Route 66 - Amarillo, Texas

By the time the 19th century ended, Amarillo was a cow town, not just any cow town; it was one of the world's biggest and busiest cattle points. However, it wasn't cattle that made the town's fortunes. Gas and oil reserves led to the Federal Bureau of Mines operating the Amarillo Helium Plant from 1929, and it remained the only producer of helium for commercial purposes in the world for many years.

Amarillo isn't just famous for producing gas - it also makes its cowboys tough. Thomas Everett Blasingame was born on 12th February 1898 in Ellis County and decided as a small child that he would work on a ranch when he grew up - he started riding at six. In 1918, he headed to the Texas Panhandle and began work, not stopping for 73 years; he was still putting in full days on the job at 91. In fact, Tom Blasingame almost died in the saddle; two days after Christmas in 1989, he got off his horse, laid on the grass, folded his arms over his chest, and died - he inspired writer Linda M. Hasselstrom to write her moving poem, 'Death of the Last Cowhand', and with Blasingame, an era ended.

One of Amarillo's other great legends is the Cadillac Ranch, twin to the Bug Ranch in Conway (or the other way around!). Myth has it that an eccentric Amarillo millionaire would bury his cars nose down on his land when he got a new one, but it's actually a great deal more planned than that. The millionaire in question was an eccentric, but he was also a visionary; representing the 'golden age' of American motoring, they were junkyard purchases, costing around $200 each.