Tuesday, August 3rd - Day 31 - Straight and Narrow

I've been travelling on interstate highways for a few days now... Ever since leaving Silver City NM... kinda boring. 


The road to Amarillo, Texas wasn't to eventful. I did notice though that the weather changed dramatically as I crossed the timezone line into Texas. It went from humid and moderately warm to dry and bloody hot!! like 30'C to 40'C in a mile or two. Bizarre!


As well, the land became fairly flat.. forever... Different than our Saskatchewan flat, but still very vast!


I pulled into town at 2:30 but the timechange made me lose an hour. I checked into a Travelodge Inn... 39 BUCKS!! That's amazing!! AND the icing on the cake, they get you in free at the Gold's Gym across the street! Naturally, seeing as I haven't been in a gym since Revelstoke and miss that kind of work out, I headed over there for a really fast high intensity workout. Awesome!


My  coffeehost in Amarillo brought along a sidekick, and that was very welcome. Together they made an incredible team! They toured me around, took me to "The Broken Spoke", a bar a little rough around the edges, where we had that mexican XX beer.. i thought it was great personally, lol, but this was their version of slumming. 


Peacemaker24 of Sport Touring, thanks for the suggestion of "A damn fine steak" at The Big Texan.. but my hosts would have none of it... They took me there to see the brightly coloured motel, and to sit in a massive wooden rocking chair, and to see the big 72 oz steak you can get for free (the catch is you gotta eat ALL OF IT.. in under an HOUR!!! I coulda done it, but I'm trying to refrain from binge eating anymore, lol... such an unhealthy habit. What a great time!


We were also going to see the Cadillac Ranch.. I won't tell you what it is exactly but, bring some colorful spray paints.. anyway, we went to 575 Pizzeria where we had INCREDIBLE flat bread pizza pies, from the influence of Italy. This was the girls suggestion versus Big Texan. Big Texan looked like fun, and you can get a free limo ride TO the restaurant, but this was a nice surprise to find in a texan town. I also met their friend Drew Barrett, a local graffiti artist.. 


My coffeehost's sidekick went off to help their father with some business planning.. they own the Sac-n-Pac convenience stores, so my host and I went to a birthday BBQ (Notice a pattern emerging? These things are really popular!) where I met a bunch of really great people. 


The birthday girl's husband talked a little about his job, and was modest about his situation, but I could tell from my own past that although he appreciates what he is doing, he doesn't want to do it forever, and he is using his present as an inspiration to a different future. I knew exactly how he felt, as I do this often with my own job... so as I left I imparted in him my own take on it; Although we may wish for something else and should pursue our goals, we must always appreciate where we are, and we must find the best in it, and make the best of it. He was sincerely grateful that a stranger, a passerby, would leave that message, a message he admitted he needed to hear. 


I wish him the best.


Tomorrow morning I'm supposed to ride down into Palo Duro Canyon, the second largets canyon in the US. Unfortunately, I have to make a service appointment at 2pm... so have decided I will skip the extra hour and a half of riding. Apologies to my host, I'm sure it would have been lovely but I can't spare the time. 


I will have to settle.. for more... straight and narrow....


Take care, Ride safe.