The plan was to head out early and make the long drive West to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We were unplugged, packed up and on the road by 7am. Two fuel stops and a breakfast break at a Visitor Center in OKC were our only stops. Four hundred of the 450 miles were on I-40, speed limit 70, and 75 in Texas. Heck, the two lane patched blacktop to the park is posted 75 (and has a Share the Road bike sign, but no shoulder). The wind blew hard in Oklahoma which was a total disaster for our mileage. We usually kept it at 65, bumping up to 68 if traffic flow called for it. When traffic is light, 5 under is no problem for anyone. As the road fills, traffic flows best with consistent speeds, requiring higher speeds.
As the wind tried to push us off the road, Ernie did his best, working the brakes behind the scenes to keep us steady. But the gusts were still strong enough to make steering a full-time effort. Let go of the steering wheel and Ernie would turn right fairly quickly, so my left hand had a constant pull to counteract that. When the gusts came up (or a Semi started to pass), corrective action was required. Overall, more effort than normal.
Palo Duro Canyon is about 20 miles out of Amarillo. Sharon was positive that we didn't need to call ahead for reservations because it's so big. Surprise, No Vacancy. Fortunately, next door is a Zipline place with a back field for RVs. For $30 we got a piece of prairie and a 30A outlet for the a/c. Since the temp was 103° at Palo Duro, and 98° on our campsite, plugging in is a glorious convenience. The wind is more a conveyor of grit than sweat chiller, the sweat evaporates instantaneously in this dearth of humidity. I may spit just to see if anything makes it to the ground.
Sharon put on a long sleeve short and walked over to Palo Duro to see what we should do to get in tomorrow. We can buy a Day Pass at 7, hike/bike until 10 to snag a campsite, and even get a rebate on our day pass.
The heat is intense, way beyond the capability of our house a/c unit. We broke out the refletix for all the back windows and our 3-piece sunshade for the front. We never took down the rear door reflectix. The a/c is making it cooler, but not fast. Our Walmart in/out thermo sex it's 97 outside and 87 in. I think it's cooler than that inside because outside feels like a furnace, and inside is bearable.
This may be the worst campsite ever. No trees, essentially an uneven gravel parking lot, no cell service or WiFi, portalets are 1/4 mile walk, and no privacy closer. The good news is we don't have immediate neighbors on either side, and everyone is inside surviving on their a/c, so it should be quiet. (Previous candidates for the Worst honor were Flamingo and Collier Seminole in the Everglades, but both only on New Years Eve, with Ambien defying partiers.)
As the Sun set over the prairie the temperature also settled down, so we could enjoy the warm breeze in the gloaming.
Pictures are here.
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