Amarillo, TX

What I thought would be a boring day in the car ended up being really fun and interesting. We crossed into Oklahoma at the start of the day, determined to get through the state by the end of the day.

We saw lots of trees that showed the wear and tear of tornadoes. Miles and miles of scraggy looking trees that seemed to have had their tops chewed up by a weed-whacker.

We stopped in Checotah, Oklahoma, to look at a Civil War battle site, where the Battle of Honey Springs was fought. Checotah is also the home of American Idol Carrie Underwood. She even has a sign on the I-40!

Checotah is a small, scrubby looking town. We drove out towards the battlefield (which is actually in Rentiesville), and saw farms with cattle, horses, and even oil derricks.

Checotah also has the Oklahoma Odd Fellows home, which I think was an orphanage or something.

The battlefield wasn't much to look at, but it was interesting to learn about a battle I'd never heard of. Max romped around in the mud and enjoyed being cleaned off by Jason.

Back on the highway, we were surprised to see fields of enormous wind turbines in the heart of oil country.

We stopped in Oklahoma City to see the memorial at the Murrah Federal Building. It was incredibly moving -- I cried, of course.


Back on I-40, we stopped at a rest area to walk Max and use the facilities. It had a dog walking area with separate sections for country dogs and city dogs. The city dog area has a fire hydrant, whereas the country dog area just has grass and trees. Max is a city dog.

Finally, we crossed into Texas. We've covered 1200 miles since leaving Atlanta.

The highlight of the day was dinner at The Big Texan, home of the 72 oz. surloin. If you can finish it in less than an hour (plus the baked potato, roll and shrimp cocktail), it's free. The place is all done up like a saloon, with guys strolling around playing Yellow Rose of Texas and San Antonio Rose. We stuck with regular sized meals. But our waitress told us about some customers that regularly come through the restaurant on their way to their summer home in Florida. It's a husband and wife couple, both skinny, and the husband can finish almost 2 72 oz. steaks in less than an hour, and the wife can finish one. This steak is the size of an entire dinner plate, and it's over an inch thick. I can't even imagine eating it. Even Jason thought it was too much.

Now we're back at the Baymont Inn & Suites, rapidly becoming our favorite chain because of the high speed wireless internet access and their welcoming attitude towards pets. Tomorrow, we're off to Santa Fe.