November 10, 2023 Day 34 Ardmore Oklahoma to Tulia Texas 298 miles
We got on the road about 8:50 this morning. Rob installed the manifold heater before we left. The rain is gone and the sun is shining. The temperature is much cooler however. We filled with gas and headed out. We turned onto Michelin Road and quickly learned why it was called that. A huge Michelin plant was located there. A statue of the Michelin man was at the main entrance.
We turned onto a divided highway. Traffic was pretty light for the size and quality of the road. A few oil wells are visible from the road. Overall the terrain is quite flat.
We spotted various old vehicles along the way. Some are just part of the body. All seem very rusted.
The road went down to a two lane road. Not many turns in it so we can drive faster than yesterday. Lots of cotton fields are here. Most have been picked. Very few have sprinkler systems. The plants seem shorter too. Some of the fields are green with some kind of crop but the plants are too small to recognize. Cattle were grazing in one of the cotton fields.
Occasionally we saw birds of prey. Not sure if they were hawks or a small eagle. Some were flying and some were sitting on telephone poles.
In some places the soil is visible. It is very red.
Lots of pastures have beef cattle but one had some long horns. They looked right at home here. One billboard reminded us to eat beef because we were in beef country.
Off in the distance are lots of windmills. They seem further apart than in some areas.
Then we crossed into Texas and soon turned onto a very narrow two lane road. It did have a center line however. Luckily we did not meet any big farm equipment. In fact we didn’t meet much of anything.
We stopped at a picnic table for lunch. This is the first one we have seen on the entire trip. No bathroom though. A local lady turned in right behind us to say the marker here says Chisholm trail but this is not a spot on that trail. She told us of another spot just three miles off this road that has lots of history including where the movie Lonesome Dove was filmed crossing the Red River. A second lady stopped and told all about her hand surgery. We must be good listeners or maybe just targets of opportunity.
Back on the road we could see more windmills including a new one going up. The pole was up and the propellers were still on the ground. The crane used to help in the construction was fully extended. Almost looked like it would topple over.
We filled with gas in the town of Quanah Texas. It’s named for the last great Comanche chief. The town has several buildings on the National Historic Register. Might be a good place to explore.
Oh dear a rock hit the windshield right in Connie’s line of vision. It left a quarter size star crack. Sure hope that doesn’t continue to grow. Another item to put on the Woodie repair list.
Then we came to Turkey Texas. It’s bigger than Chicken Alaska but about as quaint. It honors Bob Wills who is famous for the creation of Western Swing. It was also the site of the first Phillips 66 station in Texas. It opened in July 1928.
Oh my a small mountain. It stands all by itself. Looks out of place. Mountain is a relative term.
A pasture has large metal silhouettes of an Indian hunting several buffalo. Oh for the old days. At least we don’t have to dodge buffalo on the road like we did in Canada.
We stopped in the grocery store on our way through town. It also served as the hardware store. It was a small town. Our hotel is out by the freeway. We arrived there about 4:30 just before the rain.
Spoffords Travel 