Day 288 May 13, 2017 Sterling City to Big Spring, TX

Before leaving Sterling City, we got a couple pictures of the 1910 Hotel. Though the town has seen better days, the hotel has been very well maintained. Next we headed to Rangel's for breakfast. I recommend the Megas breakfast. Delicious. After an enjoyable meal and great conversation, we had to get on the road.

When the waitress in Rangel's heard we were going to Big Spring, she exclaimed, "Oooh, it's going to be hot there today!" to which a customers replied, "It's always  hot there." True, was the consensus. Basically, I got the impression they thought we were nuts.


The journey into Big Spring was a joy after its twin into Sterling City, both were 44 miles, uphill, and hot, however, there was an important difference. Instead of a 14 mile an hour headwind, we had a 7 or 8 mph tailwind. Our average speed into Big Spring was 12.6; our average speed into Sterling City was 9.6. Three mph doesn't sound like much but it is a 25% increase in speed and an hour less pedaling and way less effort.

You know it's hot when all the cows are crowding under what little
shade they can find. 

There is something about the sun in the Texas Panhandle that seems more extreme than in other places we've been. After over 5,000 miles, John and I are tan and accustom to being in the sun for hours at a time, on top of that, we applied sun screen several times during the day. Nevertheless, I developed blisters on my legs and John got quite a rash. Bugs? Sun? Who knows. All I can say is that the sun here is intense.

Our path way fairly flat, but, being only 2 days out of Texas Hill
Country, we could see tall hills on either side of us.  

With that said, the Panhandle is beautiful, in a austere nothing-for miles-and-miles way. 

This is a great example of what John and I call, miles and miles of miles and miles. 

Sterling City is dubbed the City of Wind Mills and I cannot help but agree. Particularly near the city, but really the whole route had wind farms dotting the landscape. It makes sense since the wind is always blowing here.

Because it was so hot and there was no shade, I was concerned about running out of water. Luckily, a good samaritan pulled over and offered us a cold Gatorade. I jumped on it. I've not tasted a better drink in quite a while. After a nice chat and a forgotten and then poorly executed photo, we continued on.

This is what happens when the navigator (damn her) does not recognize that we needed to stay right
for business 87 and we ended on the inter-state. Oops.

 A lot of our trip is spent looking around with nothing to see. I tend, in these times to wonder about the native vegetation. I had been noticing these vines for several days. John and I thought they looked like some kind of melon or gourd, but were not sure. I saw one with flowers and had to stop. The little fruit bodies at the base of the flower had me hoping they were wild watermelon. All hope was dashed later that night when Google informed me they are Buffalo gourds. Apparently, the flowers and seeds are editable, but the gourd itself, while not poisonous, is very bitter and will make you quite sick. (damn) In a later conversation with my favorite daughter-in-law, Becky, who is my expert on all things western, told me, once dried, they can be used to make cups or bowls. Hmmmm, a crafty souvenir perhaps?

Tomorrow we head to Midland, 41 miles away. We are leaving at the crack of dawn because it's supposed to be very hot and have a 16 mph head wind. Remind me, why am I doing this?