The Desert, Dust and Dusk

Saturday June 9, 2012

All things considered we did good, getting on road before 10:00 AM. Lorna brought my breakfast to the room so I could wrap up the blog while eating. Between touring sleeping and blogging the day is gone fast!  As planned we began by back tracking Winslow  to Holbrook, 30 miles to the east on the interstate. The day was bright hot and breezy and expected to become downright windy.

The exit we took dropped us into the middle of where route 66 makes a turn as it runs through town and there was plenty to check out so we stopped there first. At that turn is a park space with a big town sign featuring route 66  and a rock slab with a jumbo version of the shield. The town has a ton of route 66 spirit, vintage establishments a few major league quirks that made it a fun visit.

First let’s talk about petrified wood. When we toured the Petrified Forest National Park on Friday they made it sound like what we were seeing was the last on earth. Now I realize that it’s a finite resource but let me tell you that once you get into town it’s as common as cordwood in skidder country. The town has chunks of it as benches, the bank has hunks by the walkway set like gargoyles, the stuff is everywhere and they celebrate it. The sellers all seem to be Indian and it’s probably mined, harvested or whatever the term is from their lands, under their laws.

The first stop was the Indian Rock Shop and it introduces the second quirk. There once was the “International Petrified Forest-Dinosaur Park-Museum of the Americas” which was drive though tour of Dinosaur Statues and fake Indian ruins. Well, the Dinosaurs have found new homes scattered about town and the Indian Rock Shop has a mother lode of them.

Behind the fence must be a dozen dinosaurs, the largest approaching 20 feet in height. One mother has 3 youngsters at her feet. Petrified wood is everywhere from logs to fragments piled like they just fell from the dump truck. The run of the mill stuff seems to sell for about $2.50 a pound in small quantities. They have piles of geodes starting at 80 cents each. A geode is sort of a volcanic spit ball that might have some nice crystal in a hollow center. You crack it open like an egg to see if you got lucky. Like most places the building is covered with fading murals in dinosaur and Indian themes. This embellishment of the vintage buildings is being carried forth in the many murals found on building walls. A big part of the route 66 experience is going on the Easter Egg hunt for all of the folk art. Inside you find a potpourri of polished petrified wood, Indian jewelry, souvenirs and other mineral curiosities. They polish the end grain to a high luster and it looks pretty cool. Lorna bought a few odd pieces and we were on our way.

Up the road the other place that looked interesting if not am amazing to us was Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Company. With lots of big signs , a huge outside fenced area and a nice big building it was like going to a petrified wood home center! Oh and here you find another dozen or so dinosaur refugees. Most of Jim’s dinosaurs are in a space of their own on a nice field of crushed stone, they look king of natural there especially against the big blue sky. Outside in the fenced yard were mounds of geodes , petrified wood and other colored stones, all in organized mounds. Larger pieces were free standing and marked with prices, large ones were in the $500. range.  Other big pieces were around the building and in the grass strip between the parking lot and highway.  Inside was a massive gift shop featuring the petrified and stone items along with common gift shop kitsch. Here large pieces with polished petrified wood could approach $1000. How about $3400 for a 2 foot square slab top end table?  Long glass shelves featured more modest polished pieces all arranged like items in the finest gift shop. I have to say the place was really done up in a professional manner. Even the large clean restrooms were loaded with shadow boxes in spider, butterfly and other critter themes. And if that’s not enough they had an indoor pond with fish and turtles.

At the same corner is a Welcome to Holbrook display that includes a man balancing atop what looks like a tree trunk of petrified wood while another man points a gun at him. A stone slab with Holbrook inscribed props the trunk up. I don’t know if it’s silly fun or symbolizes the relationships of the local cultures and petrified wood. It’s something else to research. Yea I know this needs pictures badly! They will come the photo count has passed 4500, thank God for digital.

The rest of the town seemed to be doing quite well. There were very few derelict properties and a number that seemed to be doing quite well. Many non-vintage properties were happy to jump on the bandwagon with 66 shields on lots of signs. How about a RT 66 Bail Bond shop? The bail bond shop got to be a common sight back in Oklahoma and has continued.  The service station we stopped at had an A&W counter, something I haven’t seen in ages. They still brew a good root beer. The Dairy Queen had a very unusual sign, ancient sign or non-conformist? I don’t know. They did have the classic red lips high in the sky on a sign post.

