Route 66: Navigating New Mexico

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Jeanne H.

Amazingly beautiful NM

What an incredible state! There is so much beauty here that it takes your breath away. Going through my photos, I found that I took the fewest photos while in New Mexico. But this was not because there was nothing to see – rather, it was because photos simply could not capture the majesty of this beautiful land!

The reason you drive Route 66 – beauty abounds!

That, and I discovered later that I had a fingerprint on my lens. But bear with me as I attempt to show you a few of the wonders.

Here’s a bit of info for anyone from outside the US:

each state has its own “tag line” or slogan.

That is the word or phrase that each state has chosen to describe themselves. For example, we started our journey in Illinois: “Mile After Magnificent Mile”. Missouri is the “Show Me” state. (Not sure why. Ask someone while you’re driving through.) Oklahoma has chosen “Native America”. We’ve just come through Texas, the “Lone Star State”.

New Mexico is known as “Land of Enchantment”. And truly what an enchanting land it is! New Mexico reminded me why we get off the highway and drive the Route – it’s so we can slow down and see the beauty around us. Even though the Route continues to parallel the highway, it’s like there’s a completely different landscape once you are driving amongst the rocks and cliffs.

Granted, you have a choice of routes for 66 in New Mexico. You can take the northern Route up through Santa Fe. This will add miles to your trip, but, hey, it’s a car not a horse – it won’t get tired. Or you can continue down along Highway 40. I chose Highway 40 for reasons I’ll describe later. One day I will go back to New Mexico and re-driving this part of the route so I can see Santa Fe.

Circa Espresso, Tucumcari, NM

Tucumcari

Okay, yeah, so I talked a bit about this fabulous little town at the end of Texas. It’s worth mentioning again just because I loved it so much. It exists as a stop on Route 66 and is filled with motels and souvenir shops. It’s pretty and small and I loved it. If you have a quaint product to sell, you should consider setting up shop here – there are plenty of available spaces! Far too many shops stand empty, the result of the wavering tourist traffic.

At the corner of my motel was Circa Espresso – a little coffee bar that got me started in the morning. It was really chilly, too. I mean, the weather had been warming up across Oklahoma and Texas, so this cold morning caught me by surprise.

Flying C Ranch

The Route continues close enough to the highway that you can see all the billboards advertising every hotel, motel, restaurant and gas station along the way. Two big tourist attractions along Highway 40 are Flying C Ranch and Cline’s Corners. As you head west, you’ll come to the Flying C first. It’s worth stopping in!

Flying C Ranch, NM
Available to a good home for $19,999.99!

They don’t really want to sell this magnificent stuffed buffalo, but he’s great for a photo!

Flying C Ranch, NM

Flying C Ranch, NM
(Don’t touch the bear.)

And if you don’t want full sized animals, maybe you have a little wall space…

Flying C Ranch, NM

Overall, a fun place with lots of kitsch and toys and stuff to see.

Clines Corners, NM

Cline’s Corners

This place is much larger than the Flying C Ranch and has a greater array of jewelry and souvenirs. It’s the sort of place that has contracted with the tour bus companies to bring tourists. Granted, it’s doesn’t have the same character as the Flying C, but it’s well worth the stop. They have a huge electronic sign out front advertising the various native art to be found inside. It also flashes the current temperature – while I was there that morning it was in the upper 30’s! That’s nearly freezing! It was COLD!

Have I mentioned before that when crossing multiple time zones and climates, anything can happen? This proved the importance of having plenty of layers to keep warm. I chatted with a motorcyclist – the poor guy was chilled to the bone. He said he’s never seen temperatures this cold this time of year (mid-May), but he didn’t have the luxury of stopping. I prayed for his health and safety!

Madrid

I’ll tell you up front: I didn’t get any pictures of Madrid, NM. I’m bummed about this – it was such a sweet, little place.

So, is it ma-DRID, like the city in Spain? Or is it MA-drid, like in the move “Wild Hogs”? (Very funny movie, 2007, starring Tim Allen. Wasn’t actually filmed in Madrid, NM.) I didn’t get a solid answer. They have a cafe made up to look like “Maggie’s” from the movie, and they have movie posters up all over the cafe. I didn’t go in. It was so incongruous with the rest of the town that it just didn’t interest me.

I’d driven through Madrid, NM some years ago, early on a Sunday morning. This town is simply a number of shops set up on either side of the road. That early on a Sunday, the place was deserted and I really got that creepy feeling. Later that day I was driving through the other way and it was a happy, bustling place. Just shows how time of day will affect a small town! So driving down the Route, I decided to make a side trip so I could stop and see Madrid.

If you are an art collector, visit Madrid, NM!

