Day 15 - Texas Panhandle

 

We made it to Texas and the mid-point of Route 66 on this Day 15. After a small breakfast and coffee, we packed up the car, got our AAA TripTik book out, and headed east to the Lone Star State. 

Glenrio is smack on the border, Exit 0 just past a sign warning, 'you are leaving New Mexico'. It is a ghost town on a tag end of Route 66. Aside from a U.S. Post Office and a cafe - both deserted - there is nothing here but prairie grass and, on the horizon, you begin to see miles and miles of modern wind turbines. This shot of the road shows that not all of Route 66 is smooth, asphalt. Not a mile after this photo east of Glenrio, the asphalt turned to dirt, and we headed for the service roads that border on I-40.  

Adrian was up next, and it marks the midpoit of 'The Road' - 1139 miles from Chicago and 1139 miles from Los Angeles. The wind, as usual, was howling, so we snapped a quick photo and jumped back in the car. You can see the wind turbine in the background. They stretched pretty much the whole way from the border to Amarillo. Tomorrow we'll see if they continue. With the day's wind, they should have been churning out the megawatts.

The next stop is one of the most unusual, arty, crazy places on the trip so far. Just west of Amarillo, off the road, is an open field with a public art display coordinated by the Ant Farm Collective. Out of the depths of the earth sprout 10 Cadillacs, models ranging from 1948 to 1964. They burst out of the ground like rocket ships, bound for some unknown land. Up close, they are dripping with the paint from thousands of spray cans from tourists keen to add their personal touch - so much paint that the model of car is indistinguishable. I tried to add a glorious sun, but the wind was blowing 25 miles an hour (40 km), so I got inside a car and made sure I was pointing downwind. (Guys learn this life skill earlier than girls.) We picked up some paint chips on the ground that I might use in a mosaic some time.

Cadillacs - the symbol of the American dream!

Later we heard that there is a similar installation of VW bugs and another of farm tractors in the area. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  

About twenty miles south of Amarillo is the impressive Palo Duro Canyon National Park. At 120 miles long and as deep as 1000 feet, only the Grand Canyon is larger in the US. It was downcut by the Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River during the Pleistocene when the whole region was uplifted. Most of the strata visible in the canyon were deposited during the Permian and Triassic periods. (Palo Duro Canyon - Wikipedia). A paved road winds about 10 miles down the canyon, which saved a hot (92 degrees) dusty trek.

After a warm and blowy day, it was nice to get to the Courtyard Hotel in Amarillo's old Fisk building, built in 1927. After the tiny room at the Blue Swallow, we are able to stretch out in comfort and look out of the window to the skyline. We had dinner at an upbeat restaurant, the Crush Wine & Bar Grill. The focus on seafood (local cod - in Amarillo?!?) gave us pause, but it was quite nice. There were several other bars to choose from, Chesney's Whiskey Saloon, Bubba's 33, the Craft Cocktail Lounge, the Voodoo Cocktail lounge, all within a block or two. Liquor is easy to find in these western states! 

With a Cadillac Ranch and a baseball team called the Sod Poodles, how could you not like Amarillo?

173.8 miles today; 2730.8 miles so far.

License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. And from Mexico - Sonora.

We have arrived in Texas and so it is time to pick a book from Larry McMurtry, of Lonesome Dove fame. As a boy growing up in landlocked Texas, he thought of the highways as his 'river'. In this slim volume Roads: Driving America's Great Highways, he drives some of the main interstates across the country; the road was his destination. It seems the perfect book for anyone who is in love with road trips. 

So many musicians from Texas, so many to choose from. We land with Lyle Lovett, the cowboy from Houston who has lit up the music charts for decades. This one seemed appropriate to us - Lyle Lovett - That's Right (You're Not From Texas) - Bing video