The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
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menu of The two RV Gypsies' adventures in Texas

July 12 - 13, 2012
USA map showing location of the state of TexasWelcome to Texas sign
Texas Monument
roller coaster road in the state of Texas

Texas map showing location of Groom, Texas

Groom is a town in Carson County, Texas, United States. It is on Interstate Highway 40 (Historic Route 66) 42 miles east of Amarillo and 220 miles west of Oklahoma City. (see the little red dot on the Texas map on the left)

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Below: The Britten Leaning Water Tower is located in Groom, Texas and currently serves as a decorative item. It originally was a functioning water tower which was slated for demolition until Ralph Britten bought it and moved it to serve as a sign for his truck stop and tourist information center (located on a stretch of interstate that was once a part of U.S. Route 66). This truck stop can still be seen, set back off the road behind the tower, now boarded up and in disrepair following a devastating fire decades ago.

Theleaning water tower still remains a popular target for cameras, and the town of Groom turns on a large colored star mounted on the top around Christmas time. The water tower is a common image in Route 66 photography books.

 

Below: Britten USA - a leaning water tower - seen by the two RV Gypsies in 2012 and in 2022 - very different.

The Britten Leaning Water Tower 2012
 Britten Leaning Water Tower 2022

Below: There is a 19-story cross located next to Interstate 40 (formerly U.S. Route 66) in Groom, Texas. This 190-foot tall free-standing cross can be seen from twenty miles away. Surrounding the base of the cross are life-sized statues of the Stations of the Cross. Inspired by this cross, residents of Effingham, Illinois erected a similar cross that is eight feet taller.

a 19-story cross in Groom, Texas
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Menu for the two RV Gypsies Adventures in Texas
You may visit these five sites in any order you choose

Gray County Rest Area

The Big Texan Steak Ranch

Cadillac Ranch

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Jeep Tour of Palo Duro