Short one today. Woke up about 8:00 this morning. Was just about ready to call the day a loss – temps were in the mid 40’s and it was still raining. Wind wasn’t bad but I have no idea what it’s like out on I-40. Wind is the biggest concern. I watched the weather for a bit. Nothing but rain and storm cells south of me but I could see the rain stopped just west of me. I want to get into Amarillo and start this tour. Decided I’d chance it and get something out of the day.
I got the bike loaded, put all my cold gear on and threw on the rain suit. The road wasn’t bad but the wind was still there, however nothing like what I’d gone through yesterday. I was able to maintain the speed limit no problem and about 20 miles down the road, the rain lessened.
Not much to see as I was locked onto the road most of the day. I’ve seen plenty of wind turbines on this trip but there’s a lot of them out here, and most of them are spinning faster than I’ve ever seen. At one point I could barely see them through the cloud cover.
By the time I reached Amarillo the wind had subsided. It was still blowing of course but the gusts were mostly gone. We stopped to fill up before cutting south. I could barely feel my fingers and my feet were starting to ache from the cold. Then the shakes started. You’re fine while you’re moving, but once you stop the shakes start and it takes a while to get rid of them.
We carried on. The first stop I planned is farther north so I won’t be hitting that one, no worries though. As much as I’d like to hit all the stops, I only need half. Got close to Canyon and by now the rain had returned. I decided to keep going south towards Lubbock. The tour is supposed to be fun, this is anything but. I can barely feel my fingers so trying to dig out a camera and upload a photo on my phone is not going to be fun. And some of these stops are in little towns off smaller roads. I can skip a few stops. My goal is to get as far south as I can to get closer to the warmer temps and out of the rain. Then start hitting stops.
We made it to Lubbock and continued south. Rain has been coming and going, mostly coming, but generally light. Still enough to add to the cold. We made it to Tahoka and stopped to fill up again. I couldn’t get the gas cap off with one hand and struggled with the simple action of sliding my card into the pump. Finally got filled up and continued towards Lamesa, about 45 miles away.
The the rain stopped and the road eventually dried up for good. Wind hadn’t changed much, still a gust here and there but mostly “calm”. After Tahoka I decided it was time to call it a day. My body ached and the shakes were persistent. I was cramping in places I’d never cramped before. We got about 280 miles in today which is certainly better than nothing. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to hit some stops.
For now, enjoy your evening. We’ll be back tomorrow. Same bike time, same bike channel.
The Motorcycle Diaries of an Easy Rider 