Saturday, April 22, 2017

Let Me Out

Statistically, Texas may not have the most traffic deaths per 100,000 people nor the highest number of accidents per million miles traveled but I WANT OUT.  I can't get to the border soon enough.  Unfortunately, we are spending the night Wichita Falls and we won't be in New Mexico until sometime Monday.

Large highway signs indicate that there have been 854 deaths on Texas highways so far this year, an average of 225 deaths per month.  I realize that Texas is a big state and it is very difficult to follow the posted speed limit knowing it will take you days to cross the state from south to north.  In an effort to help the hapless driver, Texas has given us the 75 mph speed limit that no one with a Texas license plate follows.  Silly out of stater drives the posted speed limit to be passed like a dirty shirt.

An it isn't just the speed that they travel, it's how they travel.  Most of the time there is a cell phone involved as they travel but more dangerous is the dodging in and out of lands in and effort to keep their average speed up at 85 mph.  They come flying up behind you and either pull in the lane over to pass which is fine or they come up, pass and dive in front of you or someone else as the pass the slowest car, usually, me.  I don't how many times I have looked in the rear view mirrors while in the left hand lane passing a slow moving truck to see a car shoot past me on the right and swing right in front of me, narrowly missing the truck.  I have also see some narrowly miss me as the do the same thing to get around someone else.  It is crazy.  If I stay very much longer, I might just become number 855 in the statistics.

After arriving in Wichita Falls I went seeking a slice of pecan pie.  Having already stopped to have a burger at a southern staple, Wantaburger.  I found a restaurant that looks like it may have been around for as long as I have and they had what I was looking for.  Certainly nothing fancy but the Pioneer 3 came through with a mighty fine pie.

Hope all is well and thanks for stopping by.

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