Day 9, Thursday, May 16th – Clovis to Pratt

 On the road at 0635 CDT (0535 Clovis time). As I pulled from the parking lot, I noticed that the local TSC sell big bales, only $169! I pick up US-60 at Bovina, parallel to a BNSF main line, where the first of maybe 40-50 trains I'll see is passing. Every town along the railroad, and many that aren't, has its grain elevator – castles of the plains, standing on the horizon like their medieval counterpart.

Herefprd, TX, proclaims itself the “Beef Capital of the World.” A bit farther up the road is Canyon, home of the Panhandle Plains History Museum – except it has much more than history: art, geology, paleontology, and OIL! Everything is well displayed and well-interpreted. When oil and cattle money nd awant something done, they want it done right. Here's some sample photos:

 

                                            A diorama of plains people skinning a bison

A very large buffalo bull, stuffed. Mary Jo Bonner, who you might remember as a cashier at Cripps, and later Walmart, says her father was chase by this bull (before it was stuffed, of course).

An Allan Houser sculpture of an Apache warrior, found in the Western Art section. Houser was Chiricahua Apache

I find that loop 335 bypasses Amarillo – Yay! Back on US-60, I find they raise more than oil, cattle & wheat – a Carson County Gin speaks of cotton, as well. South of Pampa, Keystone Tower Systems produces the vertical part of those big wind turbines.

After a longer-than-wanted lunch break in Pampa, I head north on TX-177 through rolling green plains. The Canadian River is near, a wide and deep valley rather than a canyon. Erosion on the valley sides has produced buttes and mesas. I start seeing water in fields & ditches about 20 miles south if Perryton; this will continue until almost to Kansas, Perryton has a bypass, too, and I took it. A truck filled with those big water jugs pulled out to beat me to the intersection and turned a bit too sharply. Yup, he lost a whole pallet of them, Haste certainly made waste for him!

I'm now heading east on TX-15. Pass through Darrouzett, a prosperous-looking town despite the abandoned railroad. It borders Ivanhoe Creek. A bit down the line, I see evidence that the road was inundated in a flash flood. TX-15 becomes OK-15; I leave it to turn north on US-283. This road is lightly traveled. The terrain a bit to the north is small hillocks that remind me of well-vegetated sand dunes.

I pick up US-64 eastbound for about 30 miles. Buffalo Creek cuts through red rock as it passes the town of Buffalo, home of Shorty's Cafe. I turn north onto OK-34, which crosses the not-so-dry Cimarron – first time I've ever seen it flowing outside of New Mexico. OK-34 turns into KS-1 and passes through Buttermilk, a small settlement.

At Coldwater, I pick up US-160 east. This passes through the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway, terrain much more interesting than the Flint Hills or Smoky Hills – I have to go back when I have time to stop and take pictures. Finally, at Medicine Lodge, I pick up US-281 north to Pratt and my hotel, arriving about 5 PM, after over 10 hours on the road, 7+ actually driving.

Tomorrow: Home via Hutchinson, Newton, Emporia, Ottawa, and Harrisonville.

For the day: 437.7 miles, for the trip 1962.9

Average gas mileage for the trip: down to 41.1 mpg (high speeds & headwinds aren't good for economy)