Route 66 Road Trip - Day 3

Day 3

"Oh My God I'm Having So Much Fun!!!!!!"

Albuquerque, NM to Burleson, TX

• 645 Miles
  
• 11 hours, 5 minutes
  
• 4 Stops

Today we took the most direct route to get to our destination and after making stops at two iconic Route 66 stops we left the historic highway to head south toward central Texas.  Much of our ride today was spent solving the world’s problems, looking up random facts on Wikipedia and enjoying the scenery, not once turning on the radio.

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The Many Positions of Paughey
This dog gets around...

Goodbye New Mexico... HELLO TEXAS!

Cadillac Ranch

Just outside Amarillo, Texas, this art installation by artists Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels would be completely missed if you weren’t paying attention.   Set in the cow pasture of millionaire Stanley Marsh 3, the ten classic Cadillacs half-buried in the ground have been graffitied by passersby since 1974.  Dad and I were on the phone with my sister when we spotted it.  We promptly got off the freeway and made our way to the iconic spot.  Paughey and I ran out into the field, and Dad and I sprayed some paint and explored.  The cars have so much corrosive paint on them the metal is practically melting away.  It’s amazing what you can find on the side of the road.

The Big Texan

You don’t get more stereotypical Texas than this!  This restaurant/hotel/gift shop is like walking into a county fair.  Big boots, a larger than life steer, Texas stars and red, white & blue painted smokers is what makes this a Route 66 legend leave a lasting impression on any Texas outsider.  We weren’t able to eat inside the restaurant because of Paughey but they had a wonderful porch (minus the heat and flies) where we were able to eat our order to go.  If you ever have the chance to go, get the fudge.  It’s to DIE FOR!

The other two stops were just quick stretch, restroom and grub pit stops.

Our original plan was to finish our day in Wichita Falls, TX but we decided to lengthen our day a bit and make our way through Dallas/Fort Worth as not to have to battle commuter traffic in the morning.  We ended up at a hotel in Burleson, a suburb of Fort Worth, where we were the only patrons.  And, as soon as we got into the room, Paughey parked himself on the bed next to the AC and passed out until morning!  He has been such a good boy the last few days, he deserved a good night’s sleep. 

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