Cadillac Ranch and The Staked Plain

 Leaving Amarillo (heading west), you will want to watch for Cadillac Ranch, a fabulous landmark that stands up out of the red earth in a creative, colorful line. You can stop to take pictures and even leave your own mark on this living, changing arrangement of Cadillacs planted nose-first in the rich, Texas dirt.


Shortly after that, you will cross Oldham County line

(near exit 49 at Wildorado) where you will encounter the biggest stockyard you’d ever want to see (or smell). Enjoy the aroma of fresh silage (AKA cow candy). After all, what would Texas be without its cows?


As you enter New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, the landscape spreads out before you in contrasts of gold and emerald green. Rich, red earth bleeds through where the land has been freshly plowed.

Low clouds hang in the massive blue sky, and the horizon is anchored by outcroppings of flat-topped mesas.

Of course, for all of you speed demons, this just becomes one long blur as you enjoy the higher speed limit of 75 mph. You might want to slow down a bit and enjoy the sunflowers that grow wild along the roadside!  

LLano Estacado, The Staked Plain

There are several stories behind the name given to the flat region that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas. The most interesting account goes something like this:

Spanish padres (or priests) who traveled these vast plains drove stakes into the ground—topped by buffalo skulls—to mark the route. These would have gleamed white in the colorful desert and, with the sun shining brightly on them, would have been seen from a long way off.