I drove up to Amarillo today and passed through several oil fields with active pumping. Boy the landscape here is flat!!  This sign I saw at a rest stop along the way is sobering reminder of what you may encounter when traveling in Texas:

I am staying with one of my college roommates Mark and his wife Pam.  I haven't seen them in almost 30 years. I am having a great time catching up with them.

...Recalculating...

This is a BIG country!!  You can really appreciate that when you're driving it.  Today is a turning point for me and my trip.  I am midway across the U.S. and rather than continue on west to California, I have changed my course and will be taking historic Route 66 (now I-40) from Amarillo to St. Louis and heading east on my originally planned US 50 route from there.  The initial round trip plan was just a little too big.  The west coast will have to wait.