Weather Phenomena of the Day - WIND

Dirt and dust blowing across the road made
visibility bad.  This is not a fuzzy photo from
the camera!  This is what we saw and couldn't see!

This is a photo of what we drove through and the videos are of us at the RV park. (I've tried to upload them, but no go.  Will add as a PS to another entry when I have a strong signal.) They should give you a good indication of what we dealt with yesterday.  Today is the same weather condition, but we are staying put and only ventured out to refuel.  Our weather apps indicated the wind yesterday was 20-30mph with gusts to 45.  Haven’t checked what today’s are, but they feel stronger as the RV is doing some rocking and rolling.  As of 4pm TWC says sustained winds were 30 to 40 with gusts to 50 so stay off the roads. Looks like we made a wise choice by staying. 

Driving into that strong of a headwind with an occasional sidewind gust was very hard on Roger and the truck.  Both worked overtime bucking against it.  He is totally exhausted today and fighting a headache (he rarely has them) so it is a good thing we didn’t move on.  Two days of driving in this wind would have done him in.  Besides, that 38 feet of sail we have behind the truck could easily be blown off the road.  On average we drive 250 miles a day and the truck takes an average of 23 gallons at the end of the day.  Driving into the wind increased our fuel consumption so that we put 30.5 gallons into the tank this morning.  (It holds 36 gallons).  Maggie is also a bit out of sync today - not her usual self.  I’m tired and the wind noise is annoying.  I think we all will have a long nap this afternoon. 

On our trips we set milestones to reach.   These are places that signify we have achieved a certain distance in our travels.  So, on this journey home, milestone one was the Mississippi River - sort of a symbol of East/West division.  Yesterday we had a TWOFER.  We finally got out of Texas after three days of driving through it AND we crossed into Mountain Time at the same time!!  We are getting closer and closer to home.  Next milestone will be the Continental Divide where the rivers run the "correct way!" 

One Texas town we passed through yesterday - Clarendon - was awash with crosses and “Praise Jesus” signs.  As you enter the town, population about 500 - there is a huge cross made of PVC pipe.  I thought that odd, but as we drove through the town I noticed that EVERY block, on both sides of the street had a 20 foot cross made of pvc pipe on the corner.  In addition, there were probably ten signs -  all of which mentioned Jesus in some fashion.  I don’t think that’s a town I’d be comfy in.  

A thought occurred to me as we go down the road that there aren’t too many towns in the US that don’t have a Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant.  Small, medium, and large - there seems to be one in every town.  I saw signs for one this morning on the way to the gas station, so Tucumcari has not been left out.  

We must have had a dozen trucks loaded with cows pass us yesterday.  They were heading, we presume, to Dodge City and the meat packing area of the country.   There were still lots of cows out on the range, though.  Also, lots and lots of cows in feed lots waiting for their turn to become McDonald burgers.  We also saw a buffalo ranch with some small, scrawny looking bison.  I’m guessing they were being raised for meat as well.

Texas has drive through beer stores.  Not drive up - drive through.  Yep, two lanes through a warehouse with beer stacked up on either side and in the middle.  Interesting. 

The ranches in Texas range from probably 40 acres way up to thousands of acres.  The one thing they seem to all have in common are fancy entrances.  Some are low key - two uprights with a cross beam made from logs or cast iron.  The name of the ranch is always on the top along with their brand.  Others have brick entrances like you see going into subdivisions - only there is a cross beam of some sort.  They range from simple, plain ones to hugely ornate and, surely, very expensive ones.  I guess that size matters (duh, it's Texas isn"t it).  The size of your entrance lets folks know how prosperous and big your ranch is.   There are some beautifully done ones and some very clever brands.  It’s just no one has an unmarked entrance but there does seem to be some class boundaries.  

We have a pair of western kingbirds nesting in the tree next to our dining room window.  The poor things are very confused because they see the reflection of the tree in our tinted window. They keep bumping into it thinking they are heading for the real thing. 

Tucumcari, NM is one of the towns along the famous Route 66.  We saw this mural this morning that I thought was very nicely done.  

Route 66 is noted for some of the odd buildings along the way built for tourists in the heyday of travel before the interstate system. This town has a few of them along with the old style motels with the western names.  They're not in good shape and often look residential but the original quirky architecture is definitely eye catching.  

I thought this Mexican restaurant was kinda cute.  Tucumcari also has a large stucco teepee but it was all closed up and had bars on the windows and doors.  Sad.

I remember as a teenager traveling this famous route.  I probably did more than once, as my father (a Marine) was stationed in Hawthorne, NV when I was in first through third grades, but I remember only the last time when my mother, sister and our dog drove out to Carson City to meet my father.  He had retired from the Corps and had found work in Carson City, NV.  The rest of us had been dropped off in southern Illinois with my grandmother.  When it was time to join him, we packed up a 1950s Nash and headed west.  It was quite the trip back in  November of 1961.  I’m quite sure that the “gypsy in my soul” now stems from having been a child of a Marine and then a wife of a Sailor.  Until we moved to Sparks, NV in 1986, I never lived anywhere more than three years and had no hometown.  

Roger also has great memories of a trip he took with his parents, sister, and grandmother from Detroit to LA along Route 66 in the early 60s.  They were driving a 1963 Ford station wagon with one of those added "on window" air conditioners. He's got some funny stories to tell about that trip.   Although, both our sisters, who remember lots we don't, could tell lots more about these trips we're sure!  Rog wonders if his family may have stayed in one of the motels along 66 here in Tucumcari - would be fun to know.

So, now Roger and I are hooked on this traveling lifestyle and we are having fun - most of the time.  We are getting our kicks on Route 66 on this trip when we can find them - there's not much of the old route left once they paved most of it over with I-40!