Day 27 Norman OK to Amarillo TX

  Amarillo, Texas, United States
Sunday, June 1, 2008

What a blast!!! Driving from Oklahoma City to Amarillo isn't one of those tasks you typically look forward to undertaking. But fully refreshed, thanks to a wonderfully comfortable night sleep and two home cooked meals, we had a fantastic, memorable day.

States Added: Texas...for a total of 23 plus DC

On the iPod:
Back to Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen

Culinary Experiences:
A steak from the Big Texan Ranch House, famous for it's 72 ounce steak. If you can eat one in 60 minutes you pay nothing. If you can't (and 90% of those who attempt it cannot) it'll cost you about $60.00.

Gourmet Meal Found Here?

Tourist Activities:
Visited the very moving Oklahoma City Memorial for the Murrah Building bombing in 1995.

Oklahoma City Memorial

Got on and off Route 66, along with visiting a Route 66 museum where we invested in some fuzzy dice for our rearview mirror (classic).

Fuzzy Dice

Stopped by the Groom Texas cross, the 2nd largest cross in the Western hemisphere weighing 1250 tons...because everything has to be big in Texas.

Texas-Sized Roadside Cross

Checked into the cheesiest motel of our journey, the Big Texan Hotel.

Connie Can Die Happy: Bob had his submarines so it was Connie's turn to experience bliss. Standing in line at the Big Texan Ranch House for dinner, which by anyone's review can only be compared to an arcade, we are informed that there is filming going on in the dining room. What is being filmed? we casually ask. "Andy from No Reservations" we are told. Connie perks up. She asks 'Anthony BOURDAIN of No Reservations?' Yes, that's right, she's told. WHAT????? Many people may know that Connie is a Travel Channel junkie. Anthony Bourdain is the David Cassidy of the Travel Channel (in her opinion). The world gets fuzzy, her ears start to ring, she is revisiting 1972. By golly, as they get seated, there in the middle of the dining room is the man himself lit like a Christmas tree with a halo...um....maybe that was just Connie's interpretation. We digress. To cut a long story short, Bob mortifies Connie by asking Tony (now that we're buddies) if he will have his picture taken with his (crazy) wife. He kindly agrees.

Connie and Tony

We come to Amarillo Texas on a 95 degree day, check into a roach motel, get in line for a tourist trap dinner and she meets The Man. What are the chances of this happening? What are the chances?????

Cultural Difference: The rest stop bathrooms also function as tornado shelters.

Tornado Shelter

Question Of The Day: This is for our Texas friends (Ralph, Kathy, Scott)...What is the deal with the rest stops down here? These things are plush!!! They even come with BBQs shaped like the state itself. Makes us very suspicious.

Texas Rest Stop

We have been on the road now for four full weeks and we are counting down to the day we return home. Much to our surprise, we have caught our second wind and are still thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Texola Oklahoma

Bobs Your Uncle. B&C