Day 15 Mon. Sept 29, 2008

Leaving Guymon, OK for Dalhart, TX. About 70 miles. I left the motel at 7:30 sharp and headed west on Hwy 54.The sun was up but there was still a chill in the air. The semis were few and the wide shoulders on the highway certainly were a welcome sight. The red golden sun was behind me and so, too, was the calm breeze. I said a sacred thank you and the strength in my legs accelerated to a very fair speed. I even thought, with joy in my heart, that I could exceed the speed limit! (smile)

Somewhere between Guymon and Dalhart an accident occurred. A very serious one.
The sheriff had his light on as he sped past me. When I caught up with him, he had barricades across Hwy 54. He informed me that there had been an accident at 6:00 am. Two semis (which I learned later) collided head on and burst into flames leaving a massive burning of carriages and engines, etc, burning across the freeway. The sheriff attempted to send me to the detour.

There were no shoulders on that detour and I told him my wife would be lost and so would I if I didn’t stick to my planned route. He listened to me and he determined that the police at the scene would let me through to Stratford. (Luckily, Pam stopped to ask that same sheriff, if a man on a bike had come that way. He told her “yes”, but he didn’t think Cyril should have to ride on the detour with no shoulders, so he let him go through. Pam had to take the detour, but he told her to meet her husband at the Dairy Queen in Stratford.)

About 10 miles away I arrived at the scene of the accident. The engine and chassis of both vehicles were melted into one. Wheels and tires were burnt to ashes. The long cargo carrying containers were all ashes. I quickly took a few pictures. The policeman (Davis) came up to me and said, “Do not take pictures. This is a crime scene.” I responded, “I thought this was an accident.” “Yes, it’s an accident, but it’s also a crime scene.” We exchanged information. I gave him my card and he allowed me to continue on my journey.

Pam and I actually got to the Dairy Queen in Stratford about the same time! About the same time a group of railroad workers arrived at the Dairy Queen. One of them was Greg Parks, whom we met at the motel the day before. We were all engaged in conversation and I was handing out my cards, when one of the men said, “Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.” I had an ice cream cone and water and Pam had a hamburger. We had a lot of conversation over lunch and some of them pulled out their cell phones to take pictures of us. We also took pictures of them. Half an hour later we shook hands with them all and received a few dollars for the scholarship fund.

Twenty-eight more miles to Dalhart! The road was welcoming, the wind was whistling softly, sending waves of cool air bending the tall grass along the highway. My wheels joined in the chorus. I sailed along at my fastest speeds.

What wonderful day! Thank you, Lord, for sharing your joys with me today. May your name be blessed!

Ten miles outside my destination, I entered a rest stop. The rest stops out here in the southwest are very unlike those in MN. An open air concrete shelter, a small fireplace made of metal strips above the ground, mainly for cooking with coal, not wood, and a large garbage container.

I sat there for a few moments, easing the numbness in my fingers. Another cyclist, fully loaded down, arrived. I went over to introduce myself. He, I must say, has been cycling for a very long time. Turns out he started out at Virginia, MN, about 200 miles north of the Twin Cities. He left his cabin near Virginia on Sept 15, the same day I began my journey. He is planning to arrive in the Phoenix area about Oct. 9. His name is Jim Voss and he has relatives in Minnetonka. We chatted for a while as we experienced the cool breeze on our backs, for which we were very thankful, as opposed to the Kansas wind tunnel the entire length of the state.
I arrived at Dalhart about 4:00 pm, showered, had supper and got a call from Greg Parks, informing us that his friends were very pleased to have met me. They immediately went to the web site and read my stories. This was such good news. I thanked him and asked him to share the joy.

The time is now 10:30 pm, way past my bedtime. I have to ride 97 miles to New Mexico tomorrow. I hope the weather will help me do it. I must say GOOD NIGHT! Correction, Pam has scheduled me for less.