The most notable Motel is the Wigwam. They have a series of concrete wigwams that serve as individual “cabins” encircling the property. The owner has classic old cars parked in the place to instill that vintage motor court feel.  Recently revived and remodeled it would have been an interesting choice. There once were many of these places along the road and the crown jewel lies ahead in California.

Away from in town Holbrook is the Geronimo Trading post situated right on the exit ramp of I-40. The prominent gift shop has more petrified wood including the alleged largest piece. Tee Pees, a wind mill, wagons and other props line the perimeter of the yard.

We’re exit hopping and a few miles ahead is Joseph City. Founded as a Mormon fort it is the Jack Rabbit Trading post that drew us. Highway signs entice motorists to come ride the jack rabbit. Lorna posed with the 8 foot critter but he was way too slick and hot to mount. They did have a neat Tee Shirt design and one is coming home with me. Other than that it’s struggling to get by on the side spur and even sells some grocery items for locals.

Remember that increasing wind I mentioned earlier? It had really kicked and blowing desert dust put a haze in the air. We spotted many dust devils where the dust would get spun up into a column and resemble a small tornado. The desert is not what I expected, there were no sand dunes like at the Desert of Maine. The ground was partly covered with lightly colored grasses and stout bushes. The ground was partly bare accounting for the dust but it’s far from barren, it’s rich with plants that have adapted. The big classic cactus is nowhere to be found, they are a Mexican plant. There are plenty of smaller cactus plants to be spotted and the colorful wildflowers are gone for now.

That took us to Winslow where we found a whole different spin on becoming an attraction. They have taken the Eagles song Take it Easy which includes the line “standin on a corner in Winslow Arizona” and made it the theme of the in-town loop of 2 one way boulevards which comprise route 66.  There is the Standin on the Corner gift shop across from a small park on the corner with a bronze statue of a guy with a guitar, the sign near him refrains the lyric then it hits you like a Moe Howard poke in the eye.  At that same intersection is the mother of all RT66 shields, filling the brick intersection diagonally. The backdrop of the park is a 2 story brick wall that is a huge mural including the “girl my Lord in the flat bed Ford”. I missed posing there since I only learned of her latter. The park even garners a Hampton Roadside Landmark sign. We have seen these signs since the start of the trip and I’ll need to explain them latter.

Overall it was a nice in-town with lots of murals. The little tin Highway Diner (closed), Winslow Theater (for sale), Brown Mug Café, Desert Sun Café and Earl’s Motor Court were notable sightings. At Earl’s a sign says, “Sleeping in the corner in Winslow Arizona”.

We were running late and decided to garb something quick at Church’s Fried Chicken. The tenders were light and crispy but the breading does nothing to get in the way of the flavors of the dipping sauces.

Next stop was Meteor City, home of the Meteor City Trading post. This one is stranded on a dead end spur of 66 and is reached from an I-40 exit. Lots of mural walls are here including what they claim to be the largest RT66 map. There are tee pees with Indian artwork, a giant dream catcher and the gift shop inside a geodesic dome. I didn’t go in but Lorna felt the place was getting long in the tooth. Odds are the only customers are people like us wanting to see these relics before they turn to dust. Nobody has any good reason to drive by the place anymore.

From there it was time for the big stop of the day, Meteor Crater. This is the most well-known, best preserved meteorite crater on Earth! It was too windy for the guided tour along the rim. We got to watch a movie and then the tour guide did a talk in the auditorium followed by Q&A. Afterwards we went outdoors to the observation areas. Steps lead to a high viewing point and the wind (said to be gusting to 60 MPH and building) made me want to keep at least 1 hand on a railing.  If I wasn’t afraid of being blown away I was certainly worried about being blown over! We had a tailwind going up making for an easy hike. The view was great but the wind was very distracting, after a few shots we headed down. We found a hardly used lower platform that was actually down below the rim a bit that made for great photos with the crater as a background. After the  visit to the gift shop (another T shirt) we were on our way. They had an AM station plugging the crater and Winslow, I stopped and made a recording of the 2 minute blurb.

