I’m in Lamar, CO. Now that I’m above 4,000 feet in the prairies, the land levels out and the Honda purrs along at 65 mph. Note I keep it down to 55 mostly. Did I ever see an awful, awful lot of country. Heading northwest from Wichita Falls, that’s pretty much what there is. I took 237 which goes right through such Texas gems as Childress, Goodnight, and Cactus. I’m out in the treeless prairie and hitting wind gusts.
I don’t know the particulars, but there are a lot more of those white crosses in the little towns, “Home of God, Grain, and Grits”. The crosses made of 6” PVC pipe. No, I didn’t stop and take a picture or dare ask. (“If Jesus died for my sins, there’s no tellin’ what he’d do over those people.”) But blog rules say it gets mentioned.It was a 12 hour day, using $53 in gas and covering 411 miles. I could have sped up, but naw, what’s the rush? And I stopped at the Big Texan in Amarillo. That’s the place with the 72 oz steak free if you can eat it in one hour. I took one look and nope, that’s not for me. I went for the 16 oz and a coffee, taking the full hour to scarf that down. I cannot remember when I last ate steak, but there was no way I was going through Texas without trying one. I’m not a fussy eater so it was utterly delicious. Note that for all the times I’ve been in Texas, this is my very first pleasure cruise. In my life.
Last time here was 2003 on the way to the San Diego Fair with a load of toothpicks through El Paso. How’s that for the hinge of fate thing? Now I’m riding a sidecar through Oklahoma. This is as close as I get to adventure any more. Here’s a ponderable point. All the country music I play I have learned since (as in after) I moved to Florida. (Johnny Cash isn’t country music.) Thus, I derived my song list by independent thought process of what sells to the established country crowd.
Imagine my surprise today in the Big Texan. They have a guy strolling between tables playing guitar. In the hour I was present, 12 of the 14 songs he played were on my list. You can say it is coincidence, but that would not explain how a world-famous restaurant I’ve never been in before chose the same non-standard tunes I did. (It is easy enough to verify over the years the trouble I’ve had finding suitable tunes, nor would fluke explain why he pointedly did not play the very same tunes I avoid.) It was 104 degrees as I headed north to the Oklahoma border. Gaining experience, I tend to stop every hour for a stretch. Pulling over in the sidecar is a much simpler operation than the same in a car. Sidecars tend to look funny when turning, and more so when climbing a curb at the same time. People watch expecting one wheel has to come off the ground, but now that I drive it like Steve McQueen, that never happens. And you should see me drive it now.
Another trick of the trade is to run the tank on reserve if there is a town within range. I’ve done so seven times on this trip already. Many fillings stations now have a rule that they will not refund for gas left on the pump. Thus, I’ve got stung for a few dollars [in total] when my tank wouldn’t take all I paid in advance. I don’t know the reason for that policy but it smacks of greed. When I hit the reserve, I know the tank will take at least 3.5 gallons.
I’m a week on the road now and can report on the sidecar. You learn all you need to after the first 800 miles. But don’t take chances, ever. The Goldwing is not a Harley. It powers out on steep hills and now matter how well you play the clutch it will still grind gears once in a while. (My original Honda 90 had this same problem, plus it can stick between gears if you pull up to a stop without gearing down at the same time.) Above the speed harmonic (about 55 mph on this machine), you have to apply considerably more “twist pressure” on the throttle grip, leading to wrist fatigue after the first hour.
Here’s a photo that didn’t grab me at first, but then I noticed the completely flat horizon and the farm tractor. It is easy to go 28 miles out here without seeing a farm house or anything but 18-wheelers and pickups. It is cattle country, and outsiders tend to vastly underestimate the huge acreage needed for even a small herd. Put another way, that is not a small herd, that is all that can be raised on the pasture you’ve been driving past.Nor was I expecting to see so much corn out this far. There were several other crops I could not identify being cultivated on the same pastureland. Sorry, I’m no help in finding out. I know wheat and rapeseed when I see it, that is all. Anything else new this trip? Ah, yes, for the first time I’ve stuck to my diet when traveling. That includes the steak dinner. For some reason, being out in the fresh air is not stimulating my appetite. So you’ll know, I spent three days budget on that Big Texan steak, the tab came to $24 including tip. There is also a far better roadside selection of lo-cal drinks available than five years back. And my daily consumption is measured in quarts.
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