I-40 East at
exit 74
Amarillo,
TX
Res: (866) BIG-RIGS
Tel:
(806) 373-4962
email:
info@amarillorvranch.com www.amarillorvranch.com
Truthfully,
Amarillo, TX was not really a destination for us, it was a way-stop
on the road to Atlanta, GA in June 2003. We decided to write
it up though, because it was a really good place to stop when
heading cross country.
The
Bug Ranch outside of Amarillo, TX
About:
Uhh....did I mention that they cater to Big Rigs?
So we
were heading as fast as we could to Atlanta, GA in June 2003
for a family event, and found ourselves crossing Texas across
the Panhandle. Amarillo seemed like a good enough place to
spend the night, and the Amarillo Ranch RV Park seemed like
an invitin' kind o' place, if you know what I mean.
The park
was great, albeit in the middle of nowhere Amarillo. It is
literally right off the highway, which makes it the perfect
place to stop for the night. The spaces are big and level
and the facilities seemed very nice (bathrooms, pool, clubhouse)
although we didn't indulge.
There
was a gun hanging behind the front desk with a sign that said
something like "We don't call 911 here."
OK,
the really great thing about stopping here and staying at
this park in particular, is that it's a mile down the road
from The
Big Texan steak house. Now, I was not familiar with this
place before hand, but after I told people that we had eaten
there, I felt out of the loop.
Local
haunts:
The
deal at the Big Texan is attempting the 72 oz. steak challenge.
$50.00 will buy you a full meal at a special table in the
middle of the room, featuring the 72 oz. steak. You must eat
the entire meal in one hour (they figure if you can't finish
it in an hour you ain't gonna in two, neither). We did not
attempt it but had a very good meal there nonetheless.
Where
for art thou WIFI?:
Here's
a good story that illustrates the problem with finding WIFI
on the road. As we were checking in we noticed that, (next
to the six-shooter hanging on the back wall), there was a
map of the park with a section marked WIFI. We got very excited
and asked if we could stay in that section, but the woman
who was checking us in had no idea what WIFI was, didn't know
what we were talking about, and told us that there was no
wireless access in the park. Well, the next morning I decided,
what the heck, I'll try my airport, and lo and behold, they
had WIFI and it was free to boot! The moral of the story is:
always turn on your airport and see if there are any airport
or wireless card networks available, just in case.
Gyms:
I
didn't have time to work out while we were here, but here's
a link to the Health
Club Directory, which I used a lot of the road.
OK,
the really great thing about stopping here and staying at
this park in particular, is that it's a mile down the road
from 
The
deal at the Big Texan is attempting the 72 oz. steak challenge.
$50.00 will buy you a full meal at a special table in the
middle of the room, featuring the 72 oz. steak. You must eat
the entire meal in one hour (they figure if you can't finish
it in an hour you ain't gonna in two, neither). We did not
attempt it but had a very good meal there nonetheless.
Here's
a good story that illustrates the problem with finding WIFI
on the road. As we were checking in we noticed that, (next
to the six-shooter hanging on the back wall), there was a
map of the park with a section marked WIFI. We got very excited
and asked if we could stay in that section, but the woman
who was checking us in had no idea what WIFI was, didn't know
what we were talking about, and told us that there was no
wireless access in the park. Well, the next morning I decided,
what the heck, I'll try my airport, and lo and behold, they
had WIFI and it was free to boot! The moral of the story is:
always turn on your airport and see if there are any airport
or wireless card networks available, just in case.