Touring Route 66 and the Cadillac Ranch // Ch 3 Wd 4

November 23, 2019

Heading into Texas we just knew the weather would improve so we rushed and booked ourselves in for a longer stay then usual. After all we were travelling on the iconic Route 66. We knew there would be great things to see and do in Amarillo, Texas

Driving the entire Route 66 is for sure on our list but up until now it seemed we had just crossed it a few times on our way to and fro. Amarillo was a hub of activity along Route 66 in it’s day and it gave us a place to plant ourselves for a week.

We picked up our rental car, at the airport as usual, and got settled at the RV Ranch Park. Interesting place it was and it had a free limo ride over to the the Big Texan Steakhouse. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s the place where you get your meal for free if you can eat their 72oz steak and fix’ins in 1hr without, you know, bringing it back up. We were more than happy to just pay for our meal but it would have been fun to cheer someone on. Unfortunately, there were no takers on our visit.

Another great place we went to in Amarillo was Jack Seismore’s RV Museum. OMG, I was so excited and it was fantastic. The museum is small but I had no problem hanging out there for a few visits. They had Airstream’s first trailer and many other old ones as well as many other brands. They had it all from Class As to travel trailers to pop-ups and campers. You can go in the majority of them too. You could sit in them and just imagine families, explorers and adventurers like us rolling down Route 66 back in the day having the time of their lives. We highly recommend everyone take an afternoon and check this place out. It’s free and fun.

We love to try new food and in Texas it seems you have BBQ or Mexican. Since we had already been to the Big Texan, Mexican was our next stop. We never have a clue where we are going we just look for some reviews and hit it hoping for the best. This time we hit the Jackpot at El Bracero. There was a language barrier for us but pictures speak a thousand words so we ordered and BAM we had authentic, tasty Mexican food. Ok the food was great but what I really loved was that this was clearly a family run restaurant. Even though we couldn’t understand what was being said we could clearly see the family hierarchy and how everyone pitched in. I loved watching the teens interact with each other, as teens do, and the reactions of the ‘family bosses’.

El Bracero Mexican Grill Amarillo, Texas

Oh did I mention that we were completely wrong about the weather in Texas being better. It absolutely was not. We were freezing again and Kory actually had to go out to disconnect and shut off the water! But we weren’t gonna miss it, so we bundled up and headed over to the Cadillac Ranch. If you haven’t been you should know that you just stop beside the road and walk out into a field and there it is. Seems weird right? But ya the whole thing is weird…. and wonderful! The Cadillac Ranch is a different kind of art, a very special kind of art. It is interactive and meant to be that way.

The Cadillac Ranch, Route 66, Amarillo, Texas

The Cadillac Ranch was actually built in 1974 on a different piece of land but had to be moved to it’s current location because of the encroaching city. It is still the same as it was at the beginning, minus the fact that people have stripped the cars down to their frames. The interactive part is that all who come are encouraged to place their mark on the cars with a can of spray paint. Ya, really. There are layers upon layers of spray paint on these cars. It is significant to see. As I said, it was cold and wet when we were there so no painting for us but it was fun to film them. One negative point that I just have to mention for anyone going, PLEASE take your garbage away. We were so disappointed to see how much garbage, gloves and spray cans, were just thrown on the ground at the bases of the cars. It was so unnecessary as there was a garbage can at the entrance/exit. If you bring it out to the cars take it away. These cars are a work of art that deserves more respect, especially if you are being given the freedom to express yourself on them.

We really felt like we had done well in Amarillo but like I said we were freezing so we cut out early and headed to our next destination. We stayed at the RV Ranch in Oct 2018.

We would love to hear about your favourite things to do in Amarillo and pleeeease tell us if you have been to the RV Museum we would love to hear which one was your fav and why. Tell us in the comments.

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More about Denise

I am a RV lover. All things RV are intriguing to me right down to the little details. I love to travel, especially in the Beaver, and combining our adventures with our reviews really is having my cake and eating it too. We are rvSometimers, meaning that we do things just a little different then most RV vloggers but it just goes to show that anyone can fit into this lifestyle.

4 Comments
    1. I was going with some friends from Connecticut to California taking a fun trip and got caught in a snowstorm in Amarillo back in 1979 while driving my 71 Dodge charger, it was quite the adventure.

      1. Wow, that does sound like quite an adventure! It was freezing when we were there and that never works for me so we were happy to get on the road off to the next place. I’m sure California was much warmer right? and a ’71 Dodge Charger you were probably looking for any reason you could to take a road trip in that haha. I bet it was fun.

      1. Glad you liked it. It is fun to see iconic places and learn new things, that’s why we RV right? Have you been on any portion of route 66?

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