Below is a post about a 2006 work (breastfeeding advocacy/promotion) trip to Amarillo, TX that I just found.

I have returned from Amarillo, Texas where I was visiting a hospital for work. I have to say, I don't see myself ever returning for another visit. First off, I had to take a flight to Dallas and then take a small commuter plane in to Amarillo. I really dislike flying as it is, so having to land and then get on another, frightenly small plane was no picnic.  For the whole 50 minutes on that plane I gripped the armrests as we bumped and dipped our way to Amarillo.  I will admit that I really enjoyed the small Amarillo airport. No lines, no crowds, a much calmer airport experience than O'Hare and Dallas.

The second sign of trouble was when I asked my cab driver if there was anything I just had to see or do while I was there, and his answer was, and I quote, "Well, Wednesday night is ladies night at all the clubs, or there's a midnight rodeo, or you can get a 72 oz. steak." When I told him that I do not eat steak, he told me that I was not going to find much to do while I was visiting. The midnight rodeo sounded interesting, but I had an early and loooonnngg day ahead of me, so I passed. He told me that I was in the Panhandle, also known as West Texas. I spent the rest of the cab ride singing Ani DiFranco's "Every State Line".... "I got pulled over in West Texas so they could look inside my car. He said 'Are you an American Citizen?' I said, 'Yes sir, so far.' He made sure I wasn't smuggling someone in from Mexico. Someone willing to settle for America, when there is no where else to go"  I wish that TX wasn't so damn big and that Austin was closer so I could have seen my pals Laurie, Dave and Robby!

The site visit at Texas Tech University went really well. It was a long day of breastfeeding presentations, meeting doctors and nurses, discussing research, drinking coffee, and daydreaming that I was on Scrubs. The doctor that accompanied me from New Jersey is fantastic. She's a pediatrician specializing in adolescent care and culturally effective breastfeeding education. Later that night, the docs took us out to a local Mexican restaurant. It was during dinner that I found that there were some attractions that I should have checked out the night before when I had some free time.  Apparently there is a very eccentric, rich man in Amarillo that buried a bunch of Cadillacs in the desert and called it Cadillac Ranch. He also puts up Yield signs all over town with bizarre messages on them. Those are both things I would have liked to see! There is also a small canyon (though being from the midwest, any canyon is big to me) outside of town that I regret not knowing about. My flight out Thursday morning was very early, so I didn't have a chance to see the sights.

My flight home was more of the same... small plane to big plane, lots of gripping of armrests and praying to unknown gods that I land safely, reading, sleeping, etc. The fact that I had to bring back with me a heavy, life-sized baby doll and plush breast (used for education purposes only, of course) in my suitcase made the security experience a little more interesting! Needless to say, when I arrived home and opened my suitcase, there was a note in it stating that my bag had been searched by TSA. I guess the Dept. of Homeland Security gets suspicious when they see a baby and a breast stuffed in to a suitcase. Ah well, all in a day's work.