End: Tucumcari, NM (I-40 exit 335)
States: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico
Distance: 540 miles
Time: 12 hours, 15 minutes
Hotel: Travelodge
Meals: continental breakfast, KFC in Oklahoma City, McDonald's in Amarillo
Music:REM, TMBG, Simon and Garfunkel. Jeannie tuned in for some of it. All praise the irock.
Overheard on the two-way radio:
David: Jeannie, can you come help me get this jacket zipper open?Also:
David: Country music is now the most popular genre in the country.Regional difference observation of the day: Hardee's restaurants turn into Carl's Jr somewhere around Oklahoma.
Jeannie: He just left.
David: I'm not falling for that.
Patrick: Who just left, Jeannie?
Jeannie: The man who gave a s--t.
Road geek observation of the day: Every state has its own way of warning drivers about the possibility of icy bridges.
North Carolina: Bridge freezes before roadLeast favorite city of the day: Amarillo, TX. As seen from the interstate, anyway, it's just one long series of hotel and restaurant franchises. It looks like a single interstate off-ramp spread over many miles. Amarillo was, for this very same reason, David's favorite city of the day.
Tennessee: ?
Arkansas: Bridge may ice in cold weather
Oklahoma and Texas: Watch for ice on bridge
New Mexico: Icy bridge
Arizona: Watch for ice
More Arizona: Regional alert: ice may be present on roadway
Lamest mall ever: Sheppard's Mall in Oklahoma City. I went there looking for a Radio Shack and discovered that it entirely lacks retail establishments, customers, etc. It looks just like a normal indoor shopping mall, except that its anchor tenants are AOL and Farmer's Insurance offices.
Successful quest of the day: I finally found an irock at an Oklahoma City Radio Shack. The cashiers were friendly and helpful, and they looked at me funny when they asked for ID and saw my NC driver's license.
Novel animal sighting of the day: Buffalo, at a Cherokee "trading post" in Oklahoma.
Travelodge
Watch for ice on bridge
Oklahoma is flat, with wicked crosswinds
Gas pump near Amarillo