I had a faint memory of something special west of Abilene,Texas.
A few days ago, it appeared to our left, a quarter-mile south of Interstate 10.
Back in ’74, a wealthy rancher asked a group of young artists (“Ant Farm”) to create a public sculpture. It would be placed on his property next to the major thoroughfare.
Texas is a big state so they used big cars to make their highway statement. Ant Farm purchased ten old Cadillacs and poked them into the ground much like a farmer planting seed. They called their creation “Cadillac Ranch”.
I saw the upended cars thirty years ago and this week it was great to be seeing them again. There are no guards or
fences to keep people out. It was meant to be explored, climbed, and touched. Some fans have taken tires, doors, and anything else they could grab.
Every day kids add graffiti, tossing their used spray cans on the ground. Some might call their collective cans art. I suspect most think of it as ugly garbage created by lazy kids.
Despite the changes Cadillac Ranch still rocks.
Hippies, hipsters, and the just-plain-curious flock to
it like bikers to Mount Rushmore.
We watched dozens of them pass through the cattle gate entry.
It was nice to see a new generation
making the pilgrimage to what could be our country’s Stonehenge.
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