This is going to be a 10 degree day. No, the temperature is fine, but a front is coming through with the accompanying rain and wind. I packed in the rain and head out into the wind which was either always coming at me from the side, hence the constant 10 degree lean angle, or right at me. Where is the tail wind?

It sure was a lot easier to pack in the rain when you’re in a motel. The rain is short lived and the post-rain smells are fabulous. Mega-farms, this is Texas afterall, have the earth plowed under ready for planting which just enhances the smell. This is guy air freshener and I hope to find a plug-in titled Fresh Rain/Plowed Earth.

The clouds start to disperse and I’m mesmerized by a single cloud that is trying to become its own storm. I half expect to see a face appear on its cartoon-like construction. It only succeeds in temporarily blocking the sun.

One of the things I’ve noticed the most are the constant strings of railroad cars carrying either coal or grain. This is big coal country and it’s cleaner burning than the stuff from out east. Between the cloud formations, trains and flowering plants, I switch into full touring mode. This usually takes a couple of days, but now the responsibilities of home are replaced with the day-to-day details of being on the road.

Up Hwy. 287 past Amarillo I drive over the dam at the Lake Meredith National Recreational Area. Water seems so out of place here, which is probably the point of the dam. The size of the towns in the area amaze me in that they appear somewhat large, but have a population less than that of my high school. The economic well-being of he towns varies greatly to the point that I can’t imagine what makes a town succeed while a town 20 miles up the road is barely hanging on. The more oil pumps, the less attractive the town appears-a necessary evil I suppose.

Just after Kit Carson, CO, which has seen better times, I pick up another rider while waiting at the beginning of a one lane construction zone. He’s on a K1200R, which is both an interesting and strange looking bike. BMW has him hooked as he tells me what a great bike he has. It’s only been in for warranty work 1 time in the first 5,000 miles and it’s only a 400 mile round trip to his dealership. That is, until it closed. I don’t have his horsepower, but the Strom has run like a top since day one and a trip to my dealer takes 25 minutes if I get lost along the way.
 

He follows me up to Limon, CO where I call it a night and pay back a favor. The last time I came through a local motel called ahead for me to find a motel down the road. Today I’m staying in that same motel. It’s a lot drier in the motel room than it is in the thunderstorm raging outside.