Day 1
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
Distance: 434.7 miles
Duration: 6 hours, 37 minutes, and 40 seconds
Average Speed: 65.6 mph
Minimum Elevation: 403 feet
Maximum Elevation: 3718 feet
Not a lot to report this day. I got up early and worked through lunch so I could scoot out a little early. I try to start my trips in this way so I don't have to burn a vacation day doing the boring "Get out of Texas" part of the trip. Going west I usually try to make it to the Amarillo area.
I attended some meetings, did some work, got some brake bleeding done and last minute packing taken care of. The bike was already loaded and ready to go so when the time came I suited up, kissed the wife goodbye and hit the road.
The temps were up, and continued to rise as I rode west. I saw a high of 104F and was sucking down the water from my camelbak. I had a dinner destination of JT's Drive In, in Childress Texas.
I found this place on accident last year. The burger and fries were fantastic. Just the right char and flavor on the burger, and the seasoning on the fries was delicious. I had plugged it into my GPS as my dinner destination for this year. I was happy when I arrived because there was a table right under their wall unit air conditioner. I made my order and asked for a large ice water. The lady standing behind the order taker had been eyeballing me in my suit with my red face and sweat running off me, and as soon as I said "Ice water" she ran off to fetch that for me. I was especially thankful for that.
Dinner didn't disappoint, still as good as last year. I'd definitely recommend swinging by if you are passing through.
I'm definitely a planner. Some folks can just ride and stop wherever, but I stress out if there aren't reservations. Last thing I want to do is wander around from town to town after dark, sore and tired, looking for a place to stay. I went cheap and had put in reservations at the Super 8 in Dumas Texas. On arrival, I was really thankful I'd made reservations in advance, was lucky to be able to find a parking space next to my room.
That concluded most of the "Get out of Texas" portion of my ride. I'm within an hour of the border and about 3 hours from being able to see the Rocky Mountains. I go to bed early so I can have a head start in the morning to get the fun started.