It’s about 30 miles north of the Route, a very pretty drive in itself. The town is essentially an artist colony. But not so much a “colony” as a place where a bunch of artists set up shop to sell their work. Here you can buy original artwork from the artist. You will find jewelry, paintings, sculpture, metalwork, and more. I saw a number of items that I would have loved to take home with me – alas, my budget just didn’t allow it.

By the way, the reason that I chose to drive the southern “Route 40” leg of Route 66, rather than go up through Santa Fe, was because I had decided that if I stayed the night in Albuquerque, then I could go to a particular church on Sunday. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I did really enjoy the worship. That meant I needed to arrive on Saturday night. And, frankly, by arriving then, I could schedule my trip to arrive in CA by the following weekend, thus worshiping with dear friends on that Sunday.

Albuquerque

Forgive me – no pictures of Albuquerque, either. This town boasts the longest “Main Street” in the US. Route 66 is Albuquerque’s main street and runs 26 miles from end to end. From the east end of town, the street numbers are declining till they reach zero right around Interstate 25. Then the numbers start increasing again as you continue west. This is important because I was having difficulty finding a couple of the restaurants/motels listed in the dining guide – and google map wasn’t helping. It wasn’t until as I was heading out of town, that I found the motel I’d originally wanted to stay at.

I stayed at the Ambassador Inn on the east side of town – and not a very good part of town, I’ll say up front. Paid only $45.30 for the night, so it was in my budget, and they had a laundry, but I wouldn’t recommend the place. It was clean and warm, but I didn’t feel entirely safe. Laundry cost a total of $3 for washing, soap and drying one load. I was pleased to have clean clothes again.

Land of Enchantment

So I’d been on the road for two weeks at this point, traveling every day. This was a mistake! My recommendation to anyone and everyone traveling anywhere is that you should schedule some time to rest on Sunday. Plan on staying an extra day where ever you land so that you can recharge. I attended church on Sunday morning – and it was wonderful to worship with like minded believers – but then I continued on. And I discovered that the museums and some points of interest around Albuquerque that I wanted to see were closed on Sundays. Had I given myself an extra day to rest, I would have seen more places and enjoyed the trip more. God made us to work 6 days and rest the 7th. If you spend Sunday in worship – great! If that’s not your thing, that’s fine, too. But you need to rest.

Interstate 25 runs North/South through the entire US. That is, it runs through Denver. I was so tired that I was tempted to cut my trip short and just head home. I missed my dogs and loved the idea of saving all that money… but what about my sense of adventure? Driving the entire Route 66 at one shot is something so few people do! Plus, I had friends to see in California. So I opted to continue on.

Continental Divide

Continental Divide, NM

At the Continental Divide, NM

It’s high, it’s windy, it’s a photo op. Stop and take your picture. It’s what tourists do.

Gallup

So follow with me while I set up my mindset as I continued across NM. I’m loving the scenery, but I was tired. I had a fabulous breakfast in Albuqurque – Lindy’s, I highly recommend – but then I didn’t eat any more for the day. I don’t know why. I had plenty of food in the car, but I just didn’t think about it. So when I rolled into Gallup, I was frustrated that I missed out on certain museums (closed on Sunday), tired from the drive, hungry… and I could not find a place to stay. I stopped at 3 different motels. 2 of them had no one at the desk, and one was booked solid. So I decided to get some supper and use my phone to search for a place.

I love Cracker Barrel! This is a chain restaurant across the entire country. As much as I wanted to avoid chain restaurants, when you’re overly tired and hungry, this place is always a winner. And they have a great gift shop. They manage to have the feel of a country diner at every location and their food is delicious. Not too expensive, either, relatively speaking. Thing about Cracker Barrel is that they are almost always right next to a major hotel or two. I ordered supper and pulled out my phone. The hotel closest to the restaurant (across the parking lot, to be precise) was booked full. Seriously! What was going on? Was the entire country staying in Gallup, NM on that exact Sunday?! Three other hotels nearby were all out of my price range, but roughly equal in price, so I opted for the one with the best reputation that I knew: I stayed at the Hilton Hotel. With my AAA club discount, it only cost $100.85 for the room. Their service was wonderful, the people so nice, the room so big and comfortable! Also, their checkout time the next day was noon. Most places have a checkout time of 10am or 11am, so this extra hour gave me time to putter. I rose at my usual time, but I took a slow shower, I organized pictures, I played a silly computer game – in short, I rested. It was wonderful!

Outside Gallup is the Red Rock Park – here are some pictures that don’t do it justice.

Red Rock Park, Gallup, NM

And here are a few more pictures that I snapped after cleaning my camera lens.

