ROAD TO SEDONA: Oklahoma City to Amarillo, Texas

The Lone Star State

Howdy y'all ! You hear that expression a lot in Texas, because Texans are friendly and welcoming.

In fact, the word Texas comes from the Native American word, tejas, which means "friend".

The landscape of North Eastern Texas is sun-burned, wind-blasted and sparsly populated. In fact there isn't a McDonalds between the town of Shamrock and Amarillo on the Interstate 40, a distance of more than a hundred miles.

But there are some treasures along the way, such as the Cherokee Trading Post, near Elk City, and the Town of Shamrock. In 1890 the town was named by an Irish immigrant, George Nickel, who was the Mayor and ran the town's post office. The town has a population of less than 2,000 and is located at the intersection of I-40 and the old Rt. 66. There is an Irish pub, and Irish restaurant, even McDonalds has a huge shamrock on the sign.

After crossing the Texas Panhandle in glorious sunshine, we arrived at our destination, Amarillo, and what a beautiful city it is. Hospitals, Universities, Theatres, Art Galleries and Museums, Zoological and Botanical Gardens, Symphany, Ballet, are just some of the wonderful amenities.

A world-renowned restaurant, the Big Texan is famous for its 72 oz. steak. If you eat it all in less than an hour, your meal is free.