The flat open prairies of Texas shimmered under the open skies, as Harth now drove the bus on this leg of the journey.  Dressed in the spirit of the region, he assumed a tough persona, casual, indifferent, and reaaaal baaaad!  His spurred sandels kept the accelerator pressed to the floor as he zoomed along the straight stretches of highway.

keeping the pedal to the metal

Suddenly and without warning, he slammed on the brakes, skidding the bus into a ninety degree turn before stopping.  He lurched into reverse and redirected himself then groaned impatiently.  Blocking his speedy progress was a herd of longhorns being nudged across the road by a Texas pickup driven by some danged thoughtless cowboy.  Didn't they understand that they were dealing with Harthy the Kid?  "Watch it pardner" muttered Harth under his breath, "Nobody fools around with me" and he made a pretend gesture of drawing from an imaginary holster.

driving a Texas pickup