Land of Enchantment

The weather was warm, I was rested, and all was well with the world. I was ready to head into Arizona: The Grand Canyon State. Stay with me! I took the most pictures of my trip in AZ, over 600!, but I’ll try to whittle them down so you can see how fabulous it was.

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Route 66: Touring Texas

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Jeanne H.

Ah, Texas!

As has been observed, Texas is not just a state, it’s a state of mind. There’s an openness here that you don’t feel elsewhere. And I don’t just mean a flat desert landscape with nothing between you and the horizon but a stray tumbleweed. Granted, part of my opinion is favorably flavored by previous trips to other parts of this grand state. But I’m not wrong – the people are as kind and open as you are to them.

Shamrock

Almost the first place I came to upon entering Texas was the U Drop Inn in Shamrock. When you step out of your car, pause and take a deep breath. Smell that Texas air – it’s faint, but you can pick up the scent of dust and hay and horses and cattle. It’s manure and sweat, but it’s freedom and life. It’s the scent of hard work and an investment in the future. Cattlemen, like farmers, learn to wait on the turning of the seasons.

U Drop Inn, Shamrock, TX

The U Drop Inn, with its high tower, inspired the maker of “Cars”. The movie is constantly playing inside. It’s a tourist center now, and a portion has been made up like a 50’s diner. The folks there are so nice and have lots of information about things to see along the Route in Texas.

Inside U Drop Inn

It’s fun!

They’ll be happy to take your picture!

McLean

Moving along you’ll come to McLean. So at this point I realized there were fewer biggest/tallest and lots more museums, so I was pleased to stop by the Devils Rope Museum, which includes a section as a Route 66 Museum.

Devil’s Rope Museum, McLean, TX

So what is Devil’s Rope? It’s barbed wire – and its history is fascinating! I had no idea there were so many types of barbed wire, nor that people actually collect it. Out front are two giant barbed wire balls.

Barbed Wire Balls

These things are big! It’s a bit mind blowing to look at these and realize how much wire had to be coiled and twisted and rolled to make these. Inside the museum you’ll see a history of barbed wire, it’s importance and cultural relevance, and many examples of barbed wire art. One particular exhibit of interest to me was a photo history of the Dust Bowl and the Depression when hundreds fled cross country, searching for a better life west.

While you’re there, buy a bottle of “Red Mud” bbq sauce. No, buy two!

Apart from my own, this is about the best bbq sauce I have ever enjoyed –

and I don’t endorse anyone’s bbq sauce!

Groom

You already know that I tend to search out those things that are still “alive” – I don’t care for exploring ruins or ghost towns. So I don’t have any pictures of the famous “leaning water tower” outside Groom. Meh. Read about it, stop and look at it – I felt none the lesser for driving by.

But I did stop to see the giant cross.

Giant Cross, Groom, TX

This monument is a dedication to the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Around the base of the cross are the 14 “stations”, life sized statues that depict the suffering of Christ on His crucifixion day. They are meant to help the faithful reflect on their own spiritual travel. May I suggest that, in my own humble opinion, in addition to reflecting on Christ’s suffering and death, we must ever more greatly celebrate His resurrection and life! Christ’s death paid for my sins. His resurrection gives me eternal life. If Jesus did not rise again, His death meant nothing. Reflect on Friday, but celebrate on Sunday!

Continuing down the Route, you have the opportunity to explore dirt roads and ghost towns. And open plains. Lots of open plains. And you find yourself thinking, wow! This is just a short part of the Texas Panhandle – it’s not even the big part of Texas! Everything in Texas is big – the small part is big!

Amarillo

Amarillo is a big enough city that I was inclined to bypass it, but it was getting on time for lunch and I’d held off grabbing a bite so I could eat at the Big Texan. This is worth veering off the Route – it’s as touristy as it gets. They advertise a free 72 oz steak – that is, if you can eat the entire 72 oz steak (that’s 4 1/2 lbs!) and the fixin’s in one hour, the meal is free. Many have tried and failed. I can’t imagine the food coma if you succeeded. I had a fabulous meal of ribs and onion rings and fries – way too much for me to eat, and that was considered a regular meal. A little on the expensive side, to my way of thinking, but, hey, it’s a tourist joint. Go and enjoy – you’re paying as much for the experience as for the food. They have a great gift shop to explore. (By the way, I never did take any pictures of my food. Eh, that’s just me.)

Big Texan Steakhouse, Amarillo, TX

Big cow outside the Steakhouse

Dinosaur dressed as a cowboy

The Big Texan Steakhouse even has a big dinosaur out front, dressed as a cowboy. Why would they have such a thing? Because they can.

And here I thought I was done seeing big, kitschy statues.

And, of course, you absolutely cannot drive past/through Amarillo, TX without stopping by Cadillac Ranch!

