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Amarillo is one of those wonderful places for RVer's. There's lots to do, and so much of it is on flat ground. You can't beat that. It's easy to get to-right on U.S. 40 just a few miles from the Texas/New Mexico border. Stew Oleson's video gives you a nice overview of the most famous spots in the area, but there are a few more in case you aren't up to either roughing it or stuffing it. For anyone who hasn't seen an American desert, it might come as a surprise that there are few sand dunes. Deserts of the southwest US are beautiful, and teeming with plant- and wildlife.

Palo Duro Canyon

Stew's video mentioned staying in Palo Duro Canyon, but there's even more to do there if you like horseback riding or hayrides. You can arrange these through Old West Stables or Palo Duro Canyon State Park Camp, and get a feel for how the cowboys and pioneers experienced, ...uhh, blazed, the trails. Speaking of blazing, if you're unaccustomed to horseback riding, prepare for saddle soreness (aspirin is your friend-bring him along,) or take the hayride.

The Big Texan Restaurant

Stew gives you the low-down on the Big Texan's free 72-ounce steak dinner in his video. Since ‘show beats tell' any day, there's nothing I can add that tops his show, so don't skip the video. Even if you don't eat here, the Big Texan is a must-see. On the entry side of the building there's a bar in a museum-like setting, and a gift shop. Across from those you'll wait to be seated, standing in line next to a homemade-fudge display where you can reset your appetite for your meal by how much of the fudge and other goodies you think you'll need to save room for. We misjudged, because the size of the fudge squares they cut were a lot bigger than we expected. But, we fared better than the twins in the video because we just took the extra fudge home.

Your menu choices are a bit unique. It's not every day you can choose between rattlesnake and deep fried mountain oysters that carry the Big Texan's unique disclaimer, "If you think they are seafood, you'd better stick with the shrimp." They do have shrimp, and hamburgers, and steaks, and the more familiar menu items. Their food is good and priced reasonably-though I don't know what they charge you if you can't get that 72-ounce steak and trimmings down in an hour. They offer a breakfast bar or you can order breakfast (like steak and eggs) from the menu.

There's RV parking in the rear, and...

If you happen to bring your own horses, they have a horse hotel in the back with 24-hour attendants. Goll-dernit, ain't that a kick?

Cadillac Ranch

I remember visiting the Cadillac Ranch 20 years ago when the cars still looked like Cadillacs. It's still there, about halfway between Amarillo and the New Mexico border, on the south side of U.S. Interstate 40. Most of the cars are covered with graffiti, and striped down to their frames, but they still stand tall and erect, and in otherwise precision alignment. It is a sight to see, and definitely one-of-a-kind. And I'll betcha didn't know that they were set at the same angle as the Egyptian Cheops' Pyramids.

There is no charge to visit the Cadillac Ranch and you can walk out to see the cars 24-7. Same with the Santa Fe Railroad's Madame Queen Locomotive-another outdoor, free display.

Museums and Amusement Parks

The Don Harrington Discovery Center and Space Theater features exhibits and a planetarium. There's also a Quarter Horse Heritage Center, Pharmacy Museum, the English Field Air and Space Museum that features the only earthbound Mars Lander (the other two are on Mars,) and the Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum.

Amusement parks include Splash Amarillo Water Park, Wonderland Amusement Park, Putt-Putt Fun Center, and the South Pool Amarillo.

Other amusements can be enjoyed at the Amarillo Botanical Gardens where you can attend lectures and workshops, Lake Meredith National Recreational Area for fishing, boating, diving and camping, and the Wild Cat Bluff Nature Center-a 600 acre natural park preserving the ecosystem and a chance to see some local wildlife.

The Amarillo Zoo is a small park and entrance is free. They have a tiger, and native American wildlife such as bison. Try to do this after you eat at the Big Texan because they serve buffalo there, and it's hard to eat what you just visited. Go afterwards, where you can develop the appropriate level of guilt.

Mostly, we go to Amarillo to shop at Sam's, Walmart and the bookstore, but when we have extra time, we try to get to one of these places, too. We're looking forward to a camping trip to Lake Meredith one day soon, and a bird watching trip to Buffalo Lake national Wildlife Refuge, 30 miles south near Umbarger, TX.

There are no less than seven RV parks and campgrounds in the area, and one of them, as I recall, offers a transport to the Big Texan-so they hook you up with food, even though you have to pay for it. And don't forget your camera...you'll want a few shots of those beautiful west Texas sunsets.