Go Beyond

Texas has no shortage of interesting places to visit and fascinating people to meet. That’s why Cheryl and I enjoy our wish-we-could-do-them-more-often Texas road trip adventures. We are excited to be in the Texas Panhandle this week, wandering highways and byways in the vast expanse of the high plains.

We spent much of the day exploring the majestic Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the country. This canyon is indeed a Texas treasure and certainly worth the drive from anywhere in the Lone Star State. Palo Duro is Spanish for “hard wood” — a reference to the Rocky Mountain Juniper trees found in the canyon. Shaped by centuries of erosion, the canyon offers amazing vistas in every direction. We enjoyed a little bit of walking, mostly to take photos. We definitely want to return again to camp, hike, and bike.

From Palo Duro Canyon we ventured to the Golden Light Cafe along old Route 66 in Amarillo. This cafe was established in 1946 and is the oldest restaurant in Amarillo and perhaps the oldest restaurant continuously operating in the same location anywhere on Old Route 66. We first learned about this cafe and their famous hamburgers on a recent episode of “The Texas Bucket List” television show. We knew we had to visit to enjoy a burger. And we are certainly glad we did. One of the best hamburgers I have ever eaten!

Of course, since we were in the neighborhood, we had to make a visit to Cadillac Ranch to see what may be one of the quirkiest tourist attractions in the Lone Star State. Folks up here know it as one of the world’s first roadside sculptures — featuring 10 Cadillacs buried nose down in a field. Today, tourist are encouraged to bring their own spray paint to add their personal tag to the roadside oddity. One guy even spray painted the words #RoadTrip on the hard-packed ground leading to the cars in the field. You never know what interesting things you might see on a Texas Road Trip.

This evening, we are headed back to Palo Duro Canyon to see the renowned “Texas” musical. This outdoor musical drama has been performed each summer for the past 50 years in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Hard to believe that I first enjoyed this musical in its fifth season. We can hardly wait for tonight’s performance in Palo Duro’s outdoor amphitheater under the stars.

Any Texas road trip offers plenty of attractions to satisfy almost every taste. Whether you are attracted to the great outdoors, by the promise of a tasty meal along a historic highway, or to a quirky oddity in a rancher’s field, Texas has plenty to offer those whose wanderlust leads them down our highways and byways. Cheryl and I are happy to be spending these days together enjoying the great state of Texas.