Wednesday report from Denton, TX

We started out today in really warm weather, spent most of the day under clear skies in 80°+ weather, and then, around 3PM, we crossed paths with a cold front, the temperature abruptly dropped 30°, and the winds cranked up to a steady 20+ knots with gusts higher than that. I think we earned every one of the last 100 miles, particularly the hour-long fight through Dallas traffic! Dallas featured some of the most aggressive drivers either one of us have experienced. People always say, "ride like everyone else on the road is trying to kill you," and I always think, "Yeah, yeah, I know, whatever" but this afternoon was the first time that I actually had the feeling that everyone else on the road is trying to kill me. (Here, Kenny will say, "I told you so.") Someone even dropped a TV set out of their truckbed just in front of us; we hate those poorly-secured loads. Still, we arrived in Benton intact and in good spirits around 5:30, and had a tasty barbecue dinner next door to the hotel. Tomorrow, we will leave Texas and spend some quality time in Oklahoma.

Our Day 2 route:

A couple of photos from Tuesday:

Crossing Lake Ponchartrain on a 44-mile causeway:

Lunching at the rest stop in Port Barre:

Our day 3 route:

Getting ready to leave the Winnie Inn:

Stopping at Woody's Smokehouse on I-45 between Houston and Dallas; it was about 30 miles north of here that we transitioned from 80ish to 50ish degrees:

A local told us that people come from everywhere for the smoked meats at Woody's Smokehouse; and the place was packed. We purchased a smoked sausage and included some of it in our lunch, and we agree, it is very tasty.

Sam Houston (and here's a little more info about this statue):

This evening's dinner spot: