I've spent the past few days in Texas, having a wonderful time. At night, huge thunderstorms have rolled in across the plains, bringing with them the scent of ozone. At night the insects sing and the air stays warm. During the storms, I could hear the plaintive cries of cattle as the deep booms of thunder cracked through the quiet of night. I sat out one night watching an incredible storm pass through. Even the small white geckos that creep out of the buildings here at night were taking refuge, squirming up under porch lights and staring out at the rain.

I was very bummed to find that the Dinosaur Park was no more. But there was this to console me:

How cool is this place?
You can buy fossils, feed an ostrich, witness a woman riding a pterodactyl, and see a giant dino eating someone!

I've embarked on another trip, taking in dinosaur trackways, national parks, ghost towns, haunted spots and more. For much of my journey so far, I've traveled on historic Route 66, taking in fascinating spots of Americana along the way.

In the 1970s, the Eagles wrote a song called "Take It Easy." In it are the lines, "I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see. There's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me."
The town of Winslow, Arizona celebrates this Eagles song with a statue, a park, a mural, signs, and the song being played through a speaker across the street from the statue. The mural is quite striking, depicting a girl in a flatbed Ford, and there is even a flatbed Ford parked at the corner.