May 7-9

After all the disappointments and difficulties in the first several weeks of this trip, the last three days have been so refreshingly predictable. The terrain has been mostly flat, with a few small or gradual hills to make the going interesting. The winds have been mostly at my back. And while temperatures have been in the 90s, and near 100 today, I've been able to avoid the worst of the heat by getting out early and finishing early. I guess you could say I've been panhandling — cutting across the Texas Panhandle on my way to Oklahoma!

May 7: Vega to Conway, Texas

When I left Vega, Texas, on May 6, there was just a light breeze. I had easy going to Amarillo. After the four flat tires I had over the last couple of weeks, I needed to get some new inner tubes. I also wanted to get my rear derailleur adjusted, since I couldn't always get it to shift into the gear I wanted without some fine-tuning with the gear-shift lever. I found a bike shop — Sun Adventure Sports — not too far off Bicycle Route 66 in Amarillo and stopped in to see what they could do. I got my inner tubes and a new tube of Chamois Butt'r, and then talked with one of their mechanics about the problem I was having. He put my bike up on a repair stand and started tweaking and adjusting, but he looked perplexed. He took out a large rod and lined it up with my rear wheel. It turned out that the part of my bike's frame, which the rear derailleur attaches to, was bent. The mechanic took that long rod and bent the derailleur hanger back into place. (Remember several days ago when I pulled up to a convenience store after riding on the interstate highway's shoulder for an extended time, and I how got confused about clipping out of my pedals and toppled over? I thought I had averted damage to my bike, but I actually bent the derailleur hanger. It's a wonder the derailleur kept working as well as it did.)

The guys in the shop were friendly and gave me good service. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday and they were a little busy with other customers. Even my mechanic had to stop periodically to wait on people coming through the door. As a result, I was in the store for a couple of hours. By the time I left, the wind had picked up and the temperature had soared. It was like cycling in a convection oven. I had about 30 miles to go.

Fortunately, the strengthening winds were mostly at my back as I left Amarillo and returned to open country. I was doing OK until I got within about five miles of my motel in Conway, Texas. I had to zig-zag a bit on county roads to get there, which meant I had stiff crosswinds to deal with. For the last three miles, the winds got to blowing so hard I was barely moving. I could see my motel, but I just had to accept that it would take me a while to get there. I finally arrived at The Executive Inn, one of the simple, little motels that dot this route, and which you could mistake for being closed if you didn't know better. I had made a reservation, but it wasn't necessary. I would be the only guest for the night. Since I didn't have a car, the woman at the front desk told me to leave the room's curtains open when I left. That way she would know I was gone without having to knock on the door. Even though The Executive Inn could be mistaken for being abandoned, the grounds and my room were very clean and well-maintained.

Food was another challenge. The only place to buy food was a truck stop about a half-mile away, which had a Subway sandwich stand inside. I don't like to get back on my bike after I've reached my day's destination, but I didn't have any choice. After getting cleaned up, I rode over to the truck stop and got a sub, drinks and some snacks. I loaded them into two of my bike bags I'd brought with me and rode back to the motel with my goodies.

May 8: Conway to Shamrock, Texas

I was looking forward to this day. I would be heading almost straight east all day long, and the winds were forecast to be from the west. I'd have a good, strong tailwind for most of the way. As I was getting on the road, I noticed something I hadn't paid attention to the day before — The Slug Bug Ranch!

You may have heard of The Cadillac Ranch, an art project by a group called The Ant Farm, in which several Cadillacs were buried nose-first a short distance off of Interstate 40 west of Amarillo in the 1970s. The installation has gotten so much attention over the years — including from Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch" on his album "The River" — that another group decided to erect their own, even-more-humorous installation — The Slug Bug Ranch, in which a few Volkswagen Bugs were buried nose-first. It was right next to my motel.

A couple of hours down the road, I met up again with my cycling buddies, George and Greg, who are also riding Bicycle Route 66. They spent the night in Groom, Texas, one town farther down the road. They tend to start later than me, so I've been able to catch up with them the last couple of mornings. It's fun having someone to commiserate with about road-surface conditions, the winds and other things we encounter. In McLean, Texas, I got to a convenience store about five minutes before them. I told the man behind the store's counter that "a couple characters looking for trouble" would be coming in soon, and that he had my support if he wanted to refuse them service. I told him I was joking, and I hoped he'd play along, but he treated them very politely. I hope I'll continue to cross paths with George and Greg. They're a lot of fun.

I had left my motel in Conway at 7 a.m. sharp and got into my overnight town, Shamrock, around noon. I had a couple extended stops, chatting with my buddies, but when I was on the road I covered some ground — 56 miles in 3 hours, 48 minutes for an average speed of 14.8 mph. 

May 9: Shamrock, Texas, to Elk City, Oklahoma

Today's forecast called for the winds to shift to the south and southwest. I would be heading east for about two-thirds of the 56-mile distance, and then angling to the northeast for the last 20 miles or so. Before I left Shamrock, I stopped to take photos of the town's Route 66 landmark — a restored Conoco gas station. I didn't have far to go. It was next door to my hotel.

The towns along today's route had some noteworthy characteristics. Erick, Oklahoma, is where country-western singer Roger Miller grew up. The main road through town is named in his honor.

Sayre and Elk City, where I'm overnighting, reminded me of some of the best little Iowa towns. They were green (!), with tree-lined streets and beautiful city parks that had small, city-owned and -maintained water parks, baseball diamonds and lush lawns.

I had been able to get on the road just after 7 a.m., so once the winds started blowing hard — 20-25 mph — at about 11 a.m.. I was already heading northeast and had a strong tailwind. I got to my hotel just after noon and had to wait for a room to be cleaned before I could check in. It's a good problem to have.

For the last couple of days, almost the entire route has been on frontage roads alongside Interstate 40. Occasionally, the frontage road turns away from the highway, but most of the time it looks like I-40's bike lane, with nothing dividing it from the highway's traffic lanes. Over the course of my day, I saw maybe a half-dozen cars on the frontage roads. I seldom had to be concerned about staying far to the right. I had the right lane all to myself. In Texas, and now Oklahoma, the frontage roads have made the trip easier. They also have reduced how much I've had to ride on the shoulders of I-40.

It's great to be in Oklahoma — the fifth state of this trip. Tomorrow, I'll have a short ride to Weatherford, and the next day I'll be in Oklahoma City.

Contact me: Thoughts or comments? Email me at richardridesusa@gmail.com.

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