We would be in Carrollton, TX for the winter after just two more stops. But first, we needed to get out of New Mexico.
After a 278-mile leg, including 50 miles of the Llano Estacado, we stopped in Amarillo, TX (population 199,371). There was no doubting in which state we had entered.
We were treated to a dazzling “murmur” by European Starlings along the road to Carrollton. It caught us by surprise, so I wasn’t fast enough to capture any pictures, let alone a video. But when I went online to verify the species of the birds and get the correct name for a group of starlings (murmur), I found this uncopyrighted picture that looked exactly like what we had observed. One of my favorite photos.
We didn’t particularly like the Amarillo campground we’d stayed in previously, so I chose one on the west side of town. When we checked in, three good old boys were shootin’ the breeze in the office. The one who was the manager invited us to join them a little before dusk for the campground’s periodic free outdoor potluck brisket dinner and movie night. MFI made her special corn soufflé, which was a huge hit. While we’ve never eaten a brisket we didn’t like, this one wasn’t the best, yet overall, we enjoyed both the meal and the company.
After dining, the park shelter was quickly converted to a small theater. The temperature was miserably cold; so we grabbed blankets and chairs, wrapped ourselves together, and watched the 1998 Action Sci-fi movie “Soldier,” starring Kurt Russell. Well, we’ve never seen a Kurt Russell movie we didn’t like, so we stayed for the entire flick and froze our patooties. Russell’s movie character was, Todd, a trained-since-birth and highly successful human killing machine; who after 40 years was seen as obsolete and exiled to a distant planet. Brutal, right? Through the miracle of Hollywood-crafted circumstances, Todd and followers from his adopted colony were pitted against a modern breed of genetically flawless soldiers, and this led to a survival-of-the-fittest battle to the death. Do I need to identify who won? Todd rocked!
I also chose this campground because it was within walking distance of the iconic pop culture art installation known as “Cadillac Ranch.” Hudson Marquez, an art student from Tulane University in New Orleans, claimed to have come up with the idea while living in the mountains north of San Francisco with architect Chip Lord. According to Marquez during drinks at a bar, they were reading a children’s book titled The Look of Cars. The book contained a description of the changing size of auto tail fins, and having nothing to do, Marquez sketched the initial design for the Ranch. Joined by fellow architect Doug Michels, the three were part of an art group called Ant Farm, an alternative and experimental architectural practice, which sought to subvert the corporate norms of doing architecture.
Little wonder then, that they sought an eccentric millionnaire to fund the project. Their search for sponsors included a proposal sent to Stanley Marsh 3 of Amarillo, an artist, businessman, philanthropist, and prankster. Marsh sponsored the project, and in 1974, the Ant Farm trio oversaw construction of their vision. Ten Cadillacs were buried front-end first at an angle of 60 degrees in a wheat field owned by Marsh. The cars, with designs of models spanning between 1949 and 1963, were either fully operational, used, or junk. Seventeen years later, the structure was relocated west of the expanding city limits to a cow pasture also owned by Marsh.
“Cadillac Ranch” has been popularized in movies, videos, photos, and TV ads. Over its existance, the cars have been purposefully painted a number of times for a variety of reasons. Once, they were all painted white for the filming of a television commercial, and at another time all pink to celebrate the birthday of Marsh’s wife. When Art Farm artist Doug Michels died, they were all painted flat black to honor him. In 2012, they were painted rainbow colors to commemorate LGBT pride week, and they were briefly “restored” to their original manufactured colors by Hampton Inn for a public relations-sponsored series about restoration projects along Route 66. However, each of these paint jobs were short lived, as visitors were usually covering them with fresh graffiti in less than 24 hours. When I visited to photograph the site, there were probably a dozen people spray painting the cars.
I was put off by the graffiti and the fact that so many parts of the cars had been removed and stolen. Everything from interior parts, lights and reflectors, and hood and trunk lids to tires and windows had been detached and pilfered. I felt this was at least disrespectful and at most criminal. I subsequently spoke with my daughter, who as an artist tempered my negative reactions. Cadillac Ranch was advertised as a public interpretive art piece, and visitors have been encouraged for decades to feel free and paint to their hearts content. OK, fair enough! Maybe even an unskilled or talentless person could get inspired to take up art, but I just didn’t see it happening. For example, I watched a young woman paint the entire trunk of one car white as her canvas, then proceded to paint a lackluster design, which looked like a waste of time in my opinion. Overall, I concluded I’m too old to fully appreciate modern interpretive art.
Few budding artists (unable to hide my sarcasm) used all of the spray paint they’d brought to the Ranch. Unable or unwilling to properly dispose of the excess, they emptied their cans on whatever surfaces were convenient. Plants, dirt, pavement, concrete highway barriers, and trash dumpsters all fell victim to being sprayed. Admittedly, I was grateful for the opportunity to experience up close and personal one of the iconic stops along America’s highway system.
Our final road stop for 2025 was Wichita Falls RV Park, just 231 miles further east on I-40. We had stayed at this park twice before and were familiar with where to find our favorite breakfast and coffee joints. After setting up camp, we went to McBride’s Land & Cattle Co. to enjoy a steak dinner and glass of wine. Unfortunately, we were sorely disappointed. The steak was a poor cut of meat, and the wine was almost undrinkable. Fortunately, we were too tired to give a big whoop.
The only other event during our stay was taking the weirdest hike yet on the “Wee-Chi-Tah Mountain Bike Trail.” This meandering trail was a 5.5 mile loop with a 75′ elevation change. It only took about 1.5 hours; however, I quickly became frustrated when the trail repeatedly did not agree with the snaking route shown on my AllTrails app. After back-tracking several times, I ignored the app unless I came to a junction and needed directional help. I found the wooden mountain bike structures along the trail very interesting and would liked to have seen bikers shooting across them.
Our final 231 miles to Carrollton brought an end to perhaps our greastest RV adventure to date. We had towed 10,382 miles, stayed in 55 campgrounds, visited 9 states and 4 provinces, taken 7 ferries, and ticked off 7 items on our bucket list. Except for driving on the infamous Dempster Highway, we had thoroughly enjoyed this crazy escapade. On our final morning, we were greeted by this colorful sunrise. What a gorgeous and fitting sight, as we concluded our 2024 travels.
