We woke up early on Thursday morning behind room 109 at the City Motel in Knox City bright and early. We’ve been waking up at sunrise lately to make sure we get a head start on the heat. This would be Don’s fourth day of riding with us and he has been doing a great job adapting to our rigid routine. It’s not easy to force yourself out of bed each day no matter what lies ahead and get on the bike.

It’s takes a lot of work mentally and physically to achieve your goals and ours is still in sight. We have to average about 70 miles per day if we are going to make it to San Francisco by October 31st. Today’s targets were 35 miles to Guthrie, 35 miles to Dickens and 20 miles Crosbyton.

The first leg was one of the most amazing stretches of road we have seen our entire journey. The landscape suddenly changed from flat, dusty terrain to green hilly plains. It started with a downhill drop into what’s left of the Brazos River. The clouds were giving us some protection from the sun making Hwy 82 one of the most scenic and enjoyable mornings on the bike we have had.

To make this highway even more memorable we rode up on a band of horses on the side of the road. There were about 20 of these beauties calmly inviting us to pull over. We took a few photos and one even let me pet it! Another horse started to get jealous and nudged my new friend in the neck and things started getting hairy so we left them alone. We stopped in Guthrie in awe of the beautiful landscape and horses everywhere.

The second 35 mile leg was much more difficult from Guthrie to Dickens as the sun came out to remind us that these rides aren’t always fun and awe inspiring. They are mostly just full of wind, hills and flat tires but today was just about as perfect as you could ask for. We ate some great BBQ which landed a spot in the top 5 on our list making it an even more special day.

The best part of the day and biggest rush was when we all met at the top of the Texas Plains Trail about 10 miles outside of Crosbyton. Shane got the gopro on his head ready to film us as we flew down the road through the plains. I haven’t seen it yet but I don’t think the video will even begin to capture the complete bliss of riding next to these plains as they slowly glided past us on our left and the sun setting ahead of us to the west.

Our early morning routines and long miles on the bike each day are totally worth the thrill of being on such a special journey. Days like today are the perfect example that it takes hard work to achieve your goals but the payoff will outweigh the tough times. You will have doubts along the way and want to quit almost every day but keep pushing towards your goal and wait to be amazed by something great around the corner. Live life to the fullest and as my good friends at Nativ always say “Wander Far”!