Day 12: NM to OK

After leaving the 'Querque (as the kids call it), I decided I would hold off on eating until I got to Texas. As I entered the lone star state, a state trooper pulled up behind me. I was going about 77 in a 70 and reduced my speed without breaking. I got over and they pulled beside me for about five minutes. After awhile, they drove off and I later saw they had someone pulled over. I breathed a sigh of relief but it always makes me a little shaky...plus, the warning light was still on.

I pulled up to the Natatorium in Amarillo and parked at a liquor store nearby. There were no signs on the building besides a faded and obscured "Antique Store" sign on one side and a banner that read "wrestling thursday night" in front of the main door. I tried the main door and heard a dog barking like a hellhound inside (I have no doubt said dog was 5 lbs at most) and the door locked. I decided to high tail it before whoever was inside decided to see who was breaking into their...house? I took some pics and ran...



Pulling back onto the interstate, I passed another trooper who had pulled some poor soul over. As is the custom, I moved over a lane in case the cop needed to walk in the road. Now, if any of you have been my passenger, you know I am an exceedingly safe driver. I have never been pulled over. I signal lane changes automatically and rarely forget. Well, I was a few miles down the road when the cop I had just passed sped up behind me. I was only doing 72 in a 70 at this point. I signaled, pulled into the slow lane and he did that same move the other trooper did where he pulled beside me for a few miles. Finally, he pulled in behind me and pulled me over. At 31 years of age, I had finally been pulled over for (in his words) failing to signal my lane change. This is, excuse my french, a load of crap. His name was Officer Dollar (in my imagination, his first name is Bill). He asked me a bunch of stupid questions (Did you buy anything illegal lately?) and then let me go with a warning. I now hate Northern Texas. They wanted to pull me over from the second I entered the state. Bah.

I was so angry/nervous after that, I didn't feel like eating. I decided I would not give Texas a dime of my money so I drove on into Oklahoma. Did you know that only Subway and McDonalds can legally be sold at highway offramps in Oklahoma? Neither did I. I was in the mood for neither so, long story short, I didn't eat or drink anything until 9pm.

Anyway, I was looking for Kitchen Lake Bridge in Oklahoma City. I found the two roads it was supposed to connect but never found the bridge. There weer plenty of creepy sights but none I took pictures of. It was dark and rainy and I just wanted to get to Tulsa. Another toll road (and rain so hard I couldn't see) later, and I made it to the hotel. Another complete failure of a day. The only upside? When I got back into my car after Dollar Bill harassed me, my malfunction light was off. As of Friday night (tonight), it has not come back on.

Josh