The long road to Amarillo lies ahead. Between here and our destination lies the warm, dry flatlands of the Texas Panhandle.

As with other mornings, we leave with little fanfare.

We simply jump in our hot rods and drive.

Power Tour fans line the overpasses.

A shot looking back from the ’59 Chevy Sedan Delivery’s wing as we pull into Santa Rosa for gas.

At the Santa Rosa exit, hot rods line up bumper to bumper on the off ramp.

The main drag in Santa Rosa becomes an impromptu Power Tour cruise stop.

Half an hour later, we’re back on the road.

Next stop, Tucumcari.

Did you know Elvis owns a U-Haul rental business in Tucumcari?

Is it me, or is his costume made from old Webber Bread bags?

Elvis is a HUGE Chevy Nova SS fan.

Thanks to a strict regiment of peanut butter & banana sandwiches, cheese burgers and formaldehyde spritzers, Elvis is looking younger than ever. Priscilla, however, isn’t doing quite as well.

All along Interstate 40, we see scattered reminders of the late, great Route 66. Some, like this Santa Rosa restaurant, are relatively new.

Others, like these businesses in Tucumcari, are now virtually forgotten. They’re authentic reminders of Route 66’s glory days.

The La Cita Mexican restaurant.

Trails West Lounge.

Tee Pee Curios.

Apache Motel.

We finally arrive in Amarillo, Texas. Immediately, people start to take pictures of the Mothers® ’59 Delivery.

Got Horsepower? Holley lets you put your money where your mouth is with their portable dyno.

Petersen’s official Power Tour photographer, Scott Killeen, jockeys for a crowd shot from the top of a support van.

Time for dinner. Gary and I know exactly were we want to go: The Big Texan!

“We’ve got some wild, wild life.”

David Byrne. From the movie True Stories.

What’s The Big Texan?

Like a number of well known restaurants in Texas, The Big Texan will gladly give you a free 72-ounce steak. The only catch is you have to finish the steak, along with the rest of your dinner, in an hour.

Just inside the doorway, The Big Texan proudly displays a 72-ounce steak. As we approach the classic covered wagon display, we realize the steak is missing.

Perfect timing! Someone must be pounding down 72 ounces of prime Texas bovine.

“...people like us, growing big as a house.”

David Byrne. From the movie True Stories.

See this contestant? Of course you do. That’s because the restaurant makes sure you see him. They place him on stage in the middle of the main hall. Then they aim spotlights at him and put a countdown clock at his side.

As it turns out, he almost won. When the mesquite smoke cleared, he had finished 62 ounces of his 72-ounce steak. Sadly, there is no middle ground in this contest. If you lose, it costs you $54. On the bright side, you probably won’t have to eat again, ever.

For dinner I order Prime Rib — the petite 16-ounce cut with sauteed mushrooms and crumbled blue cheese on the side.

Back at the The Big Texan’s gift shop, we find these happy-go-lucky guys — The Texas “Turd Burds” (yes, that’s what they actually call them).

Finally I sit down for a comfortable evening of TV. In the lower right-hand corner of the screen, there’s a map showing high-risk tornado watch areas throughout the county.