Two Guns is a ghost town on another exit to almost nowhere. Fenced off as private property you can still see ruins of an old stone village, KOA Kampgound and a Shell gasoline station. 2 big upright tanks have giant murals of outlaws blazing guns.

A few miles up the interstate lies Twin Arrows, a similar orphaned property now a State Land Trust.  The 2 giant arrows are still standing as the strike the earth as is the Twin Arrows Trading Post and Café which is some sort of prefab metal building. Above ground fuel tanks, 2 gutted pumps and small attendant booth remain. I’m sure there are people that still remember stopping here when it was thriving on 66.

Well, Winona was not what I expected . Other than one retired through truss bridge there was nothing of a town.  I guess it just rhymed well in the Get Your Kicks on RT 66 song. The old trading post has been remodeled into a cookie cutter Shell station but it did hold the answer to a riddle. After going in to use restrooms and buy ice I noticed they had a 6 letter Shell sign like the one in Grants NM. I went back in with the obvious trivia question. They had to think for a minute but then showed me the post card (they sell) with the station pre-renovation as a TEXACO station, a 6 letter brand! I bought the card.

It was along this stretch of road the rapid transformation from desert to National Forest took place. It was amazing how fast it all morphed.  Flagstaff is a booming resort like place with a busy downtown and route 66 strip. I think we’re beginning to get to the tourist money that flows towards the Grand Canyon and out of California. The vibe was distinctly different and more upscale. Places were doing well. We spotted an old Howard Johnson’ still operating as a restaurant and the Museum Club, a bar of historic significance, more to research  later. The in-town Hotel Monte Vista with a big roof top sign was striking. There was a Paul Bunyan statue and an enormous cow mural that looked 3D.  The Western Hills Motel restaurant was probably the most striking RT 66 survivor. RT 66 signage has been improving as we move westward in the state.

We next got on the Branigan park Scenic Byway in the national forest. This is stretch of 66, some of which remained a gravel road. It was a nice peaceful drive with some old establishments to spot and interpretive signs along the way. If you ever wanted to create an idyllic paved road, just wide enough for two cars with gentle grassy shoulders weaving through the forest this would be it. Over the hour we may have encountered half a dozen other vehicles and 1 bicyclist. We got a dashboard video of one stretch in tree lined road opening up to a meadow.  First you could see the golden shoulders down the road and as we approach it opened up until we were alone traversing the space. One thing that has been stunning on this trip is to suddenly have the scenery change with a turn in the road or as we crest a hill.  One poorly marked turn sent us into the back country so after a while of that we doubled back and were on our way.

The last real visit of the day was the town of Williams. It didn’t read like much in the guidebook but it was loaded with classic places and it seems to be ground zero for the Grand Canyon visiting crowd. There was a motorcycle gathering going on this weekend and the place was hopping with lots of live music, eclectic places, neon and history. A future trip back to do the Canyon and such is likely and this place wants to be part of that trip. With the dim dusk light most pictures are shabby but they capture the energy we witnessed.

After a stint on I-40 we had a 17 mile run on a rolling wooded stretch of 66. Driving west we had the silhouettes of the western mountains in shade of pink, azure, leading to nighttime blue higher in the sky and as the stars began to emerge. As is often that case other vehicles were few and far between and the rural road was sparsely populated. The radio had a Saturday night oldies love song program with the DJ waxing poetic between the songs. Somehow it set the mood for a peaceful drive into the setting western sun as we longed to get some rest after a busy day.

Then came the near calamity. As the lights of  Seligman came into view we set to find the motel where Lorna booked the room. I went to the GPS for the place and the name was nowhere to be found, I loked in the GPS under RT 66 lodging and still no match. She checked the AAA guidebook that she got the listing from and though she missed a town heading putting our room 100 miles down the road. After a moment of hysterical panic she saw that she was in fact in the right town, we sight relief. We then went with the basics. Knowing that it was a Route 66 institution we just followed the mother road until it led us to the Canyon Lodge. The town was quiet and dark with the exception of the numerous motel signs.

