Day 1: Canyon to Borger, Texas

September 23, 2015

I met my parents at 7:30 at the excellent hot breakfast buffet. Afterwards we did our final packing and went out to the parking lot for the final goodbyes. They drove northwest from here to spend a few days in Colorado Springs. I will pedal north to Rapid City. On the road at 8:40 after posing for a photo in the parking lot.

When mentioning to local people that I will pedal to Rapid City, many didn't know where Rapid City is. I had to explain that it's way north, in South Dakota.

The bike tour started 15 miles south of Amarillo in Canyon, Texas.

3 days after leaving home the bike tour finally begins in Canyon, Texas. This morning's weather is unusually cool and unstable. 65F (17C), overcast, with occasional showers until noon. Cooler and cloudier than it had been the last few days.

Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River upstream from Palo Duro canyon. It must be dammed here.

I pedaled east from Canyon on TX 217, then north on FM 1541 a couple miles, heading towards eastern Amarillo. Traffic was light to moderate.

Then east on FM 1541. Finally a low-traffic country road. 30 miles to Claude, perfectly straight through Sorghum fields and grass fields.

The wind was 15-20 mph from the south, a strong side wind that slows me down a bit. The terrain is very gently rolling, allowing me to maintain a good speed.

The road was wet most of the time but I was on the upwind side of the road. Spray from passing trucks blew away from me, not towards me.

The Great Plains could not have been settled without windmills.

This is my first day pedaling in the Great Plains. So I'm acutely aware of how it differs from my forested and mountainous home. I can see the horizon in all directions. Few trees and no hills or mountains in sight. Interesting now because it's so different from home. I wonder how interesting it will be a few days from now?

The flat horizon seems foreign to me. Not only that there are no steep hills, but that nothing obstructs the view.

The paved shoulder lasts for 15 miles. Then 15 enchanting miles with tall grass growing to the edge of the travel lane. Too bad the entire tour can't be roads like this.

Tall grass growing to the edge of the travel lane. Most roadsides were mowed.

A few areas had standing water. Strange in such an arid place.

As usual in the Great Plains, I could see the town of Claude several miles before I got there. Lunch was at Dairy Queen. The choices were DQ and Subway. While waiting for lunch I talked to a cycling enthusiast from Lawton, Oklahoma.

Approaching the town of Claude. Stray cotton in the field on the left.

Claude (population 1200) is a typical Great Plains farm town whose population has shrunk for decades. It has a lot of vacant buildings. The neglect and decay is visually striking.

The sheriff's department has a rather antiquated facility.

Claude is on a major highway and a major railroad track. Travelers on busy US 287 keep several businesses alive. US 287 and the county government will prevent Claude from dying.

Wyoming coal on its way to a power plant in the southeast.

After lunch I pedaled north on TX 207. Finally going north with a strong tailwind. Much faster now, and it feels warmer to have much less airflow around me.

A few miles north of Claude I crossed over I-40. The tour will end near I-90.

Wind turbines begin north of I-40 and continue all the way to Kansas.

Early settlers on the Great Plains could not have survived without water-pumping windmills. Now power-generating wind turbines are becoming the economic life blood of the Great Plains. People may curse the wind but it's the most bountiful asset of the Great Plains!

They sky became mostly sunny in the afternoon. No worry about rain now. High of 85F (29C) in the afternoon. Low humidity and no shade. Very warm when in the sun and pedaling at nearly the same direction and speed as the tailwind (no cooling airflow). One nice side effect is that I can hear very well. It's noticeably cooler and noisier when I stop to rest in the powerful wind.

The next town is Panhandle, Texas. Population 2452. Double the population of Claude but it seems much larger. I pedaled through 3 miles of development. Downtown has several blocks of brick streets, with many vacant storefronts.

Panhandle City Hall is in the former Santa Fe railway station. The flags show my tailwind.

Oil country begins a few miles north of Panhandle. Many oil pumps and storage tanks visible. Many gravel roads leading to unseen pumps and storage tanks. And many trucks servicing the wells. Fortunately the road has a paved shoulder.

The wind was strongest late in the afternoon as I pedaled north to Borger. Probably 20-25 mph. It was easy to pedal 20 mph on the flat. The terrain is very gently rolling. Less than 1% grade. Steeper when crossing major streams. All the streams are dry.

Borger is bigger than I expected, with 13,000+ residents. The town seems to be thriving and entirely dependent on the "Hutchinson County Oil Patch". The oil industry is ugly, noisy, and smelly. Oil boom towns have no charm because so much stuff was built in a hurry to meet short term needs. Mostly trailers and metal pole barns.

At 5 PM I got a $67 room at Heritage Inn. Most of the other guests are oil workers and truck drivers staying weeks or months. Dinner was at a nearby family-owned barbecue restaurant. Texas barbecue for my last night in Texas.

Surprises during my first day pedaling the Great Plains:

The drivers have been courteous, but I'm surprised that nobody waves.
I'm surprised how many flies are around. I see them outside, in every restaurant, and in my motel room.
The paved shoulders have surprisingly little broken glass.

Today had 35 miles of crosswind and 50 miles of tailwind. During the crosswind portion I pedaled vigorously to keep warm. Rain showers got my clothes wet, and wet clothes feel cold in a strong wind. Another shower usually started when my clothes were almost dry. Terrain was very easy but it was still a long tiring day.

Distance: 84.5 mi. (135 km)
Climbing: 1285 ft. (390 m)
Average Speed: 13.4 mph (21.4 km/h)

Today's ride: 85 miles (137 km)
Total: 85 miles (137 km)

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