10th Anniversary - Day 5, Fossil Rim Wildlife Park

We stayed with Billie and Dan for a couple of nights, and they took us to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park near Glen Rose. It was simply amazing! The park is huge and they give you bag of grain so you can feed the animals as you drive through. 

I shall start with the blackbuck because this was Phil's favorite animal by far.  He took many pictures of them. They are native to India, but are endangered there now.  There are more blackbuck in Texas, where they are prized as a trophy hunting animal, than there are in their native habitat.  Come to think of it, we saw a lot of animals here that are more common in Texas than in their native habitat. Some, like the magnificent Arabian and scimitar oryx, are extinct in their native lands and are kept alive through captive breeding programs such as the one here. Most of these programs seem to be in Texas on these huge, lush ranches.  

This blackbuck was quite full of himself and kept strutting about with his head in the air, his ears down, and his tail curled over his back.  The blackbuck were shy.  They came near the car, but they rarely ate out of our hands.

A young male blackbuck isn't black. He's more of a buff color, similar to the females, only he has horns.

This is a rare mountain zebra. They are not as rare as the grevy's zebra, but still not common. These zebras were rather shy and wouldn't come over for grain.

This magnificent fellow didn't want any grain either. This is a greater kudu, and I love the fringe under his neck and his proud horns. 

Why won't anyone come over and get some grain?  The gemsbock was definitely my favorite animal on the ranch. I'd never seen one before. It sure is a flashy-lookin' critter!  This one is going to have a baby soon. You can see her belly sagging low. Gemsbok are one of the few creatures where the female horns are often more highly prized than the males'. They are longer and slimmer with a slight curvature to them, whereas the males' are straight.

This is an addax. They are very mournful-looking with a funny little toupe on top. They are one of the few animals that can survive without ever taking a drink of water, obtaining enough moisture from the plants they eat. They are very endangered outside of Texas.

Did you ever see such a serious face?

The addax has magnificent spiraling horns that can get over 3 feet long.

Female sable antelope are more brown than sable.

Aoudads on parade! These guys are native to north Africa and have a lot of chest hair. Phil was jealous.

The aoudads, also called barbary sheep, were very friendly and mobbed our vehicle looking for treats. One bold youngster even jumped on the hood of our car!

A zebra stallion.

He was very friendly.

Perhaps too friendly. Dan looks a little worried.

The giraffes had the trees stripped bare to a height of 20 feet. This guy's rich, dark coloring made him stand out.

Rhinos at rest.

Everyone's napping.

Even the noble blackbuck.

Our parting shot at the wildlife park. I love the spread of this guy's horns.

This is a statue in the center of Glen Rose, Texas. It intrigued me because I had never seen a statue of a lady mounted sidesaddle. It had an interesting story. The man is Charles Barnard, founder of Glen Rose. The woman is Juana Cavasos, captured by Indians. Barnard fell in love with her and ransomed her from the Indians. They married and founded the town of Glen Rose. Juana was known for her beauty, horsemanship, and bravery.

10th Anniversary - Days 3-4

We stopped in to see my Grandmother for one night, and while we were there we crossed paths with my parents who were heading from Texas at the same time we were heading to Texas.  

This is my grandmother, Betsy Ross Tanner, in the middle. She's my mom's mom, and we call her "Bitty".

This is Bitty's dog, Andy. Phil is always fascinated by dogs with bulging eyes, and Andy's look they could pop right out of his head! 

My father in all his majestic glory. Just look at those suspenders!  

We visited the old farm in McKinney that once belonged to my dad's father, Charles. My dad put this KEEP OUT sign on the fence over 30 years ago and it's still there doing its job.  

We saw this beautiful old hearse in an old warehouse in Melissa, TX. It appears to be from about 1915 or so (judging by the wooden-spoked tires).  We wanted to go in and get a better look at it, but the "museum" was closed.  We called the proprietor, but he said he was busy celebrating his 75th wedding anniversary!!!  

10th Anniversary, Day 2 - Route 66!

We got into Tucumcari, NM late on Wednesday night and stopped at the first place we came to. Imagine our disappointment next morning when we found out we were on old Route 66 and had NOT stayed in one of the historic motels! We were bitterly disappointed, but we stopped to get some photos and decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the old highway from Tucumcari, NM to Shamrock, TX. We vowed to come back to Tucumcari on our return trip just so we could stay in an old motel.

Phil poses next to the Route 66 monument.

This was my favorite sign.

But nothing beats 100% refrigerated air!

Many of the buildings in Tucumcari had murals painted on the side.  This one was on the side of the Blue Swallow.  Phil has been compared to James Dean by people who saw him at the indie game developer's conference last month.  

Apparently this junk shop was Paul McCartney's favorite stop on Route 66 when he came through last summer.  We thought it was pretty swell too, although we didn't buy anything.

My favorite thing in "Things" was this patchwork El Camino belonging to the owner.  It runs on propane.  

Typical tourist trap...

...so naturally we had to go in.

I wanted to eat here but it was closed.  

Not far east of Tucumcari, Route 66 turned into a dirt farm road.  We wanted to stop and use these "Modern Restrooms", but they looked a bit more antiquated than the boldly painted sign suggested.  

The sad little ghost town of Glenrio welcomed us to Texas.  This sign used to read "FIRST MOTEL IN TEXAS".  The other side read "LAST MOTEL IN TEXAS".

Dead car at an abandoned service station.  

This deserted diner makes the El Camino look brand new.  

I'm almost positive this truck was the inspiration for Mater's character in the Pixar movie, "Cars".  

Adrian, TX, the midpoint of Route 66.

MidPoint Cafe is the home of the "Ugly Crust Pie" and has been in continuous operation since 1928.

"Get your kicks on Route 66!"

This Impala is awaiting restoration.  It's difficult to see in this photo, but can you spot the chrome rocket ship on the side?  

A beautifully restored Ford Fairlane in Amarillo, TX.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX

Phil was strangely amused by this sign.

Ten little Cadillacs all in a row.

Phil poses with his favorite, the '59 Caddy with the super-big fins.
    

This thing on the axle was sticking its tongue out at us!

Bug Ranch in Conway, TX - a parody of the original Cadillac Ranch.

It matches my shirt and hat!

That about sums it up!

This cross is 190 feet tall and is the largest in the Western Hemisphere. It can be seen from a distance of 20 miles on a clear day. 

The leaning water tower of Britten, TX.

I loved this Texaco station in Alanreed, TX. It was built in 1930 and is no longer operational, but was restored by the Route 66 historical society.

A tribute to barbed wire!

Loved this yard art.

Another beautifully restored gas station, this one in McLean, TX.

Phillips 66 gets its name from Route 66.

This is one of the most beautiful and famous buildings on all of Route 66. It is the old Conoco station and U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, TX. It was built in 1936 in the old art deco style and has recently been restored, but is not currently in use.    
    

An old gas pump. I love how the sale can't even go above $9.99 and the price per gallon can't go above $0.99. Those were the days!  
    

The U-Drop Inn and Conoco are beautiful at night even though the building is only partially lit up.  
    

We stayed at the Shamrock Inn, which was disappointingly updated except for the lovely pink and mint bathroom. We were hoping for Magic Fingers, the famous coin-operated vibrating beds, but we were sadly disappointed in that department.