Adam's Blog July 13th, Day 8!
Leaving Elk City this morning, the plan is to get across Texas and into NM by the end of the day. I try my first soda from Pops in the morning, Leninade. It's interesting but I wouldn't say that I could understand why it's on the top 10 at the store personally other than fact that's covered in puns. The drink by date says "Putin on the Ritz" next to it among other things. Even if it didn't have a lot of flavor, I got a good laugh out of it.
On the way out of town we run across a museum that has a lot of old americana stuff at it and a farm museum with windmills. It's a really cool place and I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get to go into the Route 66 museum but since it was Sunday morning, they were closed. We get out and take some pictures and walk around the grounds to admire all of the work that they had done recreating buildings and structures from different parts of the area's history.
We make it into Texas and are greeted in the first decent sized town to the Conoco Tower. This is a really cool structure and is the basis for one of the buildings in Radiator Springs. On the way out of the town is the first Phillips 66 gas station that has been restored. What a tiny little shop this was and how cool is it that they were able to save a piece of the legacy like this. Complete with old tanker truck.
Next comes Amarillo, complete with two art installations and the famous Big Texan eatery. The first thing that we come across is the Bug Ranch. 6 Beetles burried in the ground a bit like the iconic Cadillac Ranch on the other side of the city. Covered in their own graffiti. A pretty cool spot. While we are all looking at the cars, Gideon is busy chasing grasshoppers. Off to the Big Texan. This is the place with the 72 oz steak challenge apparently with the current record holder being a thin little woman who beat the last record earlier this year. Impressive. We order an appetizer plater that includes Rocky Mountain Oysters. I dig in but no one else that the table eats them. As I continue to down them between some deep fried jalapanos, I hear Courtney say "You better brush your teeth before I kiss you again". Oh well, no lovin for me until that evening I guess. The steak was pretty good but it was more about the atmosphere here. When we entered, no one was trying the challenge but by the time we left, two different guys were doing it. They had an hour to finish it and we left before their time was up so I don't know if they finished it but I could imagine that it would be difficult for anyone to complete. We leave the Big Texan and head on over to the Cadillac Ranch. This is the iconic place where the Caddies are burried in the ground and there is a crowd here. Probably the first stop that I could honestly say that about. Still, it was pretty neat to be able to see this considering how often it comes up.
Peach Nehi is my afternoon soda and boy do I enjoy that one. Of course I've had it before so that's no surprise but it's hard to come by. The next stop is the Midway Cafe and the midpoint for the route between Chicago and LA. This is a really cool spot with the midway marker actually painted on the road and other stuff all around. We stop to look around but unfortunately do not get a chance to try the pie at the cafe which they are supposedly famous for. Oh well, still a really cool stop. Courtney has her Black Cherry Cream Soda as we drive off towards the border with New Mexico and stop in the last town in Texas before the border, now a ghost town with, as far as I could tell, one inhabitant. Lots of cool old buildings in all sorts of forms of disrepair though. On to New Mexico for the evening.
Previous Day!