Amarillo is a mid-sized city a few hours from the Texas border. We stop by the Big Texan Steak Ranch, but no one is taking the 40oz challenge at eight in the morning. We wander through the gift shop for a while.

Entering the city on 66 takes us far from the highway, out by an airport and through an industrial park. Texas has a big sky, and the buildings look tiny and huddled beneath it.

 

LEFT: A waterpark floats on the prairie. RIGHT: Suspicious architecture

In the city we browse a couple of antique shops and get some coffee. The town is grey and somewhat depressed-looking, but bigger than any place we have been so far. Brett makes a call to Stanley Marsh's people, who have invited us to lunch and a tour of Marsh's ranch. Stanley Marsh 3 is an oil/helium heir and land art collector most famous for owning Ant Farm's Cadillac Ranch and Robert Smithson's last piece, Amarillo Ramp. Brett called Stanley Marsh Enterprises before we set out on our trip, hoping to get a tour of some of the private land, and the phone had been answered by Stanley Marsh himself. So we prepare ourselves to go meet Mr. Marsh when, once again, the car breaks down. Brett makes another call and Mr. Marsh agrees to send over his publicity agent to pick us up.