Day 2 - Thelma and Louise Notes From the Road

Day 2 came and we woke up in Abilene, TX. Our only plan for the day was to visit Cadillac Ranch somewhere in the great state of Texas. So we set out and along the way we saw some other quirky things of note.

First up was the little town of Roscoe, TX. I think we truly stumbled upon it by taking a wrong turn after getting gas.

Our snazzy Thelma and Louise wheels!

First I saw the windmill which I dubbed a Dorothy Gale windmill (c'mon admit it, you know what I mean by that) and then the rest of the picturesque little square with the bull and the "Greetings from Roscoe" town so we stopped to take some photos.












Just down the road a piece from Roscoe was Post, TX which had 2 points of interest for us.  First a literal Hole in Wall bar and second Silent Night Village. Silent Night Village is a town within a town; a collection of boutiques and eateries built within a wall in downtown Post. Intended as a holiday activity but still fun.

Leaving Post we saw a sign for Jackson Meat Locker and below that the word Jerky. Thinking that jerky is a great prize to take home to our hubby's we followed the signs. And found ourselves in a real live meat locker! We crept around for a minute or two and decided we were in over our heads, so we hightailed it out.  Sorry Steve and Chris - no jerky for you!

Next we pointed the car towards Lubbock and the Buddy Holly Center.This was a very cool stop. In addition to the Buddy Holly museum, the Texas Walk of Fame, his childhood home and a large statue of him, there are a gigantic pair of glasses that look like his iconic ones. Definitely my favorite part!

Louise hanging with Buddy

I love these glasses!

Continuing our day we headed to Amarillo and Route 66 aka "the mother road." We parked and walked around a funky little area with shops, bars and restaurants all with a distinct vintage feel.  I really like the whole idea and history of Route 66 and think that driving it from one end to another (as much as possible) would make for an awesome adventure.

Next stop - Cadillac Ranch! From the website roadside America:

"Standing along Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas, Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco in 1974. Ten Caddies were driven into a field, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza). Decades have passed. The Cadillacs have now been in the ground as art longer than they were on the road as cars. Cadillac Ranch is more popular than ever. It's become a ritual site for those who travel The Mother Road."

Not having any idea of what to expect, I was blown away by the whole spectacle of it. The cars are almost not recognizable as cars anymore. The graffiti paint is easily 3 to 4 inches thick. People have started hanging padlocks on the cars ala the love lock bridge in Paris and other European cities. Here are some photos I took.

From a distance

Closer view

Locks

This is what remains of a tire

From here we headed out to Albuquerque, NM (ABQ) which was to be our stopping place for the night. We were treated to a majestic lightning show for a large part of that journey, accompanied by crazy rain for just a bit of it. We were definitely tired by the time our heads hit the pillows!

Some things I learned on day 2:

• a drive of 3 or 4 hours to see something cool is a piece of cake
• my seat belt was out to get me
• it is perfectly acceptable to drive top down with the heat on!

Thanks for reading along. Check back tomorrow to see what we discover on day 3.