Today we started out in Oklahoma.... and made it all the way home to Albuquerque just after midnight. My daughter did alot of the driving.... and I am very grateful. It still seemed like I felt every bump in the road.. and in that sense... it was rough. However, it was still much easier (no doubt) than if I would have done the driving as well.
Oklahoma is a very pretty state in the springtime. All along the highways were gorgeous wildflowers. The photo above shows tons of the red ones.. .I think they are a form of fire weed.... and they were stunning. We also so lots of daffodils, tulips, dandelions, wild mustard, and a few poppies.
Throughout Oklahoma and later into Texas, we continued to see lots of beautiful farmland and ranch land. We saw tons of cows, and even the occasional goat, sheep and even alpaca farms. America really is gorgeous... and it's a shame we (as a whole) don't appreciate it as much as we should.
My daughter and I had an interesting discussion revolving around Route 66. We were discussing whether there was an equivalent to that kind of thing today (not that I know of). And we were talking about how people travel alot today... but not in the same context. At least the impression I got of the Route66 fame; was that it was treated like a trip... not where the destination is completely the goal... but more of the journey being the goal. I think most people today who are driving/ traveling are more focused on getting to a certain destination... as opposed to enjoying the journey.
We got into Amarillo around suppertime, and on impulse... decided to stop at "The Big Texan" for dinner. If you've never been.... it's an iconic kind of place. The Big Texan is totally kitchy, totally cowboy... and totally everything you would expect a Texas steak house to be. There is a huge dining room full of about 100 taxidermy animals on the walls... wood floors...country style tables... even an authentic cowboy band.
We got into Amarillo around suppertime, and on impulse... decided to stop at "The Big Texan" for dinner. If you've never been.... it's an iconic kind of place. The Big Texan is totally kitchy, totally cowboy... and totally everything you would expect a Texas steak house to be. There is a huge dining room full of about 100 taxidermy animals on the walls... wood floors...country style tables... even an authentic cowboy band.
There is a saloon/ bar area... a massive poker room...a gift shop.... fudge and candy area... even a game/shooting range for kids.
There is a hotel/motel right next door that is owned by the same company.... and the building looks like a row of old buildings from a historic western town.
Needless to say, I had an awesome time. The band was fabulous... the atmosphere was fun.... and I had the best. steak. ever. Seriously. I had an 8oz sirloin topped with sauteed mushrooms and blue cheese crumbles and a side of fried okra. My daughter had a cup of chili, cornbread, and a HUGE appetizer that was comprised of fried okra, jalapenos, mozzarella sticks, and rocky mountain oysters. We didn't get dessert (cuz we were stuffed)... but the portions were enormous! and everything looked fantastic. ((Total cost of the meal was just under $40 for both of us))
*all photos by Elaine A. Russell