Day 29 - ending near Quitaque, TX - The Great Plains Trail - Sort Of

June 12, 2023

Day 29 - ending near Quitaque, TX

Day 29 - Turkey, TX to Quitaque, TX

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Up at 3:54am. There was an almost cold wind from the east. Cold enough that I put on my jacket. As I worked on the report I found myself taking short naps. This is no way to get on with my day! I blamed it on a tooth. I have a tooth that has been on my dentist's 'watch list' for years. He says it's cracked and someday will give me trouble. I guess that day is today because it was hurting - not intolerable, but bothersome. Add the cloudiness of the day, and I just wasn't moving fast.

Going on 8:40am I called my wife. Talking with her always cheers me up. After the phone call I sat down to eat breakfast, getting used to chewing on the other side of my mouth. Next, I called Caprock Canyons State Park to see about getting a camping permit for tonight. My original plan had me in a motel in Floydada, Texas this evening. That looked unrealistic to me at this point, so I changed my destination to another campground along the trail - John Farris Station - the last campground before the end at the western side of the trail. With that settled I decided I would continue working on the report even though there wasn't enough of a cell phone signal to get the pictures uploaded. I packed up, ate a Clif Bar, and got started on the trail at 1:17pm.

The trail condition was decent at first, then I came to grass and weed overgrown areas with cactus plants scattered around. At 1:55pm and only 2.2 miles, I noticed I had a flat front tire. I had to get out of the grass to work on it, so walked the bike up to a clear area, which was next to Road T. I found the hole in the tube and added a patch. Looks like maybe a piece of glass in the tire worked its way through a little bit.

I was just about ready to flip the bike back upright and repack when a motor grader came along Road T from the east. The operator stopped and asked if I needed any help. We talked a little about my trip and then about his job. I told him I was thinking of abandoning the trail and getting on this Road T, and other back roads, to get to Turkey. He suggested I just take Road T to the highway (TX-86). I liked that idea and told him that I'd try out his newly-graded road. He got back to work and so did I. He made it to the highway and back just as I was ready to leave. He cautioned me that there was a mud hole on Road T just before the highway.

I started my ride on Road T at 3:50pm, and came to the muddy area at 4:02pm. The firmer spot for walking the bike here was to stay on the motor grader's tire tracks. I used my pocket knife to scrape mud off the bottom of my boots after I made it through. Made it to TX-86 at 4:12pm, and Turkey at 4:55pm.

I did some sightseeing in Turkey, then had supper at Tony's Ice Cream Shop. I had their special plus a root beer float for dessert. While I was eating a fellow sitting at nearby table said the trail was in pretty good shape from Turkey to Quitaque. That got me rethinking. So I went to Turkey's trailhead to give the trail another chance. Got started riding at 6:40pm.

It wasn't long before I concluded the fellow at the ice cream shop must have outdated information. Lots of tall grass to try to make my way through - and the best way was to ride blindly through. But the worst was a mud hole that I did my best to get through without getting too muddy. That didn't work very well, though, and the bike got muddy to the point that the wheels almost wouldn't turn. My boots were a mess. Red mud was splattered all over my lower pants legs. I wasn't happy. Lots of scraping with my pocket knife got the bike rolling again. Didn't look like there was a lot of hope for the tops of my boots without water.

There is no way I was going to make it to the last campground site along this trail. I hadn't even made it yet to the first one after last night's stay. This next campsite is called Mullin's Rise. I arrived there at 9:03pm. At least there is a flatter, less weedy area to set the tent up on, except like last night, I had to unload the bike down on the trail and walk up railroad tie steps to get to the higher area where I could camp. What a day. I did 16 miles! At least it wasn't supposed to rain overnight.

Got set up at 9:45pm and crawled into my sleeping bag at 10:48pm, knowing one thing for sure: as soon as I can get off of it, I am done with this trail!

Jeff

Spent: $18.23 plus $4 (supper) + $12 (camping permit) + $5 (trail permit) = $39.23