As we headed further south and west from Dodge George Straits song about Amarillo kept going through my mind. And happily for me Amarillo's where we'll be.
Again our route took us on small state highways through farmland and small towns.
Every tree is precious out here.
This house right on the highway in a small town has such pretty landscaping.
We made it! Oasis RV Park is a very nice park with all of the amenities. They even have pizza and wings available in the evenings. And it is just down the road from Cadillac Ranch.
Amarillo has a small downtown area with a few tall buildings.
Amarillo is home to the American Quarter Horse Association. It is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. Around the city are about 100 horses around businesses and organizations. Hoof Prints of the American Quarter Horse project began in 2002 to raise funds for Center City of Amarillo and promote art in public places. This one is an ode to Marilyn Monroe.
Each horse is painted by a local artist and they are an exact replica of a full size Quarter Horse. This one was at our favorite afternoon soda stop, Sonic. Cherry Lime Ade on the hoof.
Businesses and individuals can purchase a horse at a cost of $3,500, which includes the completed fiberglass horse, the artist’s fee, a concrete slab and a plaque recognizing the name of the artist and owner. This one is at a Wells Fargo Bank and is complete with stagecoach. It is fun driving around town looking for them. Walt always seems to find them first.
There are a lot of things to do in Amarillo and if you are interested in RVing the Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum is a must do. It is a large RV dealership that started in the 70's and is now Amarillo's largest RV dealer.
Mr. Sisemore began collecting vintage trailers, campers, and mobile homes in the 1980s. His museum, which has its own building at the dealership, is free. Just ask at the desk and they will guide you back to the building.
The building is full from roof to floor of RV's, motorcycles, boats and cars. This is an old Airstream that was part of Wally Byam's Caravan. Wally Byam was the founder of Airstream and he an his wife traveled internationally in his Airstreams. In 1955 this globetrotting inspired the Wally Byam Caravan Club International to promote traveling in an Airstream. The club is still in existence today.
This is a 1948 Flxible bus that was used by the Gornicke family in the Robin Williams movie RV.
It was modified for the movie. I loved that they left the floor well that I remember from riding Greyhound way back that you had to step up to get into your seat.
This 1975 Itasca was the first Itasca Motorhome ever built. Serial # 1. It was the prototype for Itasca. It was in Winnebago's Welcome Center for over 20 years. It has 6000 original miles and is in new condition.
Oh so 70's. We had that gold shag carpeting in the first house we bought in 1970.
We bought a brand new El Camino just like this except ours was gold. We bought it and only drove it from the dealership to Walt's Dads house and stored it before going to Hawaii for a few months. I came back before Walt did, got it out of the garage and drove a few miles and steam rolled out of the hood and the side mirrors fell off. They hadn't prepped it very well. The radiator hose wasn't tightened and obviously the mirrors weren't screwed on. The dealership fixed it and I don't recall any further problems after that. Fun to have memories triggered.
This little 1946 Tear Drop was made from a kit. The kits were surplus aluminum left over after World War II.
All the comforts of home.
Love the story on this 1953 Fleetwood that they ran across at a filling station 15 years ago.
It was owned by an 84 year old lady that had been traveling in it full time across the country. She sold it saying that "it was time for her to quit camping."
A 1967 Hippie Van. How many young people started their camping experience like this?
What a pleasure to wander through this great museum. And it is free. It is a must do if you are in Amarillo.
Another Amarillo must do is Cadillac Ranch. Along Route 66 stand 10 Cadillacs buried nose down in the dirt. The angle is supposed to be the same as the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh 3 wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals.
A group of art hippies from San Francisco were looking to create some alternate art and somehow convinced Marsh to allow it on land he owned. They called themselves the Ant Farm. They came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac fin. The Caddies face west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville. That was in 1974 and today the fins are barely recognizable.
Stanley Marsh 3 and the Ant Farm were tolerant of the people that would stop along the road, deface them and rip off parts as souvenirs. Eventually they gave up and encouraged it.
Today they are barely recognizable for what they originally were but Cadillac Ranch is as popular as ever. You feel that you would be missing something if you didn't go through the gate, walk across the lumpy field and make your mark.
We made our mark and were sure that it would be covered over before we even got back to our car. No messy cans of spray paint for us. Just a good old Sharpie. We have this photo as proof that our mark was there............however briefly.
Further proof.
While I was photographing I was being photographed. Not sure why the man thought that this would be a good place to fly his drone but he was getting lots of attention.
The day we were there was a beautiful, warm spring day. The next day was a blustery day with wind gusts up to 40 mph and the crowds were bigger than the day before. I hope they sprayed their paint in the wind direction. Weather cannot prevent the pull of the pilgrimage to this popular spot.
Down the road some unburied Cadillacs. There's lots to see and do in Amarillo. Stay tuned for more to come.
"Museums are good things, places to look and absorb and learn."
Alan King