Welcome to Texas!

We left Elk City, Oklahoma this morning in the rain. One of the big landmarks in Elk City is a giant oil derrick. When it is financially to their advantage, they work the rig...right on Main Street.

I love this welcome to Shamrock, Texas display; great art work paintings of every State on Route 66.

And then in downtown Shamrock is this awesome old gas station and cafe. This had fallen into disrepair and was about to be demolished when the owner called the City to see if they would accept it as a donation. The City was able to accept the gift and get grant dollars to rebuild it. They did a remarkable job. The U-Drop Inn is famous for two things; Elvis dined here and this was also featured in the Cars movie. And for those who know John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Shamrock is mentioned in the book.

I loved this great old Phillips 66 Station in McLean, TX.

I also love this non-functioning leaning water tower, obviously built at great expense but it gets people to stop.

And then in Amarillo, TX is the Big Texan Steak Ranch. They feature a 72 ounce steak that if you eat it within one hour, the meal is free. The meal comes with other items; a salad, 3 pieces of shrimp, a baked potato and a roll. This is a fun stop. Great atmosphere and decor. And as we were being seated, we sat next to Chris who just completed the meal in 45 minutes. As we introduced ourselves to Chris and told him what were doing, he came over and wanted to pray for us. Thank you Chris.

Limo anyone?

And I can't even pretend to know what this is all about.

Here is a photo of the giant meal. And I was impressed with Chris, but check out the photo I took of the 125 pound lady who actually ate 3 of these meals within 20 minutes! What?

And we are stopped for the night in Amarillo at the Luxury Inn and Suites. The owner, Mickey, has taken great care of us. He served as a tour guide for us telling us places we have to stop at in Arizona. He gave us plastic bags for our feet for when we stop tomorrow at the Cadillac Ranch and he let us use his hose to wash the bike. If you find yourself in Amarillo, stop for the night and see Mickey.

Until tomorrow!