Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Day 10 Tucumcari, Nm to Dalhart, Tx 96 miles @ 18.9mph

The weather today was absolutely miserable. I'm not a big fan of riding in the rain. At home, if it's raining when I get up...I stay home. Out here...you gotta do the miles, regardless of the conditions. We left Tucumcari in a spitting rain that turned into a deluge just after crossing into Texas. We battled some pretty strong crosswinds again today. Fortunately, Highway 54 has the widest, smoothest shoulder we've ridden. We passed feed lots with 1000's of cows that you could smell for miles. At one point we spooked a field rabbit. Stuck between us on the road and a feed lot...the poor guy just kept running. We were going 23mph and he was still able to outrun us. He kept that up for well over a mile until he got to a clear field where he disappeared. I think he got his workout for the day. It was nice to get finished early today. Unfortunately, not much to do here in Dalhart. Had a great lunch at Hodies BBQ and a chocolate shake from DQ.

The weather should clear for tomorrow's 3 state (TX,OK,KS) run into Liberal, Kansas 113 miles away! HW 54 runs to NE as straight as an arrow. The winds are forecast from the SE...so our plan is to get a 5-man group together and try for a
sub-4 hour century (100 miles). We've taken it relatively easy the last 2 days and today my legs felt great! I think we can do it!


Welcome to Texas!!!


Say what you want about Texas being the homestate of G Bush...any state with road shoulders this sweet is fine by me!


Rain soaked self-portrait


"I-man" surviving another day on the road!!


Brian and Judd enjoying a stroll thru Dowtown Dalhart, Tx..."It's not just ugly...it smells bad, too!!"

11 comments:

Cori D said...

Now you know you're a REAL cyclist...riding in the rain. Yuck. It's great to hear your tales, so keep 'em coming. You're doing GREAT and we're all jealous!! ;-)

Unknown said...

Riding in the rain sounds tough.... congrats so far!

Unknown said...

Impressive average today, especially given the conditions. Good luck with the sub 4 attempt.

Unknown said...

Dude, you are getting some sun!! Sunscreen baby! Sunscreen!!

Great pics DD!! Keep it up!

And yeah, all Orlando rides are going to hell without, we need you back! =)

Wayne L said...

Dave,
Cori's telling a big of a fib as the Einstein's consensus yesterday was that after the 144, 137, etc. days on I40, we weren't all that envious. We might skip the rain day too, but those beautiful days climbing...count us in. Can we pick and choose? Love the posts.

Alexis said...

It's unfortunate that you are riding through the ugliest part of Texas, but at least the roads are smooth! Congrats on a successful venture so far and good luck with the journey ahead!

Love the blog. It's been great to read about the trip and see the US from a totally different perspective. Keep up the great work!

Nisan said...

I agree with Manny...the rides are going to hell without you here
and I agree with WW......it is a big-fib...not that envious!
I do however admire a lot what you're doing and I love to read about it.
Princess is looking great!
need more dessert pictures
sheepman

flip said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
flip said...

David,,,

Way to go man! You are kickin’ some serious Badonkadonk! I do have some requests though… Although you rock the white zinc oxide with style, don’t forget about all the wonderful colors out there, complementary of the radical 80’s! http://www.zinka.com/. Also, next time you hit up a Denny’s try the Country Sausage Bowl. 28 ounces of delicious sausage with 1680 calories, 108 fat grams, and 50 grams of protein! Gary Buchanan eats two servings every morning before heading to the Magic Kingdom!!! Keep up the awesome work,,, everybody in O-Town is thinking of you!

-flip

Owlman said...

DD -

We've had internecine warfare in your absence. Not good. We need you back to mediate!

So how can you ride through a George Bush state? Argh. Is it possible to ride cross country just going through blue states? I would not feel safe in reds states!

;)

dave ruhe said...

Ruhe said....look forward to your blog everyday. Still a big deal for me to survive the Sat. Oveido loop.

Soon you'll be in Missouri....that'll be exciting