I was determined to do a better job of getting going in the morning, so I started packing things up before heading over to the lobby for the 7 am breakfast, which was the usual cereal, juice and pastries affair. Worked, after a fashion, but it was still considerably after 8 before I pulled out of the lot.

I headed up I-25, as that was the only way to get to a road going east; 380 is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but there was a no-name gas station in the otherwise non-existent San Antonio at the start. I've been on 380 before; it's not a bad road, although there's not a lot to recommend it beyond the fact that it's mostly headed east.

It goes through Roswell, except I was heading up US70, and there's a bypass around the town. I realized a bit north that I hadn't seen a promised gas station, so I turned around and went back--nope, nothing there--so I continued on toward the town and more promised gas.

The first stop was at a Sams Club, which rejected my Visa card. Oops, requires a membership card first. So I dug mine out, and when it asked if I wanted to use that card to pay--sure! Cheap, too.

US70 angles almost perfectly in the direction I want to go, which is the only thing that recommends it; just before it turns directly north, I cut east on NM 202, bypassing Clovis. I'm humming along at 55+, when all of a sudden the road surface changes, and there's a speed limit sign: 70/60 night. Yay, Texas!

I hadn't noticed it so much up to this point, but it's windy, a strong blow from the south, which I really notice every time the road turns north. And it does, seemingly randomly, turning from one farm road onto another with no rhyme or reason.

This is lightly populated country, and checking the gps for fuel ahead on my current route turns up none. But I know a trick, and look for towns instead. Sure enough, there's Hart, which does indeed have a gas station. (Dots on a map aren't always a guarantee that there's enough 'town' to have one, but (so far, anyway) if it's in the gps database, there's been fuel.)

When I laid out this route, I put Memphis in as an ultimate destination, since there was (supposedly) a motel there. I didn't really intend on getting that far, but none of the little 'towns' I went through had even an inkling of lodging available, and everything the gps showed would have pulled me too far off my route.

So Memphis it is, and the mile+ walk for groceries wasn't too onerous. And a 500 mile day leaves less than 400 for tomorrow.

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