Well we just had to let Millie write the last short blog as she was squeaking so much, but she is a little rascal, we don’t burst into song every time we see a sign for Amarillo, just sometimes, although we are rather surprised she learnt the song so well, aren’t you?

We both feel that our trip Out West has really only just started now we have left Memphis and turned west along I-40.

From Tennessee into Arkansas then across into Oklahoma and finally finishing up in Amarillo in Texas.

This whole section of our journey ended up following the old famous ‘Route 66’ route, with the original road following the new I-40 for mile after mile after mile.

With our trip out west stopping just twice along the way, the first after 211 miles at Ivy’s Cove in Russellville in Arkansas, with Millie navigating.

Then a long haul of 381 miles to the Foss Lake State Park in Oklahoma, about half way between Clinton and Elk City, where we were warned to watch out for Rattlesnakes!

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Leaving a short haul of 165 miles to arrive at Amarillo Ranch for two nights in, you’ve guessed it, Amarillo!

However we made a big mistake, booking so many places in front as, Oklahoma especially, is home to many Indian Nations and Reservations and we should have spent a few days there exploring it, but to our shame we were so intent on getting out west, we didn’t research the states we were crossing good enough first.

However the scenery across Arkansas and Oklahoma was interesting and we didn’t really notice the many miles we were driving until we hit the endless plains of Texas, then we seemed to be driving forever.

Our second night out from Memphis, spent in Foss Park, was after a very windy drive, with gusts of over 40 mph we found out later (after watching the evening news), it felt like it too with the RV shaking a bit as we drove – a good job we are starting to get used to it.

Although it was still windy when we went to bed, it was a nice evening, with just a few clouds in the sky, but at about 1am in the morning, the wind started howling, the rain came lashing down and the sky was lit with lightening and the thunder sounded right over our heads, it got so bad that we dropped the RV off the leveling jacks and brought in the slides (not in that order) to try and calm the RV shaking down a bit, which it did seem to.

The storm lasted a couple of hours and then the wind dropped and we went off to sleep, thankful that we were only facing a short drive to Amarillo the next day.

We found out watching the news the next morning that gusts of up to 70 mph had been reported in the night’s storm and we think that several of them hit the RV, it certainly felt like it!

The first night we arrived in Amarillo we went out to a famous restaurant called the Big Texas Steak Ranch, which puts out a challenge.

Anyone who can eat one of their 72oz steaks, can have it for free – did we try it? – not likely.

We would need to be starving for a week to tackle a steak that size, although what we did have was probably one of the best steaks we have ever had anywhere in the world – beautifully cooked.

The atmosphere in the place was fantastic, with a strong cowboy theme and a trio of county musicians serenading the tables.

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The hunter of the pair even got to wrestle a bear on the way in!

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The next morning we set off to explore the Palo Duro Canyon, at 120 miles long and up to 800 feet deep, the second longest canyon in the USA and very spectacular it was too, although the only wildlife we saw when we explored it was a Turkey!!!

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