We were able to sleep in late this morning and got our tire fixed in Albuquerque. Turns out it wasn’t the tire at all, and we actually have a small crack in the rim that is causing the tire to steadily leak air. We were able to get a cheap steel rim at a discount tire shop, and we carried on!
We headed to Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX, but on the way we had to make a stop in a ghost town! This ghost town, Glenrio, lies on the border of New Mexico and Texas, along I-40. It used to be a thriving pit stop on Old Route 66, but when the old highway was bypassed with I-40, the town faded away. It was eerie to drive through this town, especially seeing the abandoned and rundown buildings, which used to bustle with daily passerbys once upon a time.
Cadillac Ranch was our next stop, and definitely the highlight of the day (besides our new wheel!!). It’s a public art installation created in 1974. There are 10 classic cadillacs half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Visitors are welcome to spray paint the cars, making it very interactive, which we were really excited about!
Cadillac Ranch was a bit hard to find, because it sits in the middle of a corn field that can only be accessed via the service road between Exit 60 and 62, along I-40. This art installation brings in many visitors who are either there to admire or make their mark on Cadillac Ranch…we were there to do both!
It was a really cool experience to spray paint these classic cars that have turned into a constantly changing public canvas! After leaving our mark on Cadillac Ranch, we decided to continue driving to Austin, TX. The drive was very long and we didn’t get into Austin until midnight! We stayed with one of my high school friends, Woody. It was great to see him and catch up! We really are lucky to have friends in different parts of the country that have opened their homes to us, and this trip wouldn’t be possible without them! Tomorrow we’ll be spending the day exploring Austin, their amazing food scene, and going to a Matisyahu, Dirty Heads, Sublime with Rome, and 311 concert…so stay posted!!