The wide part of Texas in under three days
The route I took through Texas from Texarkana (in the East) to Anthony (in the West) is close to as long a route across Texas as it's possible to take. According to Google maps, it's 834 miles. The southern East-West route from Orange to Anthony is a little longer at 876 miles, and the North-South route from Texline to Brownsville is as little longer still at 898 miles. In that many miles, you're going to notice some differences in landscape, vegetation, weather, and people. I've made the Texarkana to Anthony trip three times now because it's the quickest way to get to Las Cruces, New Mexico that goes through Texas. I keep thinking that the weather is going to be better in Texas than further north. It probably is, but better is relative. Texas can still pack a punch in winter. Thunderstorms, snow, ice, and of course, wind, are all possibilities.
When I left Hope, Arkansas, for day 3 of driving, I didn't know what to expect. Would I be antsy to get out of the van after 100 miles because my fatigue was growing? Would I start to build up some physical and mental stamina? Since I didn't know, I gave myself a couple of options when I headed out for the day's drive, the most ambitious of which was to get to the far west side of the Dallas - Fort Worth area. Wherever I got that day was likely to be where I would stay for two nights because of the weather forecast and my aversion to driving in high winds in this van.
I had hoped to be in Abilene by the end of the next day because I really wanted to get to Pecos by the end of the day after that. It was starting to look like the best I could hope for was that I'd be in Fort Worth when I wanted to be in Abilene, and in Abilene when I wanted to be in Pecos. Much to my surprise, when I got to Fort Worth, I didn't feel quite done for the day yet. I knew I wanted to keep going, but it seemed almost beyond belief that I could make the rest of the drive all the way to Abilene. So I took it a step at a time, in 20-30 mile chunks. Before I knew it, I'd driven a total of about 400 miles that day and I was in Abilene!
I was really glad to stay put the next day due to the weather, but it was a little difficult to relax enough to just sit there. However, the winds blew, the thunderstorms rolled through, and I had a good view from my room's window. If you want to see some of the lightning I saw from my window, check out this short video: https://youtu.be/QNUf-VprlgY It also shows how fast the clouds are moving across the sky, and the video is not sped up.
At sunset, I noticed an odd light in the sky. It looked like sunbeams shining through the clouds, but on closer inspection it was actually the sun itself shining through a thin spot in the clouds. I took some photos as it set and put together this progression. The first one on the left shows the light that originally caught my eye. You can see from the position of the light pole and that horizontal rectangle thingy that the sun moved noticeably sideways as it set.
The next morning I was eager to get back on the road, but it was still windier than I prefer. The forecast was for the wind to lessen throughout the day, so I was optimistic about making it to Pecos on time. To be continued...
When I left Hope, Arkansas, for day 3 of driving, I didn't know what to expect. Would I be antsy to get out of the van after 100 miles because my fatigue was growing? Would I start to build up some physical and mental stamina? Since I didn't know, I gave myself a couple of options when I headed out for the day's drive, the most ambitious of which was to get to the far west side of the Dallas - Fort Worth area. Wherever I got that day was likely to be where I would stay for two nights because of the weather forecast and my aversion to driving in high winds in this van.
I had hoped to be in Abilene by the end of the next day because I really wanted to get to Pecos by the end of the day after that. It was starting to look like the best I could hope for was that I'd be in Fort Worth when I wanted to be in Abilene, and in Abilene when I wanted to be in Pecos. Much to my surprise, when I got to Fort Worth, I didn't feel quite done for the day yet. I knew I wanted to keep going, but it seemed almost beyond belief that I could make the rest of the drive all the way to Abilene. So I took it a step at a time, in 20-30 mile chunks. Before I knew it, I'd driven a total of about 400 miles that day and I was in Abilene!
I was really glad to stay put the next day due to the weather, but it was a little difficult to relax enough to just sit there. However, the winds blew, the thunderstorms rolled through, and I had a good view from my room's window. If you want to see some of the lightning I saw from my window, check out this short video: https://youtu.be/QNUf-VprlgY It also shows how fast the clouds are moving across the sky, and the video is not sped up.
At sunset, I noticed an odd light in the sky. It looked like sunbeams shining through the clouds, but on closer inspection it was actually the sun itself shining through a thin spot in the clouds. I took some photos as it set and put together this progression. The first one on the left shows the light that originally caught my eye. You can see from the position of the light pole and that horizontal rectangle thingy that the sun moved noticeably sideways as it set.
The next morning I was eager to get back on the road, but it was still windier than I prefer. The forecast was for the wind to lessen throughout the day, so I was optimistic about making it to Pecos on time. To be continued...
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