![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/515439770_10223182508831236_358386430918789141_n_10223182496070917-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nKelly was in charge of co-pilot duties \u2014 music, snacks, and making sure we didn\u2019t miss our turn toward Oklahoma. Me? I was just thrilled to be behind the wheel of the bus, hearing the classic VW hum as we headed southwest. If you know, you know \u2014 that sound is pure road-trip soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udf73 Breakfast Stop in Oklahoma \u2013 Van-Life Cooking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
By the time we hit Oklahoma, it was time for breakfast \u2014 and what better way to break up a drive than cooking on the side of the road? We pulled into a little rest stop, popped the top on the Westy, and turned the parking lot into our personal diner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kelly whipped up eggs and corned beef hash on the camper stove like an absolute pro. There\u2019s something about eating breakfast out of a skillet while trucks rumble by that just feels<\/em> adventurous. Bonus: the breeze blowing through the pop-top made the bus smell more like a campsite and less like a rolling fridge full of snacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro tip: if you ever want to feel like a celebrity, start cooking at a rest stop. People look, people smile, and a few will even stop and ask about the bus. \u201cIs that a \u201860s bus?!\u201d nope 78. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we left, we\u2019d booked a campsite through HipCamp \u2014 if you haven\u2019t used it, it\u2019s like Airbnb for campers. You can find everything from bare-bones tent spots to fancy glamping setups. We went with a little free-range campsite near Amarillo because, well, we wanted the real deal \u2014 just us, the bus, and the wide-open sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing we had a spot waiting for us took away the \u201cwhere are we going to sleep?\u201d stress. That\u2019s one of the best parts of van life \u2014 you can be flexible, but also plan just enough so you\u2019re not stranded looking for a place to park at midnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We didn\u2019t make it all the way to Amarillo before the sun went down, so we pulled into a Love\u2019s a couple hours out to catch some sleep. If you\u2019ve never stayed at a truck stop overnight, let me paint you a picture: bright lights, big trucks, and a soundtrack of engines idling all night long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, it was a little noisy and the lights shining through the curtains weren\u2019t exactly mood lighting \u2014 but there\u2019s something comforting about knowing you\u2019re surrounded by other travelers. Plus, you can run inside, grab a cold drink, and hit a clean bathroom before crawling back into bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We popped the Westy top, let the breeze roll through, and actually slept pretty well considering the constant glow of fluorescent lights. And honestly, waking up surrounded by semis is a unique kind of adventure \u2014 it\u2019s like being part of a secret road-warrior club for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day one of the trip was a reminder of why we love traveling this way. There\u2019s freedom in choosing when to stop, what to eat, and how far to go before calling it a night. Sure, it\u2019s not as glamorous as a five-star hotel, but that\u2019s the point \u2014 it\u2019s simple, it\u2019s real, and it\u2019s the kind of adventure that makes the best memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow we\u2019d finally roll into Amarillo, but for now, we were happy just to be out on the open road, sipping cold gas-station drinks, and falling asleep in a bus that\u2019s been hauling travelers around longer than either of us has been alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s something about waking up at a truck stop, stretching out your legs, and knowing a new day\u2019s adventure is waiting. We left Love\u2019s early, coffee in hand, and pointed the 1978 VW Westfalia straight toward Amarillo. The sun was already coming up, painting the Texas sky in that pink-orange glow that practically yells \u201croad trip!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my favorite parts of road tripping in the VW bus is those early-morning drives. The roads are quiet, the air is cool, and the bus just hums along like it\u2019s happy to be awake too. We rolled into Amarillo mid-morning and made a beeline for the campsite we\u2019d booked on HipCamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This little spot turned out to be a gem \u2014 close enough to get into town in minutes but far enough away that you still got that peaceful, country vibe. No screaming traffic, just a quiet breeze and plenty of space to pop the Westy top and settle in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our HipCamp spot was just what we needed after a long day on the road: flat ground, easy to park, and plenty of space to spread out our gear. We did a quick once-over of the site \u2014 because if you camp in a bus, you know you\u2019re basically checking for mud pits, potholes, or anything that might leave you stuck \u2014 and it passed the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the bus parked and the pop-top up, it felt like home base was officially set. Time to hit Amarillo and play tourist for the day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our first stop had to be Cadillac Ranch<\/strong>, because what\u2019s a trip to Amarillo without it? If you\u2019ve never been, it\u2019s basically an art installation in the middle of a field with ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in the dirt. Visitors come armed with spray paint and leave their mark