WE ARE HALFWAY THERE! TEXAS: BEEF CAPITAL

 
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Ah, the grand state of Texas at last!                                           The roadside anti-litter signs read:  Don’t Mess with Texas! Soon after crossing the Texas border we hit the Midpoint Caf which marks the half way mark for those traveling the entire length of the road.  A real plus:  the food was good and the waitress perky.

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                Touted as a Route 66 Must See, we pulled off the road to walk around the “Cadillac Ranch,” a crop of caddies stuck tail up in the ground and covered with spray painted graffiti.   Parents were helping their children hold the paint cans and spray.  The drill is to do your graffiti and then throw all your trash on the ground and leave.  To me it was a disgusting sight.

 

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                Not too far from this scene is the “bug ranch,” which is a copycat only this time with Volkswagon bugs.  It wasn’t quite as messy.

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Our KOA Kampground in Amarillo was a kick.  At 7:30 p.m. a limo which mooed like a cow and sported large horns of a bull on the hood came right to our trailer to chauffer us to the BIG TEXAS STEAK HOUSE.  They even threw in a big cowboy to give me a hug.  Signs on the highway for miles had advertised this eatery as the place to get a 72 ounce steak free.  Of course there is a catch:  eat the entire 72 ounces plus all the trimmings (lots of trimmings apparently), and the meal is free.  We watched a man painstakingly attempting to get a free meal.  At the end of his hour, he was 3 shrimp short and had to pull out his wallet.  As for us, we ordered 18 ounce ribeyes which made for a great dinner, a great lunch and a great breakfast! 

 

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               Traveling east we hit two roadside attractions in the town of Groom.  First there is the religious sector with statues telling the story of Christ, and all of this below the shadow of the “largest cross in the Western Hemisphere.”  Standing some 19 stories high, even I had to admit it looked rather beautiful against the blue Texas sky.   A short way from there we photographed the leaning water tower, apparently built that way to attract tourists such as us.

                Actually, these quirky roadside attractions are a tribute to American innovation when thousands of travelers motored on Route 66 and each town looked for a way to get their business.  Motels, cafes, garages and gas stations were rewarded when carloads of travelers stopped to see an attraction, feed the family and perhaps spend the night.

 

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                                                          REST AREAS

    Rest areas along I-40 in Arizona were all closed!

    Rest areas along I-40 in New Mexico were open.

    Rest areas in Texas were mainly “picnic areas” with picnic tables but no restrooms.

    TWO OF THE BEST REST AREAS WE ENCOUNTERED ARE IN TEXAS: 

                Two of the best rest areas we have ever visited are located in Texas and sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation.  The north side rest area featured exhibits on the history of ranches and farms in the area.  It had a beautiful viewing area and abundant facilities.  Across the highway on the south is the Route 66 rest area with a short hike into a Route 66 time line and physical map on which you can walk.  We were told that the area lights up in neon at night.

 

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                                             WEST BOUND REST AREA

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                                             EAST BOUND REST AREA                                   

 MCLEAN TEXAS:  DEVIL’S ROPE/ROUTE 66 MUSEUM

 

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               Ok, it is dummy me that got half way through the museum when I finally realized that the “devil’s rope” is barbed wire.  A huge room follows the history of barbed wire.   There was a time that Texas was not a hospitable place to live.  When the water-pumping windmill was invented, farmers came to Texas, now able to irrigate the land. It was the invention of barbed wire fences that gave ranchers control of the land.  The exhibit shows how barbed wire was used during the war.  They even had an old wooden machine used in making the wire barbed, and one display was a barbed wire cowboy hat.  I never thought I’d be so interested in fences!

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                Also in this town we photographed a Phillips 66 Service station which was built in the 1920s.  The pumps were frozen at 19 cents.

 

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                We were able to traverse on the old road much of the way through Texas, and hopped on I-40 when that wasn’t an option.  Alan used to get so frustrated with trucks because they went “too slow.”  But now that we are towing a trailer and traveling 60 mph, he is frustrated with the trucks because they go “too fast,” passing us at 80 mph! 

                We were sad when we left Arizona, and could barely bring ourselves to leave New Mexico.  And now, as we leave Texas, we feel a love for that State, its vastness, its country folk, its grand steaks, and its respect for the preservation of Route 66.  So, it’s off to Oklahoma where the wind comes right behind the rain.