On the road around 10:00am, heading to Amarillo, TX.
The land along the way was very flat, more prairie than the prairies of Canada. We are talking wall to wall sky here, with a flat horizon. The only difference between this and looking out from the deck of a cruise ship is that you can't drown on the prairie. This thing is so flat that the only reason I can't see Winnipeg from here is the curvature of the earth. Hell, my pancake batter has bigger lumps in it than North Texas does. Want more? Sorry, that's all I thought of while I was driving along the straight-for-miles-and-miles road.
Stopped in Memphis for a break. Memphis, Texas, that is. Population of 2500 according to the sign, but that must have included all the dogs and cats, and their fleas. Got off US287 and drove into town on a whim. The place was deserted just like Wichita Falls. Only about 20% of the store fronts on Main street were not empty. Stopped at a small grocery store for some fruit, talked to the people, they said that the oil production had died off (!!!) in the last few years, and people just worked the farms now, cotton and peanuts. You could almost see the dry tumbleweeds rolling down the street, and through the spirits of these two women. Its dead and it isn't coming back, only the people can't leave, or don't, for whatever reason. You should have seen it, pretty little houses on nice wide landscaped streets, and a lot of the streets made by placing orange bricks in either straight rows or intricate patterns. But the streets are mostly deserted now, except for a little silver Honda with two tourists and their cameras. And the houses are, with only a few exceptions, run-down or boarded up or sitting with for-sale signs on them. Could this happen in Canada? We didn't put in any pictures of the town, too depressing. Instead I added our first cactus, an Amarillo billboard, a bunny outside the Texas visitor's center, some camels that Jan saw, and a funny looking thing flying overhead. Oh yes, I added one other thing in place of the town pictures, a receipe for real Texas cowboy stew. You will love it more than the Lobster bisque.
Rolled into Amarillo in mid-afternoon, checked into the motel, and were about to head to town when we discovered that the place had a guest laundry. We had it to ourselves and couldn't pass up the opportunity (since we were out of clean clothes) so we took it. We have feasted on grapes, bananas, granola bars, microwave popcorn, and rum/coke for dinner. Now we are clean and tired so off to bed soon. We will be up early tomorrow, heading for Palo Duro - Texas' answer to the Grand Canyon. Can't wait. Then, if time allows, we will head for Santa Fe.
