May 21, 2024
Like a scalded dog with ears laid back, I flew downhill to Amarillo on a tailwind. But not without a few lovely encounters.
First, I was making my way across an overpass at dawn. Feeling neighborly, I waved to the traffic below. And what do you know but a truck honked "Shave and a haircut, six bits" up at me! If that doesn't make your day, you just need to go on back to bed.
A few miles outside of Amarillo, I stopped at Cadillac Ranch, an installation Art Farm created in 1974, the year that I was born. Still standing proud in the desert, the Cadillacs rather insisted that I spray paint my initials on one of them. I happily obliged.
While there, I chatted with a biker couple out of Texarkana, AR and a Christian woman who is distributing her recordings of hymns to hospice centers across the country. Both asked me about Louise and bade me safe travels. Good feelings flowed.
Finally, when I arrived in Amarillo, I stopped at the Sun Adventure sport shop. The fine folks there measured my chain, then gave it a good clean and tune, free of charge. They also checked my brakes and brackets. Bike people tend to be good people, but these folks took it to the next level.
All in all, it was a mighty fine day for Louise and me both.
Distance: 51.18 miles
Climbing: .22 K feet
Totals: 1,772.57 miles, 62.89 K feet
Song: "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait (h/t Lisa Anderson)
What an adventure!
Great trip!
The bike shop folks must have also enjoyed your visit! It’s not everyday that they get to tune up a bike on a world conquering mission!