Wednesday September1, 2010. Start kilometers 26059. Finish kilometres 26495. Total today 436km.
After exploring Shamrock Texas this morning I headed west through the towns of McClean, Groom, Jericho, Conway, Amarillo, Bushland, Vega, Adrian and Glenrio before crossing the state line into New Mexico. With the exception of Amarillo most of these towns are almost deserted and are shadows of what were once thriving communities. I stopped in every one of these towns as the photo opportunities were too much to pass up. Many building are in such decay that I expect them to slowly melt away into the natural landscape and I couldn't ignore my desire to record some of this history. People still live in these communities and I can't help but wonder what keeps them here. The landscape of the Texas panhandle shifted from scrubby trees to eroded gullies to cultivated fields surrounded with devils rope and to open range land as I headed west. Many tourists have traditionally felt that the landscape of the panhandle is flat and boring but actually there is much to see. Small towns still retain their rural charm in spite of appearing abandoned at times, along with numerous roadside remnants waiting to be photographed. Agricultural icons such as grain elevators and windmills relieve the flatness of the terrain, as do water towers and a giant cross that is over twelve stories tall. West of Amarillo is the Cadillac Ranch, a side trip worth taking and I had the opportunity to visit this place. "No darling it's nothing like the Mustang Ranch in Nevada".
I stopped at Adrian Texas which is exactly the geographical midpoint of Route 66 before moving on into New Mexico and stopping at Santa Rosa for the night. Tomorrow I plan on retracing the pre 1937 route north through Santa Fe before heading back Albuquerque to meet John. I will also get the GS in for an oil change before continuing on our journey west. To date I am 71 kilometers short of clocking 6000 kilometers on the GS since departing home and after having reached the mid point of Route 66.
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| Cadillac Ranch |
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| The Road is Long. |
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| Midpoint Route 66 in Adrian Texas. |
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It's hard to get gas in these parts.
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| Abandoned Elevator taken with a Lensbaby Lens. |
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