Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Amarillo by morning...well, 3:30 p.m.













The wind, blowing up to 42 mph, helped us breeze into Amarillo this afternoon. It's our first time driving in such wind. It pushed us around a little but was tolerable. The Texas panhandle is what I expected...very few trees, scrubby grassland, washed out gullies, lots of grazing cattle, and the ubiquitous Stetsons. Oh, and really friendly people. They say "ya'll" here, too, just as they did in Oklahoma.

Let me tell you about the Big Texan restaurant where we had dinner this evening. Billboards along I-40 tease you with, "Free 72 oz. steak." We knew is was a gimmick, but it drew is in, anyway. Here's the deal: Eat a 72 oz. piece of beef, three butterfly shrimp, a garden salad, a baked potato, and a roll in 1 hour (you must stay seated) and the meal is free. We were told that 1 in 7 who attempt it actually complete the meal as prescribed. One fellow was 330 lbs. before he added 72 more oz.!

The restaurant itself was very Texas. Longhorn cattle horns and cowhides adorn the walls. It has a Long Branch saloon feeling. The restaurant actually will send a limo to pick you up. The limos have longhorn hood ornaments. Cool... Tacky.

A storm is gathering; we're hunkering down in the basement. Oh, we don't have a basement.



The pics include one of Oklahoma city. It's still an important rail center. Note the railroad right in the city.

Stay tuned.

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