I jammed on the breaks.  The needle drops from 75 mph down to 45 in a very short space of highway. Everything from the back of the RV moved forward.  Scott calmly took off his headphones, looking at me.  Him, “Yes?”  Me (bouncing in the driver seat), “Quick, quick! Look out the window!!  Look!  Look!  Look!”  Scott (dryly, slowly), “Ok, I see it.  And what are you doing?”  Duh!  “Getting off the highway!!”

Because I was driving (which is fairly rare when Scott’s around) I hadn’t done a proper map recon.  I was totally blindsided by Cadillac Ranch … one of those obvious, cool, must-stop places that I would have been excited about had I known to be looking.

Look, I know a cool roadside attraction when I see one.  I wasn’t about to blow past this.  Grumpy Pants out back wasn’t happy about the extra 30 minutes and pulling sudden Gs, but by the time he was spray painting cars in an art exhibit that’s been going since the 70s, he silently agreed that I was right (I could see it in his eyes).

I can’t explain it any better than Roadside Attractions:

“An aristocracy of roadside attractions has been raised over the years: glorified in photo essays, calendars, blogs, and social media fiefdoms; spotlighted in video and film; instantly recognizable as icons. These Great Monuments, we are told, represent America’s hopes and dreams, art and commerce, materialism and spiritualism, folly and fame. 

Standing along Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas, Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh 3. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals, and the hippies came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Caddies were driven into one of Stanley Marsh 3’s fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza). They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins held high for all to see on the empty Texas panhandle. “

Evie’s heart:

Jack’s happy face:

This was a perfect mid-day picnic spot.  I couldn’t have planned it any better if I’d tried.  It was definitely a karma high five.  So glad we saw it!

Traci’s Picks (Disclaimer – I may make a commission off of some of these links)

• How do we entertain ourselves without a tv AND get some good pre-homeschooling in (sneaky!!): a deck of cards and Uno.  Evie’s number recognition is solid and she’s working on patterns and counting.  So far we’ve got Go Fish and War locked in.  Next up – Black Jack (I want a card shark in the family).
• We use Seventh Generation toilet paper in the RV.  Just the regular stuff.  It turns out it is RV and marine safe.  Granted 7th Generation is expensive, but it’s not as bad as “RV toilet paper” from RV stores.  I buy it in bulk from Target and store it in the shower.
• The best way to peel garlic.  Even Evie and Jack can do it.  Thank you, Christy!

If into Pinterest, here are some pins: