Deep In The Panhandle Of Texas

Well, yesterday I polished off the last half of Arizona, all of New Mexico and after 8 hours of driving FINALLY ended up in Amarillo. It is so good to be back in The Lone Star State.

Tired, hungry and in desperate need of a cocktail, I quickly checked into the hotel, slugged down a couple of bourbons and headed for the Big Texan Steak Ranch. It's a panhandle institution that I had passed every other time I have either been or driven through Amarillo and this time I was determined to have dinner there.

For those of you not familiar with the Big Texan it's the home of the Free 72oz. steak, so you don't need to calculate that's 4 1/2 pounds. The place is also everything that you would expect it to be in Texas; big, gaudy, loud, obnoxious and totally overdone. Along with the restaurant they have a hotel, arcade, a horse hotel if you are traveling with horses and free limo service to and from any RV park you happen to be at. The catch is that the meal is free if you can eat it within 1 hour along with a shrimp cocktail, green salad, baked potato, and dinner rolls. Overall 37,000 people have attempted this ignorance and 6,200 have accomplished it.

I ordered a 2 pound rib eye.

Only 6 more driving hours to Dallas!!! YEEEEE HAWWWW!!!!!!!!!

Arizona Highways

Well folks, the problems of the past few weeks are now 632 miles behind me now. I left the middle of California yesterday, drove 10 hours and ended up here in Flagstaff, Arizona. If you are not familiar with Arizona, from the CA state line to Flagstaff is the pretty half of the state. From here on out it's all desert baby. Thank whoever, there is not much left of it across to drive.

Todays' plan is to finish off Arizona, get through all of New Mexico, but stopping in Albeuquerque at the 66 diner for lunch and end up late this afternoon in Amarillo, Texas where I will spend the night.

And you know??? There just ain't no nightlife here in AZ!

Talk to y'all when I get to Texas!

The Clogs Didn't Get Finished In Time

While it is given that just as many people are born eventually die; death is a very strange thing. It's the only passage in life where ones emotions are truly, truly exposed either internally and externally. For some it's both. It amazes me how exposure to one individual affects so many people in a million little ways.

So Grandma, as you would say, you don't know your ass from a hole in the ground about the internet, I am out here telling you that you have touched me in more ways in my life than you ever could have imagined and even more than I knew as I sit and reflect. You have been the dearest friend to me all my life and I thank you for that. I will miss the all the fun we had together as well as all the arguments we got in, and thank you for admiting that you were not always right.

I thank you for your understanding, kindness, your wit, your fairness, your charm and most for instilling common sense into me. You have been a brave person in tough heart-wrenching situations and how you ever got through some of those times I will never know other than that you are a woman of exceptional fortitude.

You are truly the definition of a 'lady'. I'll miss you.

P.S. Grandma. Thanks for leaving a liquor supply! You always were the perfect hostess!

Bye