Day 7 of our 18-day Route 66 road trip was a shorter driving day. We started out with a drive towards Amarillo (which is in Texas, not New Mexico!) and of course came across more cool roadside shit like the Rattlesnakes sign from an old roadside reptile farm and some Burma Shave signs. Here is what the original Rattlesnakes sign looked like before it was destroyed in a wind storm.
We then took a little off-roading detour to the Jericho Cemetery because I have a thing for cemeteries.
Next up, the leaning tower of Groom and some awesome grain elevators.
The Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere is worth a stop. Yep, it’s tall at 190 feet.
We also came across some BBQs in the shape of guns for sale. This picture pretty much sums up Texas.
Bug Ranch is pretty cool. It’s a satire of Cadillac Ranch.
We then got into Amarillo, took some photos of some of the awesome roadside signs, and went directly to the antique stores. I had a few antique store regrets pictured below, but I also made some great scores and can’t wait to list some of the finds in my Etsy shop!
Next, we checked into the Big Texan. I think the Mister was so excited when we pulled up. He had no clue where I booked us to stay along the trip, so every night was a surprise, and this was a very happy surprise. I don’t know how to describe the Big Texan exactly … it’s like Disneyland, Las Vegas, the Madonna Inn, and an eating contest all rolled into one.
After unpacking the car, we went to dinner at the Big Texan restaurant. The steaks are served on giant Big Texan plates (yes, they are for sale in the gift shop, and yes, we might have purchased one), there is a trio of cowboys who wander around serenading diners (they sang Roger Miller’s King of the Road for us), but the star of the restaurant is when a diner takes on the 72 oz. steak challenge.
Luckily for us, a Contiki tour bus rolled in and a poor idiot from New Zealand decided to take on the challenge. You see, you have to finish a 72 oz. steak, one baked potato, one side salad, one shrimp cocktail, and one dinner roll, in one hour or less. If you finish, the meal is free and you get a tee-shirt. If you don’t finish, you owe them $72. The New Zealand boy failed. He only made it through 66 oz. of steak.
Perhaps he needed this 125-lb mother of four from Nebraska to show him how it’s done! She finished two (TWO!) 72 oz. steak dinners in less than 15 minutes! What?!? If you have 4:58 to spare, you can watch her eat the first one here. (My favorite part is when she dumps the salt on the baked potato.) And read an article about her here.
Stay: The Big Texan, 7701 Interstate E 40, Amarillo, TX 79118, (806) 372-1000
