Girl Who Travels

Travel Date: March 2026

Postcards from the Panhandle

This leg of our journey was less about sweeping scenic vistas and more about embracing the sheer, kitschy, and monumental spirit of Texas. We were chasing horizon lines, and in the process, we found a whole lot more.

One of my main goals for this trip was to experience that “Big Sky” country. We initially considered heading toward Colorado and Wyoming, but with snow still carpeting the ground in mid-March, we decided to steer south instead.

Enter the Texas Panhandle. To me, the landscape felt almost alien. I grew up in the shadow of the tallest mountain in Kentucky, always comforted by familiar peaks watching over me. To drive just a few hours west of Tennessee and watch those mountain sentinels simply vanish was unnerving. The horizon didn’t just move; it opened up entirely.

Without any peaks to break up the view, the eye is drawn to the subtle textures of the earth and the deep, saturated blues of the atmosphere. The fence line in the foreground gives a great sense of perspective and scale—it’s just you, the grass, and the long road ahead.

The way the clouds radiate from the top of the frame creates a sense of movement and depth that is almost dizzying. Many people describe the Plains as emptiness, but to me, it feels less like “emptiness” and more like an infinite canvas.

The Road to Forever

From that infinite canvas came one of my favorite shots of the trip: the long, straight road. I told my partner that I needed to find a stretch of two-lane highway where I could stand right in the center—just for a moment—to capture this perspective.

It’s that exact “unnerving” feeling I mentioned before, where the world seems to have unfolded completely. With no peaks or trees to look up at, your eyes are pulled toward the horizon by those receding yellow lines and that single, lonely dip in the distance. Yet, the soft pastel of the sunset works a certain magic; it transforms the vast openness, making it feel peaceful rather than overwhelming.

The New Texas Landscape: A Forest of Windmills

As we drove, the defining feature of the horizon soon became the modern windmill. To say we saw “a lot” is an understatement; they were everywhere.

Driving past these massive turbines is a surreal experience. From a distance, they look like elegant toys, but up close, their size is staggering. There’s a distinct beauty in their rhythmic, slow rotation against the endless blue Texas sky. It’s the new energy landscape of the Panhandle, and it is hypnotic.

The Legend is Real: The Big Texan Steak Ranch

You cannot drive through Amarillo without paying respects to The Big Texan Steak Ranch. We saw the billboards for what felt like hundreds of miles, so there was no way we were skipping this institution.

This place is everything you want it to be: incredibly loud, incredibly bright, and overwhelmingly Texas. We missed seeing anyone attempt the famous “free if you finish it” 72-ounce steak challenge, but we saw the size of the steak they have to eat. It is absolute lunacy.

We opted for much (much!) smaller cuts, and they did not disappoint. Again, when in cow country, you eat steak, and the Big Texan delivered a solid, delicious meal. But the real draw is the pure spectacle. A guy walked around singing and playing guitar, the staff was top-notch, and the gift shop was a whole different dimension. There was even a snake!

The Holy Grail of Souvenirs: The $20,000 Buffalo

Speaking of gift shops.. we found the ultimate souvenir at a roadside stand.

Right there, among the keychains, cowboy hats, and postcards, was a full-size, professionally stuffed American Bison named Willie. Yes, a taxidermy buffalo was for sale. It was even on wheels.

And the price tag? A cool $19,999.00.

I had to double-check the decimal points, but yes, it was the real deal. It was a moment of peak road trip absurdity that we absolutely loved. We debated how we would even get it home (a trailer? the roof of the car?) before deciding that, regrettably, our souvenir budget didn’t quite cover five-figure extinct mammals. We settled for taking photos with it and carrying on the memory.

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The Texas Panhandle didn’t give us dramatic mountains, but it gave us a different kind of adventure—one filled with mechanical giants, epic steaks, and moments of laugh-out-loud roadside surprise. And honestly? I wouldn’t trade it.