Spring Break Decay-tion
Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

Part of my personal roadtrip philosophy is the belief that at the start of any roadtrip you have to pay some dues to the road up front… to indebt yourself to it, prove yourself worthy of its plentiful fruits. This usually entails an immediate long drive with minimal stops after a hassle-ridden day of air travel prior to embarkation. Achieving this–though beat, dehydrated and hungry from the flight–would mark the remainder of days with a leisurely pace with time for spontaneity. So pay your dues and don’t complain on day 1.

As a reward for the 5 hour drive straight from the Dallas area, one of the most iconic roadside attractions off of the Mother Road, Route 66, my home for the next several days. Cadillac Ranch. Born of a partnership between Texas billionaire Stanley Marsh III and an art collective called Ant Farm, expats from San Francisco who made some pretty neat art. Cadillac Ranch has been around since the mid-70’s… and the brutal frigid winds did not stop me and many other travelers from making a pilgrimage on this morning. In honor of the Mother Road… old Cadillacs sticking out of the ground (at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza apparently)…

Visitors bring their own spray paint can to add to the art. It is a ritual I did not partake in.

They seemed to have developed a thick layer of hide, dulling sharp angles and morphing them into surrealism.

There was only so much I could take given how numb my hands were. Who would have thought I’d need to bring gloves on this trip? Well, I would recommend your doing so!

Oh road, this is going to be wonderful.