Day 17: Tucumcari, NM to Dalhart, TX

At breakfast this morning, most everyone was feeling a bit beat up after yesterday. Although we love to ride, we were a bit apprehensive about riding 96 miles today with temperatures expected in the 90Fs.  I think most of those feelings of anxiety were softened during the first 30 miles of the ride.  During this first 30 miles to our SAG stop, we had a net descent, a favorable NW quartering tailwind that eased us along even more, and refreshing 60-70F temperatures.

Diner in Logan, NM along SR 54E doing business as Crossroads Cafe -- a name we could call our SAG stops.

Roadside  bloom along SR 54E.

But for the remaining 66 miles after the SAG stop, we experienced an entirely different ride.  As the miles ticked by, the NW quartering tailwind started to come around and eventually became a NE quartering headwind.  In addition, the temperatures rose steadily throughout the day and eventually reached the mid-90Fs.  Although there were a few interesting sights along the way, most of the time we fought hip pain, butt pain, quad pain, hamstring pain, neck pain, and/or back pain as we struggled to progress against a 20 mph headwind vector along a straight Texas panhandle highway. 

Concrete, bullet-pocked sign at the Texas-New Mexico border marks our fourth state of the tour and a new time zone.
And yes, unlike when I entered New Mexico, I remembered to sprinkle Pacific Ocean beach sand this time.
I wonder if Texas elves and fairies are larger than those in other states.

Apparently Geezerville, Old Goats Lane, and "No Country for Old Men" wasn't enough,
but it is nice to know us guys of a certain age have our own ranch. 

Large areas of sand with no apparent vegetation were common along SR 54E southwest of Dalhart.

Essentially, SR 54E in Texas always looked like this -- straight with rolling hills.  By early afternoon, headwinds were approximately 20mph and the temperature was in the 80Fs to 90Fs.  Although the shoulder looks smooth, it was typically "chip and seal" in most spots making an already difficult segment of the ride even more annoying.

Thousands of steaks on the hoof destined for your table.  The colossal size of these feeder cattle operations prevents the entire feedlot from being captured in a single photograph by a ground level cyclist.

Dalhart was at the center of the Dust Bowl -- an area severely affected by drought and dust storms in the 1930s.

CrossRoads Day 17 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Tucumcari NM to Dalhart TX

Tomorrow's ride is reportedly short and flat relative to yesterday's and today's rides.  The X-factors are the wind direction and the temperature.  We will leave the Texas panhandle and cross over into our fifth state as we head to Guyman, OK.