Yellow City

Amarillo, TX
2017

Why a cowboy dressed as a green dinosaur, you ask? Welcome to Amarillo, TX. This giant cowboy dino sits in front of The Big Texan Steak Ranch thanks to the sons of the late founder of the restaurant, Bobby and Danny Lee who have always held a deep appreciation for Route 66. They proudly dedicate “The Tex-Rex” to the Spirit of the Mother Road.

Meet the 2nd Amendment Cowboy! He stands over two stories tall at the Cadillac RV Park just down the road from the Cadillac Ranch. Apparently, the cowboy originally advertised Amarillo Barbecue Steakhouse but was auctioned in 2014 to this RV Park.

A plaque stands in front of the cowboy quoting George Washington, “A free people ought not only be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.”

Cadillac is one of the most iconic American auto brands of the last 100 years. Behind the 2nd Amendment Cowboy at the Cadillac RV Park in Amarillo, TX, sit three cadillacs on display, perched on steeply sloped platforms showcasing the vehicle's prowess.

Cadillac founder Henry M. Leland had such high standards when it came to precision that he brought in special tools from Sweden to ensure he had the most precise factory on Earth.

You can smell the spray paint from the car. The hot 98F degree weather was still and the aroma hung in the air. There is a single sign near the entrance to The Cadillac Ranch that stands nearly 20ft off of the ground clearing stating the rules- spray paint belongs on the other side of the fence.

You can see the layers and layers of spray paint caked on to the vehicles. Some sources say that the new paint jobs never last for more than 24hrs before someone else paints over it with their own masterpiece.

he Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation put into place in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels. They used older, “junk” cadillacs that represented the evolution of the car line from 1949 to 1963. The vehicles were half buried into the ground at an angle that corresponded to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

Spray paint on the ground at the Cadillac Ranch.

Spray paint cans are littered all over the ground, abandoned and half buried in the dirt and mud around the vehicles.

The Cadillac Ranch is visible from the highway, and even though it is technically located on private land, visiting it is highly encouraged. You can access the entrance by driving along a frontage road and entering the pasture by walking through an unlocked gate. The vehicles are wildly decorated and spray painted differently by hundreds of different people every single day.