We started Day 11 in Lubbock at the Buddy Holly Center. O wanted to come to Lubbock specifically to see the exhibit here.
The website said open at 10:00, the sign on the locked gate said open at 1:00 on Sundays. O was deeply disappointed, but we had to get to Amarillo.
So we headed out. We may return on Tuesday.
Downtown Lubbock was locked up, too. They take their sabbaths seriously in Texas. We managed to find a coffee place that was open (run by heathens , apparently), and so managed to be fully awake for the two-hour drive.
The Texas panhandle is flat. In fact it's the flattest place on the North American continent. And it's dry; Texas, like most of the west, is in a multi-year drought. So we drove through seemingly endless miles of brown-stubbled fields. I was very glad I'd been able to find coffee.
Apparently there is a long-time rivalry between Lubbock and Amarillo. They're the two biggest towns in the panhandle. and they're a long way from anything else resembling a city. Lubbock has the edge in population at 260,000, but Amarillo is close at 206,000. Neither of them are attractive cities to our eyes. Maybe it's the harsh flat light from the big blue sky, but everything looks worn down.
Amarillo's main attraction is the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon, about 45 minutes out of town (we're going tomorrow). Lubbock's claim to fame is a hot restaurant scene, as we discovered yesterday.
As we searched for a place for lunch, Amarillo's deficit in this critical area became all too clear. There was a Cracker Barrel. And an IHOP. And an Olive Garden.
Luckily, O's eagle eye spotted this gem:
No way we're passing that up. One look out back tells you you're in the right place.
The tiny dining room was fairly full. Surprisingly, all but one of the other patrons were white.
We started with some lightly-breaded fried pickle spears. Light and delicious.
Then came the food. O had spicy sausage gumbo. I ordered the four-meat combo (of course). We shared.
Unfortunately, O's gumbo was too salty for her. I thought it was heavy on the salt, but with a good flavor. Luckily, I had plenty of food to go around. The ribs and the brisket were very good. The hot links and the fried pork chop were okay. The collard greens and the candied yams were delicious.
We decided the Shi Lee's had fed us plenty for the day, so no dinner for us.
It turned out that the Panhandle-Plains Museum that we came to see is also closed today and Monday, so we could have waited for the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock to open before racing to Amarillo. The Texas Air and Space Museum was also closed on Sundays. We will triple-check museum hours in the future.
There was only one thing left to do -- head for the Cadillac Ranch.
This famous art installation consists of a line of 50's Cadillacs buried nose-first in an otherwise empty field. It's an odd sight from the road.
The Ranch is open 24 hours, and there's no admission fee. As you walk into the field, there's a truck selling spray paint and t-shirts. It wasn't very crowded. About half of the people were busy with their newly-purchased spray cans.
Art and fashion. Panhandle style.
Waiting for the muse to strike.
Self-portrait with Cadillacs and goat.
The multiple layers of paint and harsh Texas weather have given the cars a lumpy mutant finish, almost organic in character.
As bleak and dreary as the plains can be, the skies are delicate, moving fantasies of wispy clouds.
1 comment:
That pic with the car and the girl with wind in her hair is epic.
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