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX

I’m presuming you’ve heard of Cadillac Ranch – and I don’t mean the song by Chris LeDoux. Off the highway in the middle of a field, a line of cars buried nose down. It’s practically a Texas institution. People bring cans of spray paint to leave their mark – or use cans of paint that have been left by others. It’s almost impossible to get photos without all the people around (I did a bit of creative cropping on my photos). But I find it interesting to watch the people. How they explore, taking their photos… A couple was there with their big, long-haired dog. Apparently they have gone on road trips all over the country and take pictures of their dog in front of every landmark they come across. I love it!

Vega

Well, I’d had my lunch and seen Cadillac Ranch, so I was ready to get back on the road. It was pretty hot, too. I don’t do well in the heat! I got lost trying to find the Route in Amarillo, but once outside the city I picked it back up fairly easily. Being hot and tired, I was ready to find a place to stay. According to my dining and lodging guide, the Big Texan Motel – next door to the Big Texan Steakhouse – was a little outside my budget, so I decided I would stay in Vega. This would make for a 180 mile day, which is not a bad drive on the Route.

Hmmm, yeah, uh, well… Have you ever been somewhere and you got the oddest feeling that you shouldn’t be there? There’s nothing overt, just a feeling – the hairs on the back of your neck start standing up and that little voice in the back of your mind is telling you, “Move along, folks, nothing to see. Move along!”

That’s the feeling I got driving through Vega. Now keep in mind that at certain times of day small towns are like ghost towns. People here work and if they’re at work then the streets are empty and it’s easy to get a creepy feeling. But I didn’t care for the look of the motel, and I refused to stay in the Best Western (definitely outside the budget). So I drove on.

Adrian

My plan had been to stay the night in Vega so that I could have breakfast at the Midpoint Cafe. It’s a breakfast/lunch joint with what is supposed to be a great souvenir/gift shop and I really wanted to eat there as part of my Route 66 experience. But since I was passing Vega, I needed to find someplace else to stay, and I wasn’t seeing anything east of Midpoint. I arrived at Midpoint Cafe about half hour after they closed <sigh>. Still, I got a picture!

Midpoint Cafe - arguably the middle spot of Route 66

Midpoint Cafe – the middle of Route 66

Okay, well, both Vega, TX and Adrian, TX (Midpoint Cafe) claim to be the middle of Route 66. Either way, the sky was blue, the day was warm, and I still needed to find a place to sleep for the night. In addition, I found myself in a very long stretch where there was no cellular service – emergency only, or so my phone kept telling me. (Yeah, places like that exist.) So no just looking up websites to find a place. This is where the excitement of living wild and free, cruising down the open road with no plans to tie me down, ready for whatever – yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. It was getting real old real fast. But what do you do? You take a deep breath of freedom and keep driving.

Tucumcari, NM

As close as I was to the state border, I decided to head on to Tucumcari, NM. It’s a good 30 miles into NM, but I had wanted to stay at the Blue Swallow Motel – a Route 66 institution – and since I had to pass by Midpoint Cafe, this would make a good ending for the day. It made for a 250 mile day! So I was really tired! At least I wasn’t hungry – I was still full from my lunch at the Bix Texan Steakhouse. (It was big!)

I absolutely loved Tucumcari, NM! Okay, so I realize that this post is about Texas and now I’ve moved into New Mexico… bear with me while I end my day. It was great!

Tee Pee Curios, Tucumcari, NM

Found this awesome little curio shop coming into town. Something I would like you to notice in this picture: on the right is blue sky, on the left is a storm cloud. I love this kind of weather! You can watch the storm coming – which I did the entire drive west. The storm was heading south (the picture above is facing east) and I managed to get into my room and settle down for the night just as it hit. I love a good thunder storm! It was fabulous!

Although, I didn’t get into the Blue Swallow. While I was perusing the curios in the tee pee, the Blue Swallow was signing out the keys to their last room. (Remember- no plans, open road, yada yada…) But Tucumcari is the penultimate tourist town, the only thing they have more of than gift shops is motels. I drove the length of town twice, which only took 10 minutes, and decided on the Route 66 Motel on the east end of town ($45.29).

Route 66 Motel, Tucumcari, NM

I’ll admit, I was a little put off by the sign stating “Genuine American” – after all, if you read my post on Oklahoma, you’ll know that I considered those wonderful folks from India to be just as American as myself. (I found that many innkeepers along the Route were from India.) But that aside, this motel was beautifully kept and very comfortable. There is an espresso bar on the corner of the motel where you can get a great cuppa joe in the morning when you head off.

And this is where I wrap up my tales about Texas! Next up I’ll take you with me through New Mexico and beyond! Hang in there while we keep chugging our way across the US!

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