Day Three: Flagstaff, AZ to Amarillo, TX (607 miles)

This update comes to you from a dodgy Holiday Inn off of Route 40 in Amarillo (or as Michelle calls it, Armadillo) Texas. I'm in an uncomfortable chair positioned right next to the door 'cause this is the only place where I can get a wireless signal. Look at the sacrifices that I go through for all of you. But alas, it is warranted, as there have been an unprecedented amount of comments as of late. We thank you from the bottom of our cold, cold hearts. It's a great motivator to keep these things coming.

We have made it to/through three states (Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) today. Certainly not something to applaud, as you could spend months in each and not see everything, but we're balancing time with sightseeing, so we do what we can. With the Grand Canyon down, and White Sands too far off our beaten path (Interstate 40), we set our sights on two things in Texas, food and Cadillacs.

The food part was certainly a highlight. Michelle found a place called "The Big Texan Steak Ranch" on Wikipedia. It's claim to fame is that it will give you a free 72-ounce sirloin steak if you can eat it in one-hour (along with a salad, shrimp cocktail, dinner roll, and baked potato). There's a table in the middle of the place with a spotlight shining from above, and a timer that counts down one hour. It is a sight to behold. When we got there, there was a couple from Norway at the table celebrating their wedding anniversary by trying to each eat a 72-ounce steak. So friggin' romantic. Needless to say, they weren't even close to finishing when the timer went off. They received a t-shirt to commemorate their attempt, but unfortunately they weren't one of the 1 in 10 who complete the task (according to our chatty waitress).

The place is insane. We both agreed that we need to come back and make the attempt (I would have tried, but the couple was already at the table, and we got there too late to wait until they were done.) The steaks that we had were amazing (Michelle - Prime Rib, Me - Sirloin). Just wish one of us had room for the Frito Pie - fritos, chili, beans and cheese. Mmm.

The Cadillac part is going to have to wait until tomorrow, as we were caught a little off guard with the change to Central time. Some of you have probably heard about the Cadillac Ranch, where Cadillacs are buried hood-first into the ground at an angle similar to that of the Great Pyramids. We're pretty psyched to see it first-hand tomorrow. Hopefully we can get some spray-paint beforehand to put our mark on the cars (that is until they get repainted).

Some other notables today:

• Today was a radio-free day. Michelle took a work call as soon as we got into the car this morning, and the radio was off from that time on. We later admitted to each other that we were both tempted to turn it on throughout the drive, but we didn't want to break our streak. We are nothing if not creatures of habit-breaking.
  
• I am the victim of a nasty rash/insect bite(s)/disease. I have these disgusting small bumps (about 10 of them) on my left and right hands (right underneath where the thumb and index finger meet) that itch like crazy. My theory is that they are flea bites since we're staying in all of these dog-friendly hotels. Michelle thinks I am allergic to something, or that it's a heat rash. Needless to say, I think I'm right.
  
• I am no longer eating at Dairy Queen. It's over. The DQ that we stopped at today seemed to be breeding flies as well as cooking up burgers and making shakes. It made my stomach turn (as did the chicken fingers that may have been a bit more literal than I would have liked). Of course, Michelle ordered ice cream and it was delicious, so she's not supporting me in my ban.

We'll, that's all from me until tomorrow. I leave you with some notable photo moments from today's part of the trip. Keep those comments coming!