Cowboy boots, a Massive Steak, Barren land. So Texas.

Day 3 - Stops : Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico

We again awoke early and ran around Oklahoma City which is really quite small and so it didn’t take much running to see the whole city (in shorts and a t-shirt finally). It does have this really interesting Conservatory and Amphitheater unlike anything I’ve seen before.  The security guard there was intrigued by Jeremy’s Vibrams and we offered information on where to buy a pair along with some running advice which he declined stating “I ain’t gonna be doing much running, I just want them cause they look cool”. In fact everyone sort of stared at us oddly as we ran about town. Clearly running is not a popular activity here. 

Downtown Oklahoma City

Conservatory in Oklahoma City

View of Downtown OKC

OKC Conservatory and amphitheater

A mural along the city walls in OKC. Represents people that have passed through the city.

A must do for me was to obtain a pair of cowboy boots because 1. I was super jealous of the ladies wearing them in Nashville and 2. I needed a pair for our farm wedding. Langston’s in Stockyard City just outside of OKC is the place to go for Western wear. More boots than I have seen in my entire life and all the greatest brands. I spent an hour finding just the right style and fit. Word of advice- the boot should fit snuggly around your forefoot but not hurt your toes, and you’ll probably be a whole size smaller than your normal shoe size.  Finally walked out with 2 pairs and dropped way too much money but I would do it again in an instant. Jeremy bought a pair too. We stopped in Shorty’s Caboy Hattery and inquired about the cost of their hats. “Well, do you want full beaver or half beaver?” What? “Full beaver is $800 and half beaver will cost ya $500, or you can go American, those are $300”. Holy crap I never thought anyone spent that much money on a hat. Yeah we didn’t get any hats.

Langston's Boot Shop in Stockyard City, OK

The drive to Amarillo was uneventful. The Panhandle of Texas is just endless flat nothingness with a sprinkling of cattle. Once in a while there was shack or gas station which left me thinking who chooses to live here? The one thing that I was impressed by on this drive were the repeated signs for a Free 72 ounce steak. And as we got closer the signs were more frequent. We had heard about this steak on Man versus Food and we figured we better check it out. The Big Texan Steak Ranch is definitely a thing to see. It’s just so Texas. And to our fortune, two men were taking on the Steak Challenge at that very moment. Seated above the rest of the dining area at a special table with timers above them. They attacked 72 ounces of steak, a baked potato, fried shrimp, a salad, and a dinner roll. I had to get some insight into this experience since I definitely was notg going to try it myself. And go figure they were from Red Bank, NJ – we’re practically neighbors. Apparently they went hard at this challenge initially, but quickly slowed and with 17 minutes left they looked ill and dejected. The steak was great but they were disappointed in themselves. So Amarillo originally a cattle raising town, lives up to its title – The Meat Capital of the World. They’re beer was quite good and after watching the pain that the other two men experienced Jeremy ordered an 8 ounce steak, ironically the smallest steak on the menu. They’re steak was tasty too (but Ruth’s Chris is better).

The Big Texan Ranch even states...Yes, everything is bigger in Texas.

We saw this free 72 oz steak sign for about 100 miles.

They have a play shooting area inside.

Site of the Challenge.

A smaller 8oz steak.

The challenge including a salad, bun, fried shrimp, baked potato and of course the steak.

We departed and continued the drive to Albuquerque on and off of highway 66 and 40 west. The only entertainment being the Billboards- for Fireworks, Dinosaur Museums, Knive shops, the World’ s best Fudge, among other bizarre knickknacks.  However, the sun setting over the barren New Mexico horizon was gorgeous.

Several cargo trains passed us on the way.

Route 40.

An example of Route 40/Old 66 billboards: a blurry sign for Knives.

We hit Albuquerque and went straight to Frontier Restaurant where we continued this all too American consumption of meat and sweets with Adam's Bonanza Burger topped with green chili sauce and bacon and a Sweet Roll (like an enormous cinnabun dunked in butter).

Adam of Man versus Food designed this chili bacon burger himself.

Must Do: Buy Cowboy boots at Langston’s in Stockyard City

Must Eat: Adam's Bonanaza Burger and Sweet Roll at Frontier Restaurant in Albuquerque, NM.

Must See: The Big Texan Steak Ranch, Sunset