Road Trip! (to Fort Worth area)

We'll be heading to Texas from Colorado in a couple of weeks to see some very special people, including a four-year-old who will be performing in a dance recital.

It's only about a 10-hour drive, but we do like to stop every couple of hours, and I'm thinking I'd like to break up the trip and stop for the night a couple of hours from our destination. We'll be traveling along US-287 from Amarillo until we get to Fort Worth.

Does anyone have any input on a good place to stop for the night? We definitely aren't fussy travelers. We aren't averse to staying in a chain hotel, but we both get a kick out of staying at "mom and pop" places, as long as they're clean and safe.