Day 7 of our Route 66 Road Trip from Shamrock, Texas to Amarillo, Texas was a shorter driving day but included the Leaning Tower of Broom, the Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere, Bug Ranch, and the 72 oz. Steak Challenge at the Big Texan in Amarillo.
We started out the drive towards Amarillo and of course came across more cool roadside shit like the remains of the Rattlesnakes sign from an old roadside snack pit as well as some Burma Shave signs.
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 pretty 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 and took some photos of the awesome roadside signs.
Next, we checked into the Big Texan. I think the husband 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 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.
We did NOT partake in the challenge and just got regular steak dinners instead.
Luckily for us, a Contiki tour bus rolled in and a poor guy 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
Follow along on the rest of our 16-day road trip along the Mother Road here:
