We’re in Amarillo, and aren’t entirely sure why. We started out headed for the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We were cruising along some state highway when the road dipped down into the Canyon, or at least one nearby. When I say dipped I mean it went straight down for two miles. About a quarter of the way down I was no longer feeling all that easy about the braking system on the ol’ bus. When the brakes started to overheat and stink I pulled off the road.
The previous owners had $1500 worth of brake work done just a month before we bought the bus, and I had the receipt saying what they had done, so I was reasonably confident when we left. They sure seemed to work fine.
After pulling over I got out to have a look underneath and found that the front driver’s side tire had brake fluid on it. Not a lot, but really, any brake fluid leak at all is too much.
After topping off the brake fluid I took a closer look at the map and realized that we weren’t even on the right road to the State Park. We’d have to turn around and drive right back up that big hill, which I was happy to do since it’s really easy to stop a bus going uphill.
We drove on and pulled into the first RV park we came across.
The next day we drove into Amarillo and visited the RV museum located inside a huge RV dealership. There was some pretty awesome stuff there, but nothing so awesome as the Travco. I tell you what though, there are some really cool vintage RV options out there that are perfect for a couple. I personally love the Winnebago Brave, while Ali fell for the ’66 Kenskill trailer. The 1970 Avion pick-up camper was probably our favorite though. Throw that thing on the back of a kick-ass ’60s truck and we’d conquer the world. Where or where has our sense of style gone, America?
I don’t think there was a single RV there that would have done us a bit of good as a family of four though. Seeing all these pristine vintage RVs and trailers made me appreciate even more what a perfect machine we’ve got.
While we were there I asked about a brake service place and they helpfully gave me the name, number, and a printout of the directions to the place that they use. I called them and was told they could see us the day after next. Yikes, more than 24 hours in Amarillo?
We drove to another campground right in town that turned out to be a real dump. Our lack of research hasn’t been paying us any dividends lately.
So today we moved yet again, and then met up with a Bum friend who we’d last seen as we were passing through town in our Porsche over four years ago when Ouest was a wee-baby. He took us to the Mexican side of town for dinner at a little local place where we had tacos that brought me right back to the Mazatlan market. The kids got some horchata and were beside themselves with pleasure. Lowe had one taco. Then we ordered another. And finally after three we had to cut him off. As a family I think we have been missing our Mexican street food more than we let on.
After dinner it was off to his friend’s Mexican ice cream shop. Again, we could have been anywhere in Mexico. Smiles all around.
We had oven envy over this beauty.
The neighborhood.
Public art. Signs such as these are in front yards all over Amarillo. The sayings and pictures on them appear to be completely random. Thus, art.
We bought two of these for the kids’ room from a truck stop. They are the same as the one we had in the VW bus. I’m not sure what the power draw is on them, but they are way more robust than any of the plastic crap they sell for boats and RVs.
25 Comments on “Amarillo”
Nice artwork on your bulkhead – Ouest?
Wow. Big oven envy. The robin’s egg blue of the era (there’s probably a trade name, a la Harvest Gold or Avocado) grabs me. I tell Jamie that when we are done with boat living (hard for me to imagine) and have a yurt with goats (hard for him to imagine, but that’s my ask) I’ll have a two-tone robin’s egg blue vehicle. But you know what? Until then, an oven in similar tones would suffice.
The signs are a quote from Invictus, a poem by Victorian poet William Ernest Henley.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Well said, sir.
Thanks for that….
Their website
http://www.rvmuseum.net/1970-avion.htm
Thanks for the link to the RV museum. Added that stop to my road trip bucket list 🙂
The road sign art was commissioned by an eccentric (crazy) local billionaire. You can find hundreds of the signs all over town. He’s the same guy that commissioned the famous Cadillac Ranch.
I’ve been enjoying your blog since your catamaran days. I never thought I’d read about adventures you were having on the roads of west Texas.
Stay safe.
OK, the RV Museum does it. Now we’re going to have to swing through Amarillo. Where has the sense of style gone indeed! Why didn’t you include the pix of the other two rigs you fell in love with? Just messing with us or what?
There used to be a great restaurant in Amarillo called Chevy’s Grill with a car sticking out of the sign. All the seats in the place were out of cars. I haven’t been to Amarillo in more than a decade, so I have no idea if it’s still there.
If you do make it to Palo Duro, keep your eyes on the ground for arrowheads. They seemed to be everywhere when I was a kid.
Sign with the Chevy is used by Lazarus Motors on Wolflin.
Definitely stop by the Cadillac Ranch before you leave town. Just don’t breathe the paint fumes, you’ll start to see colors. Happened to me.
