MTTS: Day Three – Amarillo, TX

Does Oklahoma never end?  Seriously…. that was the longest state!

I totally overslept this morning.  Not that we really had an actual schedule, but we had imagined that we’d be up and moving by eight.  I’m going to blame it on those wonderful Holiday Inn pillows.  (I used to have a couple of those…. Not stolen!  You can order them online.  I need a couple more… they are just the nicest pillows ever.)

I finally drug myself out of bed around nine and took my sweet time getting ready.  By the time we checked out, the free continental breakfast was pretty much gone.  I grabbed a banana and a hot coffee to go with my Cliff Bar and we headed out.

Our first planned stop of the day was Turner Falls Park.  Brian and I had visited Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia last November and had a wonderful time hiking up (the four million stairs) to see the falls.  So that was more what I was expecting….. Okay, so Turner Falls is a Park… not a State Park… so not the same thing.  Think more “natural water park” than “nature park with water”.  Also think water park prices not state park prices.  State parks are usually $5 a person…. this was $12…. not outrageous, but I’m trying to stick to a budget here people!  Ugh.  So instead of being what I expected, Turner Falls was something completely different.  The Falls still turned out to be enjoyable.  I’m not sure I would recommend it as a “must see” if you are just passing through. Now, if you planned to stay the whole day and play in the water or if you had kids with you…. yeah, this would be a great place to visit and spend the whole day.  The falls are at the far end of the park, but there is a paved walkway up to it and a pool at the base of the falls to play in.  A stream flows down from the falls and there were people playing there and further down where there appeared to be slides and other water-parky stuff.  There are also lifeguards and restrooms with showers and snack bars.

Brian and I were still thinking “state park” so we followed the map to the “castles” and “caves”….. The “castle” was built by a professor back in the ’30’s as (it sounds like) a guy’s hang out.  The steps are insane.  Super tall, super steep and super narrow.  In some places there is a rickety handrail and in others you’re just supposed to hope your balance is good.  I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone but teenagers.

  We hiked back a little ways though one of the trails, following a small stream.  During a wetter season I would bet it is really pretty.  As it was today, it was pretty, but not that pretty….  We met another couple who had been to one of the caves and we asked if it was worth the hike.  The guy seemed to have enjoyed it, but warned that there were places where you had to climb ropes and that there was a wasp nest near the mouth of the cave.  The lady gave me the big eyed look that I took to mean we should skip it if we wanted to live.  So we skipped it.

All in all, the Falls were pretty and would be fun if you wanted to spend the whole day and play in the water, but we were thinking we were just going to look at a pretty waterfall…. not what we expected.

After the Falls we didn’t have anything big planned.  We stopped briefly at a Route 66 landmark and got a couple of photos of Posh out front, but she was pretty done with Oklahoma and it’s boring roads.  (Arkansas was so much more fun with all the hills and twisties!) 

Mostly today’s goal was just to escape Oklahoma. Sorry Oklahoma, but my impression was just of a long ,boring, flat state with little interesting scenery.  Once we crossed into Texas the geography completely changed.  I wouldn’t have expected that the landscape would change so much just from one side of the state line to the other, but once we hit Texas there were things to look at.  Woo hoo!  Instead of the rolling hills of Arkansas there were deep valleys and slices through the earth.  And now I know why Texas is called “Big Sky Country, ”  the horizon seems to go on forever.

When we finally made it into Texas I was getting pretty hungry and had been searching for someplace to eat for far too long on my iPhone…. Hungry + Reading in a Car = Sick Stephanie.  Fortunately we had finally reached the welcome center and I got to get out an wander around for a while. Posh was far more impressed with the view, but didn’t want to wander off the road after she saw the “beware of rattlesnakes” signs.

Brian picked the restaurant since I wasn’t up to looking at little words on my phone anymore.  I’d narrowed it down to a hand-full once we’d decided on BBQ.  When we pulled up to the restaurant I became a bit concerned…. It was a BBQ place attached to a gas station….. Umm…. I’d been thinking of a nicer dinner?

When we walked in they asked if we’d ever been there before…. Was it that obvious?…. The guy directed us to the front counter and told us to tell them it was our first visit and promised there’d be samples.  Woo hoo!  Samples!

The brisket was delicious and Brian decided to get a 1/2lb of brisket (no “combos” or pre designed “meals”… just order what you want and pay by the pound.)  I had my heart (and tummy) set on ribs, so I got a 1/2lb of ribs.  When it came to the sides I asked if the cream corn had any flour in it and mentioned that I was allergic to wheat (It’s easier to say “allergic” than to explain “gluten-sensitive”…. people get “allergic” and the outcome is the same for me… no wheat.) He got it right away and warned me about all the other side options with wheat.  So I ended up with new potatoes…. yum and Brian got the corn on the cob.  Even the signature BBQ sauces were labeled Gluten-Free.  Brian and I loved our dinners and really appreciated how friendly and knowledgeable the staff were.  If you ever are in the neighborhood, visit Rudy’s….. don’t let the gas station freak you out.

Now for a good night’s sleep so we’ll be rested up for tomorrow’s adventures!