Day 8: Amarillo TX to Shreveport LA– 558 miles
Texas weather! We woke up in Amarillo to freezing rain – and heard on the radio that snow arrived shortly after we got underway. Having seen enough of I-40, we have decided to take the southern route home via I-20. The drive south through Texas is incredibly bleak. When we stop at some nameless town, our only option for breakfast is a Subway (the unique non-franchised eateries are now behind us). At breakfast we encounter an exhausted Ducati rider who says that he has been riding through heavy snow all through New Mexico.
Five hours later we stop for lunch in Dallas, where it is 86 degrees and sunny. An amazing change from Amarillo! As we turn eastward on I-20, we pass through sunny Canton Texas. After arriving in Shreveport, we check into a chain hotel and turn on the TV – only to discover that Canton is now in ruins. Just after we passed through, a major tornado struck the town – killing 5 and injuring 50. We feel like we just dodged a bullet!
Although it is now raining heavily in Shreveport, we feel compelled to venture out for some jambalaya and crawfish etouffee.