6/16/00
Post, TX
Mileage 42.56
Max 23.7 mph
Avg. 13.67 mph

After staying overnight in Shamrock, I drove back to Lubbock to return the car and resume the trek. The drive took longer than expected and I stopped off at the College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University to update several programs on my Palm. As a result I didn't get underway until 4 pm.

The ride to Post, TX was only 40 miles but against the wind most all of the way. Twenty miles south of Lubbock production agriculture held sway with huge pivot watering systems half a mile long. Then oil wells reappeared. I hadn't noticed before but downwind of each well, the petroleum odor was very strong. I wondered if anyone has looked into leakage and seepage problem in oil fields and how that relates to the ozone problem. Another source of gas came from the hog farms. So, in one form or another, gas was present almost constantly.

I had great expectations about the downhill ride going into Post. Several people in Lubbock smiled as they described a steep drop off the "Cap", which is the flat, high plain that extends from the high desert to the west and ends in mid-Texas.

Based on their descriptions, visions of topping 40 mph on the downhill seemed possible. But it was a non-event. Head winds slowed my ascent and the hill wasn't that long or that steep anyway.

Today was an easy one with a variety of activities including a TV interview and a live call-in interview with a TV talkshow in Lexington. Yesterday, I did a TV interview for a station in Lubbock as well. Heavy media days take up a lot of time. I didn't arrive at my motel until 7:00 this evening. By the time I showered, found a restaurant and finished dinner (Burritos, beans and rice--good) it was 8:30. Email took another hour and a half then this journal entry. It's 11 PM, and I still have a tire to fix. 6/16/00.