Route 66 - Pt 5

Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. (Psalm 71:3-6 ESV).

We finally reach a destination on our trip down Route 66 that I have actually already traveled! It is the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. This world-famous and definitely odd ranch is a few miles off the official Route 66 path. Even so, it is worth the extra mileage to swing on by. This ranch of a different color began as an art installation in the 70’s and has never lost its appeal. Visitors are even encouraged to add their own touch of paint to the cars. They just have to bring their own can of spray paint. Cadillac Ranch was invented and built by a group of art-hippies imported from San Francisco. They called themselves The Ant Farm, and their silent partner was Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh III. He wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals, and the hippies came up with a tribute to the evolution of the Cadillac tail fin. Ten Caddies were driven into one of Marsh's fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza). They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins held high for all to see on the empty Texas prairie. That was in 1974. Decades have passed. The Cadillacs have now been in the ground as art longer than they were on the road as cars. They are stripped to their battered frames, splattered in day-glo paint, barely recognizable as automobiles. This aristocrat of roadside attractions has been raised over the years: glorified in photo essays, calendars, blogs, and social media fiefdoms; spotlighted in video and film; instantly recognizable as an American icon. These “Great Monuments,” we are told, represent America's hopes and dreams, art and commerce, materialism and spiritualism, folly and fame. Well, they certainly are an interesting attraction; however, they are not a source of hope that may stand the test of our circumstances. Only God can do that. The psalmist is so clear in our reading today. God is our “rock of refuge” (v. 3). Whatever you may be facing today, lean on Him. He will rescue you from every enemy, even death itself!