Roadside Attractions Amarillo Style: nose down Cadillacs and ungainly legs

Roadside attractions are an American phenomenon.

It's an endearing phenomenon that towns many think are in the middle of nowhere become somewhere when people exercise creativity, put tongue in cheek and take advantage of that wide open space.

The best part is when those efforts take on lives of their own that their makers never anticipated.

Cadillac Ranch. Photo by Judy Wells.

Count on the Good Girls to seek these out so our first stop had to be the Cadillac Ranch. It used to be on Rte 66 but a growing Amarillo prompted a move in 1997 few miles west to a spot off Interstate 40. Just look for the cars parked along a side road.

The installation charting the evolution of Cadillac's tail fins (1949-1963) was the brainchild of Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, part of the Art Farm group of architects and artists. They approached millionaire Stanley Marsh 3 of Amarillo, who had a penchant for non-traditional art, and the rest is history. And 10 Cadillacs partially buried nose down supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

The afternoon we arrived it was relatively quiet for a weekend when 2,000 to 4,000 people are likely to drop by. During the week numbers are 1,000 to 2,000
 visitors.

Take a colorful ride into the imagination. Photo by Judy Wells.

The adults of a Hispanic family were looking closely at the tipped cars while their younger sons were "sitting" in one pretending to drive it and the oldest one spray painting others.

Spray on. Photo by Judy Wells.

It's what you do at the Cadillac Ranch. Spray painting is what people have been doing since the installation was finished in 1974. The cars have been all white for a commercial, pink for the birthday of Wendy, Stanley's wife. All were painted black when Doug Michels died and in 2012 the installation became a rainbow to commemorate gay pride. Sometimes a coat of paint is added to give visitors a fresh canvas. It was about time for that when we visited.

Focusing on art. Photo by Judy Wells.

We chatted briefly with a couple from Connecticut. She was taking snaps while over and over, he positioned his tripod for exactly the image he wanted. That's something visitors do, too; take pictures.

What I did was marvel at how people from all over the world had made a line of oddly placed cars their own. I doubt if any of its creators had any idea how it would be received or that the public would want to add their names, colors, thoughts or scribbles to its "bodies." The Cadillac Ranch has transcended itself and truly is a living work of art.

Cadillac Ranch jewelry by Bob "Crocodile Lile.

 It is only natural that visitors would like a souvenir to take home. There's a guy who is often at the site who sells tacky ones out of the back of his van, but there is a much better option. Artist Bob "Crocodile" Lile at Lile Art Gallery in Amarillo creates beautiful jewelry from paint chips he finds on the ground at the Ranch. Opaline silver pendants, bracelets, rings and earrings are tasteful, unique works you will be proud to wear. Trust me, no one will suspect their "stones'" origin.

It isn't the only art installation the late millionaire Marsh gifted to Amarillo. I saw one of the bogus street signs that make up the "Dynamite Museum," but there are many more that survive the wear and tear of weather and paint-overs.

We didn't see the "Floating Mesa," another Marsh-funded project, a little north of Amarillo because atmospheric conditions were not right.

Floating Mesa.

When the sky is the same shade of white as the band of plywood panels across the side of the mesa, it appears to be floating.

Then there are "The Legs."

Photo from afar by Judy Wells.

I don't remember where we first heard about "the big legs" but everyone we mentioned them to, shook their heads and muttered, "You want to see those things?"

Yes, we did, even after being told it was a joke and the official-looking plaque wasn't. We persisted despite wrong turn after wrong turn. Not knowing exactly what to look for, we were driving right by them.

The Ozymandias legs. Photo by Debi Lander.

At first glance, the old Peggy Lee song, "Is that all there is?" came to mind and we understood the discouraging comments.

Then I saw the official-looking plaque and started reading. And laughing. Shelley might be rolling in his grave although he wasn't above pulling a prank or two himself.  Perhaps we were both laughing.

Here is what the plaque says:

In 1819, while on their horseback trek
Over the great plains of New Spain
Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife
Mary Wollestonecraft (author of
"Frankenstein"), came across these
ruins. Here Shelley penned these
Immortal lines:
                         "Ozymandias
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of
stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose
frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold com-
mand
Tell that its sculptor well of those passions
read
Which yet survive stamped on these life-
less things.
The hand that mocked them and the heart
that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear.
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and de-
spair!'
Nothing beside remains round the de-
cay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away. "
                                                      (1819)

Added in explanation:

"The visage (or face) was damaged by students from Lubbock after losing to Amarillo in a competition. A stone cast of it will be replaced when ready. The original is on display now in the Amarillo Museum of Natural History. Souvenir hunters have scraped off the bottom of the pedestal but archeologists have determined that it was as Shelley described it."

