We motored into Texas without fanfare, as there was no sign telling us we had
crossed over into the Lone Star State. Texarkana straddles the line, though,
so
we either missed the sign in the middle of town, or the locals who cross back
and forth over the line each day don't think it's much of a big deal worth
noting.
We saw our first oil well. Although it was pumping, the machinery was very
rusty. Maybe they need to divert a bit of the oil to rust self-protection, a
concept that Healeys understand very well. We also saw a small herd of
American
bison (but they will always be "buffalo" to me, dammit). They were sharing a
pasture with some burros. All seemed to be getting along well together and
minding their own business.
>From El Dorado to Texarkana US82 is two-lane and a bit more heavily traveled.
Once we were into Texas the road alternated between two- and four-lane and we
began to see more trucks, although there wasn't really any congestion or
delays.
For anyone who wants to travel across country but not on the interstates, I
would say 82 is a good choice. Not much real scenery or interesting sites to
comment on today, but there was one thing: a field of rusty tractors. They
were lined up in rows and appeared to be all the same model tractor, as if a
tractor dealer had closed up shop and left them there. There were a LOT of
them. Oh, a little internet search revealed that the red Austin on the pole I
mentioned the other day was an A35. Cute little bugger.
We saw a sign for "Road Kill Taxidermy". From what I saw of the road kill,
putting some of them back in their skins would be akin to doing a restoration
on
my BJ7.
For Ed's daily bird report: not much avian activity today. There was a
committee of vultures circling over what appeared to be a dead truck lying on
its side in a field; but I'm sure they were focused on something more to their
taste. It smelled like a hog farm around there.
Sorry to hear of Bob's problems with the Bugeye, but at least the car is in
good
hands with Dave Porter. Good luck with it, Bob.
We almost made it through four complete days of driving with the tops down, but
ran into a brief thunderstorm approaching Wichita Falls, so up they went.
Happy Healeying!
Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
AHCA National Delegate
Havelock, NC USA
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