Cadillac Ranch
This monument, located along the old Rt. 66 outside of Amarillo, has become an effigy to the fabled route through the Southwest and the spirit of the American road trip. Ten Cadillacs buried hood first in a field are an art installation and an homage to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin on car models ranging from 1948-63. A popular tradition to tag (spray paint) something onto the carcasses is a right of passage for travellers of the Mother Road. The paint is inches thick, and gives the car frames a cartoon-like bulbous appearance. Many people leave cans of spray paint for others to use, but please do not leave empty cans of spray paint or trash here. In 1997 the cars were dug up and moved to their current location to escape the expanding city limits of Amarillo.
The cars are most dramatic when the crops in the surrounding field are short. The cars can be seen from I-40, but in order to get up close and personal, you’ll have to get off the highway. The path that leads to the cars is located roughly halfway between exits 60 and 62 on the southern frontage road along I-40 (the eastbound side). If it has rained at all recently, the smooth dirt walkway turns into an almost un-walkable muddy slip and slide. If you have a walking stick it will come in handy. Also, bring a change of shoes or a rag since your shoes will be caked in thick mud. Tread carefully. I have seen people slip, and recovering from the fall can lead to a disaster.
THE LEANING TOWER OF TEXAS
Just East of Amarillo, outside of the town of Groom, TX (although it says Britten, USA) is a water tower that seems to be tipping over, but it is at a 10 degree angle on purpose. The tower is not an actual municipal water tower, but is an ingenious marketing ploy for a truck stop. The tower was purchased by Ralph Britten from the town of Lefors and towed to its current location, where he tilted it with a bulldozer. The Leaning Tower of Texas served as a sign for his truck stop for years, before it was destroyed in a ravenous fire, leaving the anomalous oddity to distract drivers for years to come.