on the cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelly and I grabbed a couple of cans and added our own splash of color to the rainbow of layers already there. It\u2019s part art, part chaos, and completely worth the stop. Pro tip: wear clothes you don\u2019t mind getting a little paint on \u2014 and take photos, because your masterpiece will probably be covered by someone else in 30 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Cadillac Ranch, we were starving \u2014 and when you\u2019re in Amarillo, there\u2019s only one right answer: The Big Texan Steak Ranch<\/strong>. Yes, the one with the 72-ounce steak challenge. No, we didn\u2019t attempt it (I like being able to walk after dinner), but we did enjoy some classic Texas-sized portions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The whole place is basically part steakhouse, part Wild West theme park, with servers in cowboy hats and a stage where brave (or crazy) souls try to down the monster steak. We cheered on a poor guy attempting the challenge \u2014 he made it about halfway before tapping out, but we admired the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can\u2019t come to Texas and not get at least a little cowboy gear. After lunch, we hit a few local shops to check out boots, hats, and all the rodeo-ready accessories. Kelly tried on about 47 cowboy hats before finding the perfect one, and I may or may not have spent too long checking out belt buckles I don\u2019t technically need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you\u2019re not a cowboy (yet), the shops are fun \u2014 the smell of leather, the rows of boots in every color you can imagine, and the friendly locals who\u2019ll happily tell you which pair will last you 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rest of the day was spent cruising around Amarillo, taking in the sights, snapping photos of all the quirky roadside attractions, and just soaking in that Texas vibe. Amarillo might not be a massive city, but it\u2019s got personality \u2014 from the murals downtown to the friendly \u201chey y\u2019all!\u201d you hear just about everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By evening, we rolled back to the campsite, popped the top again, and watched the sunset over the Texas plains. There\u2019s nothing like ending the day sitting under the Westy\u2019s awning, cold drink in hand, dust on your boots, and the smell of the prairie in the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day two was all about embracing the Amarillo experience \u2014 a mix of art, food, shopping, and just wandering around. We covered a lot of ground, met some interesting characters, and left with a few more souvenirs (and a lot more photos) than we expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow, the road would call again, but for now, Amarillo gave us exactly what we needed: a perfect blend of quirky attractions, cowboy culture, and that wide-open Texas sky that makes you want to stay just a little longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day three of our road trip was one for the books \u2014 full of Route 66 nostalgia, gorgeous desert views, and a little mechanical \u201ccharacter-building\u201d courtesy of our trusty 1978 Volkswagen Westfalia. Spoiler alert: Kelly became an expert at push-starting the bus by the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelly had one request for the trip: she wanted to see some desert. So we loaded up the bus, popped the top down, and pointed our rolling adventure machine west toward New Mexico. There\u2019s something about crossing that state line that just feels like stepping into a whole different world \u2014 fewer trees, more open sky, and that warm desert breeze that makes you want to crank the windows down and let your hair go wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The drive into Santa Rosa was beautiful. Long stretches of open highway, the kind that make you forget what day it is. The VW hummed along, soaking in the sun just like we were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we rolled into Santa Rosa, our stomachs told us it was time to eat. We found Del\u2019s Restaurant<\/strong>, a classic little spot right on historic Route 66. It felt like stepping back in time \u2014 neon signs, cozy booths, and that nostalgic diner charm you can\u2019t fake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We grabbed a booth, ordered some classic comfort food (I went for a burger, Kelly tried their special), and just enjoyed slowing down for a bit. The food was excellent \u2014 the kind of meal that makes you sit back and go, \u201cYep, this is why road trips are worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After lunch, I decided to avoid the boring highway drive and take a more scenic route back toward Amarillo. This is where the fun really started. We made a few random stops along the way, including a quirky roadside site with Jesse James\u2019s tombstone<\/strong> \u2014 because who doesn\u2019t want a selfie with outlaw history?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s moments like these that make road-tripping in a VW bus so special. You\u2019re not on a schedule. You can pull over whenever something catches your eye, stretch your legs, snap a photo, and just enjoy being out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, no road trip is complete without a little mechanical drama. When we tried to start the bus in Santa Rosa, the starter just gave up. Nothing. Silence. The kind of silence that makes your stomach drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s when we became part of an old-school VW tradition: the push start<\/strong>. If you\u2019ve never done it, it\u2019s simple \u2014 put the bus in second gear, get it rolling, pop the clutch, and hope it roars to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first time was a little chaotic. Kelly was nervous \u2014 \u201cWait, we\u2019re doing what?!