FRI., MAY 17th thru MON., MAY 20th, 2024
After San Angelo, the pod traveled 200 miles north to spend 2 nights at Lubbock RV Park. Along the drive we saw lots of oil rigs and the controlled burning, or “flaring” as it’s called, of excess natural gas. We also saw fields ready for planting. While in Lubbock, we caught up on admin stuff, grocery shopping, and making some reservations. On Sunday, May 19th, (2024) we traveled another 120 miles to Amarillo to stay at Oasis RV Resort, and on Monday we visited Cadillac Ranch located 5 minutes from the campground on old Route 66. It was invented and built in 1974 by a group of “art-hippies” imported from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh III. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals. I think he succeeded!
The “art” is a row of 10 vintage Cadillacs, covered in graffiti, partially buried in the ground at a 60-degree angle (supposedly to match that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt). The Cadillacs have now been in the ground as art longer than they were on the road as cars. You can smell the spray paint as you start walking towards them. Lots of partially used paint spray cans lie on the ground waiting for the next budding artist to add his/her mark. One of our pod members got into the act!
Lubbock to Amarillo – 120 miles north.
We enjoyed “linner” at The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. A “must” when in this area! In 1960, R. J. “Bob” Lee opened his restaurant on Route 66, the “Mother Road”. Its distinctive architecture (including mounted animal heads throughout the dining room) soon became recognized across the Mother Road as a good stopping place for great steaks grilled over an open flame. The Big Texan is famous for the “FREE 72 oz steak challenge”, which includes eating a salad, baked potato, 3 shrimp and 72 ounces of beef in one hour. None of us tried that although there was one diner who did. He was seated on an elevated platform so everyone could watch while the clock counted down the 60 minutes. If he finishes, he gets his dinner for free. The countdown clock showed about 20 minutes left. We did not stick around to see the outcome. Even without attempting to eat a 72 oz steak, we all had enough leftovers for dinner another night! A fun experience!
Next we move on to New Mexico and cooler temps.
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