Lazing around Amarillo: Coyote Bluff Cafe, Thompson dog park, Long Wooden Spoon Brewery

Construction noise woke me up at 7:30am.  It was past sunrise and people in neighboring rooms were leaving.  I was in no hurry as I had no specific plans today.  I wanted to relax, discover the town, and take in some of the local beer scene.

I didn't check out of the hotel until 10:30am.  I grabbed some coffee, then sat back in the truck to read reviews for local food places online.  The Coyote Bluff Cafe off Grand came in as #1, an old shack of a place people are raving about on Tripadvisor and Yelp.  It was only a few miles away on Grand Avenue.

And what a surprise that was!  It reminded me of many a roadside diner across the West: sunbleached exterior, with friendly people and great food inside.  The exterior wood was faded, a front window was cracked, and the diner was no bigger than a single-sided trailer.  I stepped inside to a dark but loud interior.  People were packed inside behind wooden tables and turn-over was swift. Bottles of beer were iced in a small tub and the meu was written in chalk.  An older couple, long-time Amarillo residents Don and Nancy, invited me to sit with them while my order of a Mushroom-Swiss burger was cooking.  I took their advice and also ordered Cheese fries, not knowing that one order was enough for two people.  They shared their order of cheese fries with me, even insisted I take half of their portion.  The fries were smothered with cheese and oozing over the sides of the plate. For one person, it's a meal.  My bill came to $22.60 and the place only takes checks and cash. 

I ate outside so that the dogs could join me.   One single picnic table out front is mostly used for people waiting for an open table.  I ate the burger but took the Cheese fries in its carry-on with me for later.  The dogs found shade under the picnic table.

Now what to do?  I had no plans but to stay local and relax, read a book and let the dogs nap in the shade of an elm tree.  I googled online and found the Thompson Dog park, just south of the Amusement park on the town's north end.  I was here for two hours, oblivious of any time restraints and just enjoying watching the dogs relax.  This road trip is their vacation, too.  The fenced-in dog park borders a duck pond littered with trash.  It's next to a playground and near a creek that feeds the pond.  Mature deciduous trees shade the park.  I found a free bench to read. Sadie took possession of the park and barked at any dog wanting to come in.  Zeke joined her.  When a man with three chihuahuas came in, Sadie found her match.  I left to avoid any issues as I know how vicious small dogs are.   I didn't realize until I was ready to leave that there was a separate, smaller, fenced-in area, most likely meant either for venomous chihuahuas or domineering German shepherd dogs.

Clouds were getting dark and sure enough, at 5:30pm the clouds broke open.  I had wanted to experience a Texas storm again.   I got it. For 30 minutes we were pounded by heavy rain.  That's when I realized water was dripping through the moonroof right on me in the driver's seat.  Lovely.  Luckily I had a few empty cans to help catch the water drops, but holding up a 13-ounce tin can to catch dripping water can't possibly last.  It got hot fast in that truck with the windows closed.

Streets were now flooded with fresh rain as I drove across town. At 6:30pm I arrived at the Long Wooden Spoon Brewery, a small microbrewery run by Jared and Kim Read located in a business park.  The building is a nondescript tin-lined warehouse, but walk inside and you will find families working on puzzles, games, and tired dogs napping in corners.  I tried a flight of four beers: the #5 501st Dunkelweizen, #6 6th Street Wheat, #8 Texas Witty Twister, #9 Irish Stout.  I always appreciate wheat beers, but they are hard to find in Arizona where IPAs are popular.  A surprise beer for me is #11, Devil's Claw, brewed with mild green chiles. Who would have thought that chiles and barley would mix?

I took a liking to Kim.  She's very personable and told me the story of Jared's adventure getting a brewery open in Amarillo.  They have been operating at this location for three years and are barely breaking even.  The city council's attitude toward craft beer is still in the 1980s here, but I wish this enterprise well as the ambiance inside the brewery is family friendly.  I saw young and old come in to play games, chat, order food from the catfish truck outside.  I stayed until 10:30, making use of the free wifi and talking to locals.  A retired Marine thanked me for my service, but was perplexed that I would choose Amarillo as a vacation spot.  Well, that part was by accident.