Nick and Dale's Great Adventure: Texas Edition


Finally, out of New Mexico and into Texas! Adrian is the midpoint of Route 66.  We stopped at the Midpoint Cafe.  Dale pulled in first and the kind woman poked her head out to tell us they were closed but we were welcome to come in for a piece of pie and a drink.  They put just a touch of green chile in the apple pie which spices it up just a touch more than cinnamon only.  It was good.  Outside, there was a man and a woman (cousins) enroute to California to deliver the car to his daughter.  The battery light came on in Amarillo, they stopped to get it checked out and the mechanic said they should make it to Albuquerque.  Well, they made it to Adrian where there is pretty much nothing but the Cafe.  They were waiting on a tow back to Amarillo.



We left the Cafe and headed towards Vega, TX where we would be staying that night.  The road was flat and straight.  The wind from the southeast was mostly in our face, so the going seemed slow and the road grew boring after a while.  Roosters was the place to go, so we ate our fill (and I had a Lone Star or two...when in Texas).  Some folks seemed interested in our journey, so we obliged them with the details.  Always fun talking to locals and travelers alike!



Amarillo was the next town.  Following the maps and Google, we made a wrong turn (on a straight road) and needed to backtrack nearly 5 miles to see the famous Cadillac Ranch (one of my bucket list things to see).  I was happy to provide a momento of our journey on one of the caddies, I'm sure it will be gone soon, if not already.  We traveled through town and ate a Gills.  The owner had been in business for three weeks.  Dale ordered and I asked for pie.  Key Lime was what she had and finished the topping while cooking for Dale.  It was tasty on a hot day!



From there we headed to Conway for the night.  The Executive Inn was the only game in town, it was clean and comfortable.  The owners were Indian who had moved to Texas 13 years ago.  Their journey started in Canada, to Ohio and finally Texas.  I was talking with their son who noted that there are rattlesnakes around so keep an eye out.  The days run together but we did have a run in with a snake...I startled it, Dale ran it over, no one got bit... Conway is also home to the Bug Ranch where someone half buried Volkswagens (as opposed to Cadillacs).  No paint, so no mark.



Off to Mclean, TX and our last night in Texas.  The Cactus Inn was the stop and an original Route 66 inn.  The owner had bought it in February 2020, they Covid hit and limited business.  Visiting nurses kept her going and they are making improvements to the property.



  

No restaurants were open and she recommended the convenience store/truck stop noting the burgers were pretty good.  They were.  The hotel is also a Harvest Host site and some RVs pulled in.  Check out Love One Another on Facebook as it is the mission of one of the travelers to spread love and kindness.  I was walking through the grass with my socks on and happened upon a large catcus needle to the foot.  Note to self, don't walk around in socks at a place named for a cactus.  We had breakfast the next day a small place on main street where the street is paved with brick.  



We gave up on the frontage roads and road I- 40 a lot.   We met Anthony along the road.  Nothing like riding your bike and have someone whip off the road in front of you and stop.  He gets out of the car smiling, gives us fist bumps and tells us the story of his bicycle rides across the country.  How cool!  



The shoulders were smooth and wide.  Our last stop in Texas would be a ride through Shamrock and the onset of hills. 



 Next stop: Oklahoma!



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