The Yellow Rose of Texas - Amarillo

Amarillo - Spanish for "yellow" - hence the city's nickname, the Yellow Rose of Texas.  Today is a wandering around day for Lacy and me.  After a lazy morning and some walking around the park, still calling for Lincoln, who has not returned - yet, we headed out in Petunia to do some investigating .....

Fort Amarillo RV Park is only about 5 miles from downtown Amarillo; this is huge-wide-open country but Amarillo is not a huge city.  However, it is the fourteenth largest city in Texas with a population of about 196,000, about 230,000 in the metropolitan area.  And, the city actually lies within two different counties, Potter and Randal.

A residential area right across the I-40 Business loop from Fort Amarillo RV park

Only about two miles west of the park is the Cadillac Ranch, which is literally out in the middle of farm country.  It was invented and created by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco in 1974.  They called themselves "The Ant Farm," and they were funded by a silent partner, Amarillo billionaire, Stanley Marsh, who wanted a piece of art that would 'baffle' the locals.  The hippies came up with a tribute to the Cadillac fin.  Ten Caddies were driven out into one of Marsh's fields, then half-buried, nose-down in the dirt [supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza].  They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins high in the air, for all to see.

Since that time they have been poked, prodded, defiled, partitioned and generally just enjoyed.  Graffiti is welcomed and they say that if you want to do some painted art-work, you'd better have a camera with you because your creation will be gone momentarily!

From old Route 66 the exhibit looks like this

 But, as you get closer you see the line of Caddies and their 'individualizations'

Today, almost everybody had a can of spray paint in his hand

 Newly groomed Lacy watching the art show 

 A few people leave their 'business calling cards"

Mom and daughter creating their masterpiece

From the windy Cadillac Ranch we drove east into downtown Amarillo to take a look at the government and business buildings.  At the Convention Center there's an indoor rodeo going on this week.  We drove all around the convention center buildings - looks like a lot of horses, cowboys and cowgirls.  You wouldn't want to be caught without your cowboy hat and boots.

This cowboy's hat is just a little different than the majority

Amarillo City Hall

Another view of City Hall 

Potter County Courts Building

Amarillo Municipal Court and Office Building

 I've always thought Texas was the "Lone Star State;" but I've seen on freeway WELCOME signs and now this bank that Texas is known as the "Happy State" - this is their bank!

Just to make it perfectly clear - this is BIG COUNTRY

That's it for now; gotta' go look for Lincoln again ...