Day 16 - Amarillo to Shamrock, TX

What a difference a day makes. Maybe it was the fact that everyone ate their fill last night at the Big Texan or that we got to sleep in until 7:30 but, today everyone was in high spirits. Come to think of it, we swapped out 2 of the crew members in Amarillo last night and the new guy actually makes a mean pot of coffee. Small things make us happy on this trip.

Today's ride paralleled I-40. That sounds pretty crappy until you realize that we were on the famed Route 66. I Can't tell you how many times I heard my friends sing the song. The consensus was that the Depeche Mode version is the best.

There wasn't much to report on the actually riding today. We rode through a small town called Alandean where the only living thing appeared to be a dead porcupine. The town did have a great old route 66 style gas station though.

We passed through Conway today. There were about 4 houses, a grain silo and a broken down late 60's Ford. What made it cool was that we saw a Conway Truckload truck drive by on the freeway just to our left. I let out a big shout and everyone thought I was a bit mad.

The next town was called Groom. Probably about twice the size of Conway. On our route sheet it mentioned the Blessed Mary Cafe which apparently makes great pies. When we got there, it was closed but it looked pretty intriguing. On each table in the diner, there was a statue of Madonna (no not the singer). Alas, no pies for us.

The big highlight of today's ride was lunch in McLean, TX. Apart from the grilled chicken, coleslaw, potato salad. Yummy. What made it even better was that the support van was parked next to the Devil's Rope and Route 66 museums. Devil's Rope is a euphemism for barbed wire. To cut a long story short, if you are ever in the Texas Panhandle and you need some AC, I thoroughly recommend this museum. Who knew barbed wire had so many uses... Pictures are here.

The last 20 miles got a bit on the toasty side. The road was beginning to melt and the thermometer on the team van showed 105 when we got to Shamrock. I was half expecting to see leprechauns and lots of green stuff here but no. Saying that, I did go to McDonald for a large shake and saw a mother and daughter with pasty white skin and ginger hair...

OK, not much else to add. I'm going to try to walk over to the convenience store for a soda without melting. Wish me luck. I'm also excited as I get to see my good friend Maureen Brown (who left Conway and moved down to Austin, TX) on Wednesday.

I wonder what my chances of finding a Guinness in Shamrock are like?

PS. Despite my valiant efforts. No Guinness in Shamrock. This is because it's a dry town. Apparently there is a ballot initiative to make it "wet". Maybe next time I come back. In an effort to make the most of the situation, Greg (my new roomie and I) went to explore town. Imagine our excitement when we found that Shamrock is home to the tallest water tower in Texas. Yeehaw.