Saturday 2nd September 2000

OKLAHOMA – AMARILLO, TEXAS


At 8.30 we met Ken and Bev and went to find somewhere for breakfast, temp already in the 80’s, after a walk and drive around we could not find anywhere suitable so ended up back at the hotel.

After breakfast we visited the Route 66 museum that was just opposite our hotel, great place, we walked around with small personal stereo’s listening to the story of the route narrated by Michael Wallis, an expert on the route who is also the author of the book ‘The Mother Road’ that Ken has bought and is getting the people mentioned in it to sign when we come across them.

By 11.00 am that day we were back on the route and on our way to our final destination of the day the Big Texan Hotel, Amarillo Texas. We went thru very small town Elk City, outside temp was 100°. We stopped to have a look and photograph some of the original Route 66 and when on road again passed a dead skunk in road. Drove thru town called Eric, temp outside at 12.31, was 102°, it seemed a little old and run down so decided not to stop for lunch but carry on.

At 1.05 we crossed from Oklahoma to Texas our 5th State of the trip so far. Texas is very oldie, worldy. America. We lunched at Westerns Diner in small town Shammrock and after lunch visited the Barbed Wire Museum in McLean, very interesting, did not know there were so many different types of Barbed Wire. We carried along the route and to our amazement saw a field of Cotton growing by the side of the road, we pulled over and went in the field to get a closer look and take some pictures, never seen anything like that before. Photographed the old Phillips 66 petrol station, so named as it was especially sold along the old Route 66

Passed thru a small town call Groom and saw the leaning Water tower, about the only thing to see in this town not even any people. Arrived at our 2 night stop in Amarillo, The Big Texan Motel, excellent venue all done out like a Western Town and the front of the motel rooms looked like an old western street. We checked in and found our rooms, Ken tripped up the stairs. The walls of the rooms were all wood covered, it looked fantastic, lovely and cool as still very hot outside. The hotel outdoor pool was in the shape of Texas so we took a long well earned dip, very refreshing as it was still 90°. After our swim we returned to our rooms and Rob tripped up the stairs.

After showing and changing we went to the Big Texan restaurant, where you can have a 72oz beef steak, free, it you can eat the whole thing in one sitting, in an hour and ensure it stays down. Some have done it as the list on the bar shows, date, time, name and age of each person and how long it took them; some have even done it more than once. Made our way to the bar at last for a long cool pint of Bud while we waited for Becky Ransom, another of the Internet friends that Ken made while researching this trip, she is the Human Resource manager for the hotel. She came straight over to us as we looked like tourists, hanging around the bar; apparently the Texan’s don’t do that.

Becky was a lovely lady, great personality and very bubbly. We all went into dinner and boy what a room, it was done out like an old western Saloon with wooden floors and a big old wooden spiral staircase in the corner and huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was live music coming from a group of wandering musicians. We ordered our food and while waiting the wandering minstrels came over and gave us a rendition of some old English folk songs (or so they called and thought they were). We all joined in singing “England Swings”, “Home, Home on the Range” and “The Yellow rose of Texas” which Bev sang the whole way thru. The food was fantastic; we had Rattle Snake, Buffalo Balls, Roast Rabbit and Texas Caviar (Black Eyed Peas) for our starter and another pint of beer each.

The steaks arrived with all the trimmings: we ate well and drank a couple of bottles of wine while chatting to Becky, but we could not manage a dessert, they were enormous, a large pile of strawberries and cream on a biscuit base. We took a quick look around the gift shop and paid a visit to see George the shops pet: a rattle snake, Becky woke him by blowing on his back, he moved a little and so did we and then he went back to sleep. Finally made our way back to our rooms, collecting Ken & Bev’s laundry on the way and I fell up the stairs, but I had the worst injury so far, I broke my fingernail.



TRAVELLED TODAY 185 MILES