Cadillac Ranch - Amarillo, Texas
“Oh, I got a beautiful 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille four-door. No one will ride in it with me.”
Cadillac Ranch, installed in 1974, is a must stop along Route 66. It’s iconic and countless travelers have added their mark to the ever changing piece. The cars, dating from 1949 to 1963, are caked in years of paint, the layers dripping and bubbling, colors blurring into one another. The piece was put together by The Ant Farm, a group of artists, To celebrate the classic autombile and its disintctive feature, the tail fin.
This was our first stop on the first big road trip we took together. And I love that we brought spray paint and added our names. There's nothing like a little graffiti to bring a couple together. I was bummed to see that all the cars had been freshly painted light blue as we passed it on our way home. But I love that we stopped, leaving our mark, even if it turned out to be so impermanent.
I was fascinated to read what others had written. People from all over the world had stopped, groups from Sweden and Japan, Australia and Russia. What is it about this piece that draws so many people? Maybe because it's truly one of a kind, absolutely unforgettable, and very American.
Sometime I’d like to do an epic road trip and drive the entirety of Route 66, Chicago to California, stopping at every strange and kitschy spot. Maybe I'll drag the kids along if I can get them to look up from their iPads long enough. Who knows, maybe they'd even have fun.
Have you driven Route 66? What were your favorite places? I think I’m going to start my must see list now!