\u201d \u2014 but after we got it running and realized we could actually make this work, she turned into a pro. By the second and third push starts, she was grinning and proud of her new road-trip skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We nursed the bus back toward Amarillo, stopping just long enough to keep from overheating ourselves. Each push start became smoother, faster, and almost fun (if you don\u2019t count the part where I was silently praying the starter would magically fix itself).<\/p>\n\n\n\n We rolled into Amarillo just before dark, tired but relieved. There\u2019s nothing quite like pulling back into camp knowing you made it \u2014 no tow truck needed. We popped the top, let the evening breeze cool things down, and started getting ready to leave in the morning and begin the long trek back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day three was proof that the best road trips are equal parts adventure, food, and mild mechanical panic. Kelly got her desert views, we got a delicious Route 66 lunch, and we even gained a new skill: push-starting a VW bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Sure, it was stressful in the moment, but now it\u2019s the story we\u2019ll probably tell the most from this trip. There\u2019s something bonding about being out in the middle of nowhere, working together to literally push your way back to civilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow would start the journey back toward Missouri, but for tonight, we were just grateful to be parked, fed, and ready for whatever Day 4 had in store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \ud83d\ude90 Day 1: Hitting the Road \u2013 Lee\u2019s Summit to Amarillo in Our VW Westfalia There\u2019s something magical about starting a road trip at sunrise, coffee in hand, with your best travel buddy by your side. On the morning of the 3rd, Kelly and I packed up our 1978 Volkswagen Westfalia camper bus (aka our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travels"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/514413206_10223182508231221_5527931644816698558_n_10223182494550879.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/94"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/70"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/516297821_10223182490830786_2017379147720401822_n_10223182490790785.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/515499962_10223182505511153_2524499249637433313_n_10223182492070817-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udcf1 Booking HipCamp \u2013 The Easy Way to Find a Campsite<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u26fd Overnight at Love\u2019s \u2013 The Truck Stop Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/514420271_10223182501991065_5254108746957071159_n_10223182490270772-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udefb Thoughts on Day 1 \u2013 The Joy of the Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\ud83d\ude90 Day 2: Amarillo Adventures \u2013 Cadillac Ranch, Steakhouse, and Rodeo Shopping<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udf04 Early Start, Smooth Ride into Amarillo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udfd5\ufe0f The Perfect Campsite Base<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/515435876_10223195010623773_1205785760387673557_n_10223194704896130-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83c\udfa8 Cadillac Ranch \u2013 The Graffiti Playground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/515446487_10223187990488274_1719968572305341240_n_10223187977607952-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83e\udd69 The Famous Steakhouse Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514418322_10223182509751259_4803760484654330379_n_10223182497390950-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83e\udd20 Rodeo Gear Shopping \u2013 When in Texas\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udf06 Exploring Amarillo Like Locals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/514403428_10223182510711283_2851863301221481922_n_10223182498470977-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udefb Thoughts on Day 2 \u2013 Amarillo Done Right<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/516241007_10223182497030941_782129991860064466_n_10223182496990940.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDay 3: Desert Dreams, Route 66, and Push-Starting the VW Bus<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\ud83c\udf35 Kelly\u2019s Desert Quest \u2013 Heading Into New Mexico<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/517150628_10223194144282115_8524861295777343657_n_10223194144162112.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83c\udf54 Lunch on Historic Route 66 \u2013 Del\u2019s Restaurant<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/516888829_10223194143562097_7567715413506045886_n_10223194143522096.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udee3\ufe0f Taking the Scenic Route Back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/515439232_10223195005783652_4219568628568078522_n_10223194700536021-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u26a1 Uh-Oh\u2026 Starter Trouble in Santa Rosa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/515929619_10223194144802128_2235752356276075567_n_10223194144762127.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83c\udfc1 Back to Amarillo Just Before Dark<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rovingwesty.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/515492328_10223195009943756_3783921986175724199_n_10223194704056109-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\ud83d\udefb Thoughts on Day 3 \u2013 The Best (and Worst) Kind of Road Trip Drama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n