Pick up a can of spray paint before going to Cadillac Ranch so the kids can leave their graffiti for all to see.
I remember going to Amarillo when I was 16 (about 18 years ago) on a big road trip with my parents. We were in our mini-van…so we definitely did not have the cool factor going on. Actually the only thing I remember was going to a steak restaurant that featured a super huge steak that if you finished it along with all the sides you would get it for free.
That museum looks really interesting. I would definitely check it out if I ever find myself in Amarillo again.
Can’t wait to see where you guys go next!!
Greetings,
If you guys haven’t passed through New Mexico yet I highly recommend stopping in between Albuquerque and Santa Fe at Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks and Cochiti Reservoir for an RV site. The tent rocks have a very short but memorable hike into a really cool slot canyon that every young relative I have brought there just loves. I imagine you will avoid I-40 and I-25 so those sites may be out of your way. Enjoy the Land of Entrapment when you make it there.
I had a car accident in Amarillo when I was on the way home on a four month road trip with my then one year old standard poodle. Max. We has to leave the car for 2-1/2 weeks while it was being repaired, and we hightailed it out of Amarillo back west to Silver City, NM . I highly recommend it. Check out Carlsbad Caverns, and City of Rocks State Park on the way to Silver City (if you go…). Hot springs near City of Rocks are really nice, family friendly, and affordable.
I am loving your blog. Thanks for taking me along! I have a strong urge to hit the road again soon…
I saw a similar oven on a RV salvage site. http://www.olywa.net/singletonsrv/parts.html It’s under the section “Used RV Stove/Ovens.” Click on the picture for “Used Magic Chef: 3 burner, turquoise.” It’s not exact but it’s close.
The new retro Winnebago Brave looks remarkably similar to the original.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/it-was-out-of-this-world-as-winnebago-unveiled-new-2015-models-at-dealer-days-event-held-in-las-vegas-255359721.html
I hope the brakes are not too big a problem and the first repair was good and you only have a leaking line or blown seal on a wheel cylinder. Regarding the poor performance in normal driving, you should see if they have self adjusters or if you need to be manually adjusting them. It is pretty easy to do and you just need to crawl underneath and turn the adjuster every once and a while. It could significantly improve braking.
Good luck and hopefully you find some fun stuff to do while the bus is in being repaired.
I think the self adjusters only “self adjust” when you are moving in reverse. If you aren’t backing up enough they don’t adjust regularly. But, there is a little plug you can pull out of the dust cover and manually adjust the expander out with a flat head screwdriver.
replace the master cylinder…not with a rebuilt if at all possible.
I have wondered if it was by-passing internally and contributing to your brake light problem. I would get a new one, especially if it was not replaced on the last major brake job.
I had a 42ft motor home before I bought my Prout Cat. The trick to going down hills is to drop the transmission in a low gear and let the engine backfire all it wants to. Won’t hurt the engine or tranny but will sure save the brakes. Good luck on your travels, been following you guys forever
Some self adjusters only ‘increment’ when you back up. But the self adjusters on my Dodge based Winnebago, on a 72 M400 chassis, were supposed to self-adjust in either direction. But like most self adjuster mechanisms, they would get stiff with enough years – and not adjust. Then it was time to remove the drums and free up the adjusters. Each time I took the drums off I would find other things that needed attention; leaking wheel cylinders, rusted springs, frozen self-adjusters, etc.
The axles on mine were made by Dana, but the brakes were a Bendix design. It was a good design, but no brake design is likely to survive over 25 years without some close attention.
I always did my own brake repair work, otherwise I suppose it could have been pretty expensive. At the pace I worked, it would have been 6 or more hours of labor per side for rear axle brake work (with duallys), and about 2 to 4 hours per side for front brake work. One factor that soaks up time was dealing with the results of age. Coming to each of the wheel cylinders there is a brake line flare nut at the end of the brake Bundy tubing. Often times when you want it to unscrew from the wheel cylinder, the brake line will twist with the flare nut instead of letting the nut loosen. Sometimes it means replacing the brake lines back to the brake hoses, or further if the hoses wont unscrew from the brake line flare nuts.
Its very likely you have a leaking wheel cylinder; and brake fluid has gotten onto the brake shoes. I cleaned the brake fluid off using oven cleaner (sodium hydroxide). They worked fine afterwards, and after 100k miles, my RV still has its original brake shoes – though has had at least 3 or 4 sets of wheel cylinders and a really expensive master cylinder.
We eagerly await to hear how it goes for you.
If coming to Taos, email me for great pizza, beer, mexican food, and hot springs!
Awesome story! There are museums and there are museums. 🙂