DigitalRoadtrip: April Roadtrip, Day 11... Turkey Bound

Day 11

Tuesday April 12

With plenty of time ahead of me, I took my morning coffee out onto the terrace. Not much of a view, or a sunrise. But, no complaints. At least it wasn't windy... yet.

Hwy 82 took me out of town and east towards Texas. On the edge of town, I officially entered oil country. There's a refinery right on Main Street. Just beyond town, the first of many oil pumping rigs.

I saw shoes on fence posts quite a few times on this trip. It turns out there's a perfectly logical reason. The shoes help keep the tops of the posts dry, thus keeping them from rotting.

An hour or so later, and I was in Texas.

Across the state line, the speed limit jumped from 65 to 75 MPH. That's also where the wind started picking up, and I saw the first of many tumbleweeds. They aren't native to America and first started appearing in the 1880's. They actually come from Russia. The shrub grows and flowers. It then snaps off and starts tumbling, the whole time disbursing its seeds.

With the wind came the inevitable dust...

The Kia Sportage had plenty of odd quirks. The outside temperature was in the mid 70's. But, when I stopped at a rest area to stretch my legs, I saw this. It's clearly a lie.

Further east, I was passing plenty of ranches. The name on this one made me stop...

Note the dust.

Adjacent to the entrance was the first of these giant white arrows.

There are eighty-six of these in Texas. They're part of the Quanah Parker Trail, named after the Comanche Leader who served as an emissary between Native Americans and Congress. Most of these serve as historical markers, with a plaque at their Base. You can read more about it here:

I chose a route that would take me around, rather than through Lubbock. That would eventually bring me to the town of Post. It was named for and set up by the breakfast cereal magnate, C.W. Post.

Lunch was at a local place called Holly's Drive In. They're known for their burgers and shakes, which were quite good. When I walked in, the seating area was almost all high school kids. They all got up and left at the same time. Lunch period was over, but it was still humorous to watch.

After lunch, I picked up Hwy 207 and drove north. The dust started getting thick again, and in some places obscured the top blade of the windmills as they slowly turned.

In Silverton, I finally came to my last turn, Hwy 86...

Half way between the towns of Quitaque and Turkey, sits the Midway Drive In Theater. It originally opened in 1955 and remained open until 1987. It reopened in 2000, but closed for good in 2006 when the owners just couldn't afford to make the switch to digital projectors.

As you make the curve in the road into Turkey, there's a big monument dedicated to the town's favorite son, Bob Willis. Known as the "King of Western Swing," he travelled the country with his band the Texas Playboys. Here's a clip from a show they did in 1951.

Turkey holds an annual Bob Willis Days festival. Unfortunately, I missed it by two weeks. It could have been interesting.

My home for the night was the Hotel Turkey, a block off Main Street. Originally opened in 1927, it's been through numerous owners. Pat and Tina Carson own it and run the place now. I met Tina when I checked in, and Pat cooked breakfast the next morning.

As you'd expect from an older hotel, the rooms are a bit small and the floorboards squeak. But, zero complaints. With a little time, I took a walk in search of some dinner. The only place open was Tony's Ice Cream Shop. They also serve your basic comfort foods. And Tony doesn't make it easy to turn down a little ice cream after the meal.