Can't you just imagine a group of beer-drinking students, surely an English major and an art major among them, sitting around coming up with a roadside attraction of their own?

Photo by Judy Wells.

I understand the crew sock marking and some graffiti was added by someone after installation so the legs may evolve into something deeper than an elaborate student prank. In the meantime, thanks for the laughs, kids. Also, now we know there is a rivalry between Amarillo and Lubbock which explains the Lubbock sign from the Dynamite Museum.

Not all roadside attractions are equal but even the worst make for interesting detours and bring a touch of whimsy to otherwise ordinary road trips.

The Good Girls Land in the Flatlands of Texas

Rick Husband statue in the Amarillo airport named for him.

The Good Girls, Debi Lander and Judy Wells, hail from Florida, so a trip to the plains of Texas required a flight to Amarillo.  We landed at RickHusband Airport, one of those fine regional airports that never see overly long TSA lines. Incidentally, Rick Husband was a local hero, an astronaut who sadly lost his life when Columbia exploded on reentry. The statue in his honor inside the terminal makes a good meeting point. 

We then picked up our rental car for our annual road trip and headed for downtown Amarillo, an area known for cowboys and cattle.  

A sign you can't miss. Photo by Debi Lander.

We didn’t get very far because we soon passed an icon and simply had to turn back. You can’t miss the Big Tex Steak Ranch sign featuring long-legged Big Tex. This sprawling restaurant became a beacon for travelers along Route 66 back in the day and later moved to Interstate 40. 

Perfect for selfies ans souvenir shots.

Big Tex caught our eye, and we naturally had to snap some photos.  The giant White-faced Hereford steer makes for a fun selfie and is a must for anyone visiting this area. 

Big Tex-Rex. Photo by Judy Wells.

So is Big Tex-Rex, called by the restaurant's founders Spirit of the Mother Road, Route 66.

In true Texas spirit, the restaurant was created to satisfy the hunger for good steaks and the ambiance of the Old West. The now World-famous FREE 72-oz. Steak came to life not long after it opened in 1960.

Steak Ranch dining room. Photo by Debi Lander.

We had no intention of trying to eat four and a half pounds of steak in one hour, but we had to find out more.  Here are the rules to get a free meal: 

1    Entire meal must be completed in one hour. If any of the meal is not consumed (swallowed)…YOU LOSE!

2    Before the time starts, you will be allowed to cut into the steak, and take one bite. If the steak tastes good and is cooked to your satisfaction, we will start the time upon your acceptable approval. The time will not stop, and the contest is on, so make SURE before you say “yes.”

3    Once you have started you are not allowed to stand up, leave your table, or have anyone else TOUCH the meal.

4    You will be disqualified if anyone assists you in cutting, preparing or eating your meal. This is YOUR contest.

5    You don’t have to eat the fat, but we will judge this.

6    Should you become ill, the contest is over… YOU LOSE! (Please use the container provided as necessary.)

7    You are required to pay the full amount up front; if you win we will refund 100%.

8    You must sit at a table that we assign.

9    If you do not win the steak challenge, you are welcome to take the leftovers with you.

10    No consumption or sharing of the leftovers is allowed in the restaurant once the contest is over.

11    If you fail to complete the challenge, you must pay the full $72 dollars.

Texas-themed gift shop. Photo by Judy Wells.

Since it was afternoon, no one was attempting to win a steak dinner, so we perused the gift shop.  The place reminded us of Wall Drug in South Dakota, kitschy souvenirs celebrating any and everything Texas.  While we were thoroughly entertained, we escaped without spending any money. 

Our downtown hotel, the MarriottCourtyard Amarillo Downtown, was a gem. It’s the restored historic Fisk Building, a former medical arts building, that found new life. Downtown Amarillo is coming alive, and the Marriott is in the center of the action. 

 Examples of Pueblo Deco. Photos by Judy Wells.

 Amarillo also is making a concerted effort to save their Art Deco - or as they call it, Pueblo Deco buildings - with design motifs inspired by Pueblo sand paintings,  and we applaud their work. 

Baked potato and filet mignon at Embers. Photo by Debi Lander.

Thanks to Amarillo CVB, Eric Miller, we were treated to a fantastic filet at an upscale restaurant named Embers.  The menu featured steaks and seafood, fresh vegetables and steak toppers. Specialties of the house included a yummy fried baked potato that Judy devoured. Debi stuck with the traditional baked potato.  Since the Good Girls had recently spent three weeks in China, the steak dinner fulfilled meaty dreams. However, we could not fit in even a bite of the unusual, but we hear scrumptious, jalapeño cheesecake.

We returned to the Marriott Courtyard to get ready for a full day of museum hopping the next morning.

------ By Debi Lander