US Hwy 70: Texas Two-Stint - Part 1

I continued west this morning on the last 35 miles of US70 in Oklahoma, heading toward an ominous sky. It was obvious I would be driving through some pretty serious rain, but I couldn't begrudge it to folks in the area who have endured a multi-year drought. Water is everything in these parts.



By mid-morning I'd "officially" crossed into Texas and drove through miles and miles of rugged, scrub covered terrain that was surprisingly hilly. The rain came in waves, so I was alternately focused on the road or had a chance to appreciate the awesome beauty of the landscape. There was nothing else to see or do besides stop in a couple of roadside pull-outs to stretch my legs with Happy.

After noon, I approached a remote small town called Paducah -- population 1185 -- hoping to find something for lunch. The town seemed practically deserted and I'd just about given up hope when I spied an open little eatery, basically a drive-in joint with a counter and a couple of tables.

I sat at the counter and struck up a chat with the delightful young family sitting next to me. They were very generous in their description of life in the town, as a family that dates back many generations.

I gave the kids a few of Happy's souvenirs which resulted in us all going outside to visit with the star of the show. As you can see, a good time was had by all!

Continuing west across the Texas panhandle, it was nothing but miles and miles of what you see here: Rolling plains of hardy scrub, punctuated by an occasional cotton or cattle field. It's really beautiful, which is a good thing because -- did I mention? -- there's nothing else to see or do.



The rain came back in force by mid-afternoon and poured buckets. I saw many fields that were completely flooded, some forming lakes with water coming right up to the lip of the roadway.

As I pulled into the "major" regional town of Plainview -- population 22,236 -- I saw my intended stopping place, the only RV park in town. I also saw that it was completely flooded, with water up to the hubs of a few campers. Luckily, I also saw a sign for my old home away from home just a few miles ahead, so I made a course correction and have booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express!

There doesn't appear to be anything here that inspires me to explore it, so I'm going to push west again tomorrow. The drive will take me across the border into New Mexico, so it looks like I'll have done a "Texas Two-Stint" across the panhandle... Stay tuned!

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