We were very surprised by how quickly we bid farewell to the corn fields when we left Wichita this morning. They were soon replaced by cattle.
We got on the road by 9.00am as we calculated that we would be driving for six hours. Add in an hours break which would make it 4.00pm for our arrival and we would be starting to battle the low setting sun.
It seemed that as soon as we crossed the state line into Oklahoma the countryside changed enormously. We were greeted with beautiful autumn colours from the trees with many of them still having the majority of their leaves. They were passed their best but were still a magnificent display
The car has the latest in navigating aids, but we still like to use maps to look at the bigger picture. You can see Wichita at the very top of the map and heading south you see Oklahoma City. We skirted around the edges of Oklahoma City and then down into Texas, once again avoiding the large city of Dallas. It seemed that as soon as we crossed the Oklahoma border that the traffic went crazy. American Thanksgiving is on Thursday but quite a few of the 80 million have already commenced their journeys. It was solid traffic for five hours of the six-hour drive.
Neither of us had ever driven in this kind of traffic. There was just no way to escape it and get some space between yourself and other vehicles. The posted speed is 70mph but that is just a guideline as they all drive at breakneck speeds as well as the trucks of which there was a plethora.
We in Calgary are very proud of our new ring road called Stoney Trail but it is a dirt track compared to what we experienced today. We were gobsmacked by the multitude of spaghetti junctions and woe behold should you miss your turn off. This was real white knuckle driving and stressful.
Tomorrow is the biggest travel day for Thanksgiving, and we have 240 miles to cover which should take just over three hours. We are going to set off as soon as we can to try and beat the rush as two sets of friends have warned us that it is going to be very busy. Have topped up the fuel (dirt cheap by the way, but we are in Texas), car all packed up, evening showers, so just a bite to eat in the morning and pedal to the metal. Wish us luck!!!
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