Why is it you need a PhD in Showerology to operate the showers in these hotels? They’re all different designs, none are intuitive, come with instructions or provide any kind of help to the tired, confused storm chaser. Why did the bathtub come preloaded with 6” of cold water, and when I’ve figured out how the waste plug works, why won’t it drain away?
We start off with a truly revolting breakfast at iHop not far from the hotel. Half cooked eggs with runny whites, tiny slivers of bacon, lukewarm coffee, toast that almost felt stale and appalling service. How hard can it be? Come back Mugs Café, all is forgiven.
As we’re in Dallas we should do the JFK pilgrimage to Dealey Plaza. It’s a much smaller area than I anticipated with the Book Depository, grassy knoll, the plinth from where Abraham Zapruder took the infamous footage and the spot where JFK was shot (eerily marked with a white “X” in the middle of the road) being very close together. The grassy knoll and the Zapruder vantage point are almost right on the road. The window on the 6th floor of the Book Depository (second top floor, far right) from where Lee Harvey Oswald took the fatal shot can’t be more than 50-60 yards from the impact point.
The conspiracy theories evaporate in light of the immediacy of it all. How could the big crowds on both sides of the road have missed a supposed shooter in their midst, right on the knoll where everyone was standing? The shot from the Book Depository doesn’t look that difficult, but there again I know nothing about the realities of firing any kind of a gun. Perhaps Oswald had some help? Who knows? I’m certain as I can be that Oswald did it. Make your own minds up.
Tourists risk life and limb by jumping into the road to have their photos taken on the “X”, me included, holding my head which I instantly regret as it feels silly and disrespectful. A quick impression of Zapruder quickly follows. We queue up to visit the 6th floor museum but this queue is not moving so we bail as we need to get on the road. Apparently the spot from where Oswald fired remains is as it was; I’ll have to take that on trust.
We head west then north west on US287 passing the massive
Texas Motor Speedway en route. Continue up towards Wichita Falls passing
another Fruitland and a place called Jolly which looks not well named. A quick
stop at Subway at Loves sees Wichita Falls disappear into the rear view mirror.
Today I added the 75c avocado option to my meagre 6” roast beef on honey oat
(50% of your RDA of bread) with American cheese, toasted with all the salad bar
the jalapeños. It takes longer to order than it does to eat it. I’ve finally got the hang of making a giant
bib in the back of the van, but that does nothing to stop the spread of
orangeness from the Doritos which is now everywhere.
400 miles pass and we edge into Amarillo past the Texan Big
Steak from 2006’s trip and stop off at the Saltgrass Steak House for…a steak. I
turn down a side; got to get used to UK portion sizes. This isn’t the place to
go to develop your slim, sexy body for your summer beach holiday, that’s for
sure. We just beat the rush as the local
prom rolls in, the odd young man with his sweetheart, and the rest hopeful with
a bit of luck and a few iced teas. Pesky 21 rule for alcohol. We head off
directly east for the 250 mile+ drive on the I40 back towards home base,
Oklahoma City ready for the flight home tomorrow. Storms are actually firing to
our north west but won’t be here in anything like our timeframe. Day 7 – Total miles: 658
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