Day 30: Amarillo TX to San Jon NM (100 mi)

Rough but gratifying day. Originally I planned a 50-mile ride to Adrian TX, the official midpoint of RT 66. But because I left so early from Angela's house, I made it there by noon. So... I doubled the mileage and ended up crossing the TX/NM border by late afternoon. 

Oh yeah, Angela is on strike from her job at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo. It's the U.S.' only site for the assembly and disassembly of its nuclear weapons. She talked to me about workers getting all kinds of cancers and diseases as a result of the radiation. That wasn't even the reason for the strike, though - just benefits being cut and a crappy renewed contract with the union.

The wind gets to be so bad from 10 am until 5 pm. It felt as if I were pedaling uphill the whole 100 miles. Wonder how it will feel when I actually am pedaling uphill...

Methodist church here in San Jon put me up for the night. In general, they've been more reliable than fire stations. A lot of the stations simply aren't manned at night. 

I have conversations with about a dozen people everyday, and for the past month I have received numerous bits of advice and general rhetoric from total strangers. Today my friend and confidant Pearse Anderson suggested I make note of some of these sayings on the blog. Pearse is a great amateur-turning-professional photographer too, I'll let him comment with preferred contact info if he so pleases.

Here's something Chris said to me back in NY. If you don't remember, he's the bike shop owner that put a rim strip on the rear wheel.

"Kid, I've seen an 80-year old man complete this journey, on a freakin' Huffy. One with 3 speeds and a wire-rim basket to hold all his shit. If he can do it, you sure as hell can."

So that's one that pops up when I'm biking against the wind on a blistering day.