sit down meal for a while.

Next up: The Cadillac Ranch. Can't go past it without at least a brief stop.

  -  -  -  -  - above written during the day -  -  - now the evening updates -  -  -  -  -

There are places that exist for no good reason.  I'd put the Cadillac Ranch in this category.  It's an interesting experiment in human nature: if you bury it, they will come, I guess.  Roger said he'd like to have seen them in their natural state, before people started painting them. But I thought the self-expression by all the visitors was really part of the appeal. Reminded me of Pollock's drip paintings, in a way. Someone jokingly said the cars are gone now; nothing left but the paint!  There was a kid on top of one of the cars, spraying some bright orange paint on the car - into the wind. I saw his mom standing below and wondered if she had selected throw-away clothing for him to wear on this expedition!  I actually found the painting on the maize in the field more interesting.

He was getting more paint on himself than the car

Further artistic expression

How do you top that? Well, you can't, really. It's sort of a one-of-a-kind experience. Except it's really not. We understand there is also a set of buried Volkswagen bugs, and the guy at the bike store said that he knew of someone who had buried a bunch of combines. Go figure.

Fun car art en route

We took plenty of breaks today. Had some really good pie at the Windy Cow Cafe. Then a stop in Vega, where we hit a curb and got a pinch flat. After that repair, we evaluated the situation. There would be no food further down the road in Adrian. But we did want to get a few more miles in. So we got a couple of Subway sandwiches and then headed back out.

Lots of old silos and barns along the route

By this time, it is 6:15. We have maybe a good hour of daylight left. We decide to take the shoulder of the highway, because the surface is better, and we get a little extra speed from the trucks that go by. The wind had settled down a bit by this time and we actually were able to do the last 14 miles in just about an hour, bringing our average for the day up to a whopping 9.8 miles per hour.

The sun had just set as we left the highway. Great timing. So it's time for bed now. I'll add my photos tomorrow. If you're a regular reader, please check back in.

The day's report: Amarillo to Adrian, 56.7 miles/ 8291 to date

Long day, long shadows

Here's the way we went

Footnote: a couple of days ago we were doing everything we could just to stay dry. Today we're using our arm and leg coolers and wetting them down in an effort to beat the heat!

The final rays