What better way to be welcomed to Texas than with a rodeo. Our first night in Wheeler, TX we caught wind of a rodeo that happens only once a year so we were pretty lucky to be present. I'm pretty sure the whole town was there (that's not very many) but the show was very entertaining. They did bull riding, barrel racing, team lasso events and even sheep riding for the youngsters. Our neon shirts and strange tan lines made us stick out like a sore thumb but I'd say we were pretty welcomed in their community. We got to stay and chat with some if the cowboys and find out what life was like in panhandle Texas. One cowboy said that what we were doing was pretty "badass" and that we must be "crazy." I said "guy, you just attached yourself to the back of a pissed off 1200 pound steer and tried to see how long you could hold on. I'd say that's a little more badass and crazy."
We left Wheeler at 5:30 a.m. While it was still dark out to try and churn out mileage in what was to become a 100 mile day in 100 degree heat with 15 mph headwind on one of the most poorly paved roads I have come across. It was great to see how mentally tough some of these people are that I ride with. Before we even got to lunch I think everyone had just about had it but we kept rolling anyway. Usually we travel in packs of 2-5 but on this particular day we gradually started to pass groups and take them on as our own until we eventually gathered about 19 riders in what became known as "the herd." we were hot and miserable but we were hot and miserable together. We pushed on and successfully got ourselves to Amarillo Texas. Everyone said that that was their most rewarding ride days. Glad morale is still high. We haven't even hit the desert yet.
We had a build day in Amarillo but it was more of a destroy day. We gutted a house that was getting restored so a new family could move in. We tore out most everything except the cabinets and left the house in its skeleton wood frames. We have been adding to house projects for so long it was rather interesting to go backwards. A few weeks ago we had put siding onto a home in Tulsa and the other day we were tearing it down. The homeowner was a younger man (30's) from Burma. He didn't speak much English but he worked diligently beside us. Notably he had already completed his required sweat equity hours a few weeks earlier but he was just putting in the overtime. It was great to see such commitment and I think the team really rallied as well. We were so productive that after we stripped the house we still had time to start the first few steps of siding and we wrapped the house and made repairs to damaged walls. it shouldn't take much longer to turn that house into a home.
From Amarillo we rolled into Friona Texas. A small town with a huge hand in the countries beef production. We rode past massive feed yards and meat packing plants with thousands and thousands of cattle. I was so curious as to what all that beef was used for and how common a yard like this really is. For a quick second I contemplated becoming a vegetarian. The best part about Friona was that we got to do home stays with some church members in the community. I stayed with Tom and Jackie Hefner. A sweet old couple in their 70's that lived on a cattle farm about 8 miles away from the church. Tom wore his cowboy boots and called me sir with a rugged accent. When I asked where I should put my luggage I was half expecting him to say, "put it on my horse sir." Instead I put it in the back of his pickup truck. I spoke with Tom and Jackie for hours over an entire chocolate moose pie. They had lived all over the world and Tom had gotten himself into all sorts of predicaments in his 76 years but he always made it out alive. He was a true cowboy. Born to work an never quit a day in his life. Jackie made a mean cup of coffee and she loved to do so. They were such a content couple and lived such a simple life it was rather inspiring to see that for some, true happiness simply lies in a sturdy home with the ones you care about and an infinite number of stories to be shared.
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