Day 38 - Jacksboro to Archer City - Two Far 2021 - Sooo... Far

May 16, 2021

Day 38 - Jacksboro to Archer City

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Today was oil wells, cattle and staying dry. We were lucky again with the weather and didn't get any rain at all.

Leaving Jacksboro we passed several oil well sites in various stages of development. This jack pump was not working today.

And here, they were drilling a new well.

We had a 35 mile stretch today where there we no C-Stores. We did, however, stop at two roadside parks. While the roadside stops did nothing to quench our desire for a Diet Coke, they did provide the opportunity to give our feet a rest.

Historical marker at our first roadside park.

Kerry found some people to talk to at the park. They live near Fort Hood, so he had fun reminiscing about his time there.

About 10 miles north of Jacksboro we transitioned from oil well country to ranch country. No one breed was dominate - we saw black angus, Charolais, and longhorns as well as others that we did not recognize.

The cows here weren't very friendly. They all started walking away when I approached them with a camera.

As we approached Windthorst, we saw several large hayfields. Shortly after that we saw several dairies, which explained all the hay.

In addition to cows and horses, we passed several ranches that were raising goats and sheep.

In Windthorst, we stopped at the Windthorst General Store, established in 1892, the same year as the town. It has been at it's current location since 1921 and is having a century celebration in June.

We had the German sausage and it was delicious.

It seemed like a real general store assortment of merchandise. Boots, jeans and hats were for working, not showing off.

We spent the entire day on US281 and TX25. Both roads had wide shoulders, except on the hills where they added a passing lane. Without exception, all traffic passed us in the passing lane, leaving the slow lane all for us. Thank you, Texans.

Nice wide shoulders all day. The only minor complaint is that most of the surface is chip seal. Because the traffic volume was low, we spent a lot of the day riding in the traffic lane for a smoother ride.

In addition to wide shoulders, we started really seeing wide open spaces as we reach the southern plains.

Tonight we are staying at the Spur Hotel in Archer City. It is a well restored old hotel with the most hospitable owners you could ever want. Dotty and John welcomed us warmly, and also welcomed the Seavo inside warmly, which is just about as important to us. They have lots of drinks and snacks and very comfortable common areas for enjoying the evening.

Tomorrow we have another long route - 68 miles - and will get to Oklahoma. Texas has been fun, we'll see what Oklahoma offers.

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 1,632 miles (2,626 km)

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