Day 16 - Tucumcari, NM

What a day!!  You'd better sit back and relax because this was a busy day and I've got a lot to tell you about.  Our trip was from Shamrock, TX across the entire Texas Panhandle into New Mexico.  The drive itself was very uneventful.  No rain but still a lot of wind.  Texas is a very flat state, at least in the panhandle.

There are wind turbines for miles and miles.  You look left and right and all you see is grazing lands for cows and horses.  Where the arrow is in the picture is the house in the middle of acres and acres of land. 

We left the Lone Mound Ranch heading for Tucumcari, NM.  The Ranch has their own store where they sell fresh beef.  They didn't have any steaks but we bought 2 lbs. of fresh ground beef.  $9.00 per pound!  At least we know it's fresh.

The first place we stopped was McLean, TX to see the recreation of a Phillips 66 Gas station.  The attention to detail is to be commended.

Stop 2 was in Groom, TX at the Ministries of the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a 190-foot-tall, 19-story steel monument.  It included a bronze representation of the last supper, life-sized bronze sculptures of the Stations of the Cross and steps to Calvary representing the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ alongside the two thieves.  The place was really amazing and the apostles looked like they were staring at you.  Very impressive and definitely my favorite stop of the day!

Our third stop was in Amarillo, TX to see the famous Cadillac Ranch which is a public art installation and sculpture.  The installation consists of a row of ten Cadillacs buried nose first in the ground.  People are encouraged to purchase spray paint and put their mark on the cars.  Even the road and the Jersey barriers are painted.

We then headed to Adrian, TX.  Adrian is exactly half way between Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA on Route 66.  We grabbed a coffee and hot chocolate at the Midpoint Cafe.

We finally made it to Tucumcari, NM but the tour isn't over.  Tucumcari has the famous Blue Swallow Motel.  This motel built in 1939 was unique in that it had a garage for every room.  They also had bikes that people could use.  It has been remodeled to look exactly like 1939 and is renting out rooms.

And now to spend the night in a KOA in Tucumcari.  Tomorrow on to Roswell and Carlsbad, NM and more adventures!

Fun Facts:

- Texas is home to many ranches.  The King Ranch in South Texas is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.

- More wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the United States.

- Texas boasts the nation’s largest herd of whitetail deer.

- Texas accounts for nearly 15% of all beef cows in the U.S., generating over $10.5 billion in annual economic value.  A single full-grown beef steer can provide meat for more than 1,700 individual meals, including over 1,000 servings of steak or roast and roughly 1,050 quarter-pound hamburger patties.

- Texas leads the United States in the number of farms and ranches, producing a vast array of livestock, grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

- Texas is the top producer of cotton in the United States.

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