To Amarillo

Saturday morning was cold and clear with the temperature around 39 degrees. We finally were on the road by 8:30 headed for Vega. Lunch time found us stopping for fast food at McDonalds in Wichita Falls.

We stopped in Iowa Park to visit our foot bridge.





We stopped at one of the new highway rest areas on 287 just long enough to download our email before hitting the road again.

At Childress we turned north on US 83. I had been wanting to visit some points of interest on I-40 east of Amarillo. After crossing the Salt Fork of the Red River we were in cotton country. Even though it was dryland production the fields were some of the whitest I have ever seen.

After turning west on I-40 or first stop was the Devil's Rope Museum in McLean. It was getting late in the day and the museum was already closed. Since we were running late I didn't spend much time looking for the cache near the front door of the museum! Those are rolls of used barb wire on the pillars!

Next we came to a highway rest stop and tornado shelter.

The site overlooked the beginning of the Canadian River Breaks at the north edge of the High Plains.

This is the front entrance to the shelter. Notice the sun coming through one of the star cutouts in the wall casting a bright star shape on the opposite wall. Click to enlarge.

The leaning tower near Groom.

In Groom we stopped my windmill and well repair shop but couldn't find the cache here either.

On the west side of groom is a huge cross listed in Roadside America. We stopped here long enough to take some pictures before heading into the setting sun.

All the stations of the cross are depicted in bronze around the base of the giant cross.

The road into and through Amarillo looks directly into the setting sun. I had to use both the sun visor and my hand to block the glare.

It was around 7:30 by the time we arrived at Bill and Ruth's place. They had already eaten but had hamburger and hot dog fixings on the table waiting for us. We enjoyed the feast.