The guy got us registered and we set off to room 3. They have theme rooms and Lorna had tried to get the John Wayne room, it was booked. When we opened to door we were surprised that we had the motorcycle room. The walls were covered with lots of motorcycle artwork including many framed puzzles. The bed had a mountain of motorcycle themed throw pillows and a can of Harley Davison motor oil waited on the shelf, just in case. The room was very clean and fresh with all of the essentials. The predictability of the brand name hotels is nice but getting into these places helps keep us in touch with the real experience.

We had done good, dropping our daily mileage target to a comfortable 110 miles a day without really sacrificing much. It really came down to more legs on I-40 where 66 was absent. By the time I had downloaded pictures, backed them up and sorted them by town I was beat and decided to get up early Saturday to work on this blog before going forward. I got the essential down and I’m finishing it up to publish Sunday night. We started this trip following our bliss with a very rough timeline to set the pace. On the way we took stock of the pace and with minor adjustments seem to be on target to have adequate time in the right places clear to the end.

See you at the Trading Post

Friday June 8, 2012

We got an early start getting out of Grants NM. The first stop was the local Post Office to send a carton of souvenirs home. While there I asked the clerk about the building. It turns out that the Postal Service did in fact build it to complement the area with a Spanish stucco building style, accent tiles and neon piping!

We headedv out of town on a nice stretch of old 66. In Milan we found Bowlin’s Old Crater Trading Post. This was the first of what would be many trading posts we would see today. The white stucco building is boarded up but the murals of Indian life on the outside walls are still quite attractive though fading.

As we headed into Bluewater mesas began to be in view, We got to see the 1955 Bluewater Motel, now closed. The signage is partially intact and a number of vehicles are on the property. The sign has a lower panel for Melco Used Cars. The place did not look active and may be entirely defunct. There is a while building just west of the Motel that may have been a restaurant or service station, it’s a fair sized building with large awning roof over the entry. I need to research what it may have been.

In Prewitt there was the Rattle Snake Trading Post, building.  Down the road was the Tomahawk Bar It was all spiffed up with traffic at 11:00 AM. I think I had mentioned earlier, the bar is the last place to fail. This continued to be a wide open gently rolling sparsely developed stretch of 66 with mesas always in  view. It was pleasant driving but did have some traffic unlike other legs where we were alone for long stretches. Train traffic was ever present along the parallel track.

The amount of intermodal freight in stacked containers and piggyback trailers is astounding. Mixed in would be the occasional train of coal or livestock cars. We saw very few of the box cars that make up much of the trains in Maine.

In Thoreau we found the old Red Mountain Market and Deli and Jonnie's Inn, elevation 7200 feet. It looked like it was quite a place in the day. Next Door was Herman’s Garage. The building started out in Grants in 1935 as a Standard Oil station moving to Thoreau two years later.  It looks like one of the steel panel stations that shipped flat and were erected on site. We visited one like this in Illinois. The station still has old pumps on the island but is closed. There were lots of cars around and life out back so the place is not exactly abandoned.

Down the road was another abandoned Indian trading post. Some mural work could be found but stucco is starting to fall from this wood building as the roof has failed and water is getting in. I have not been able to identify this one. Across the road is a unique Tee Pee shaped silo.

In Continental Divide is the continental divide, elevation 7275. It is from here on RT 66 that water will flow either to the Pacific or Gulf of Mexico. The theme is familiar with two Indian trading posts, Indian Village and Indian Market though this time both were stocked and busy. We got Gasoline, Ice and souvenirs. They had a nice shot for photographing the scenery and props like a Conestoga wagon. Both were colorful buildings with lots of red, yellow and white. Nearby were some unique RT 66 signs including a BEGIN sign for a segment.

Down the hill was an old  Whiting Brothers Motel. They had been a big lodging and fuel provider in the region on 66. The rusting road sign rises from the valley to be seen from afar. The beige stucco string of units is still open for business. An adjacent filling station is dormant. Back up on the main road are two red white and blue USA rockets made from tall staged posts. Route 66 people are notorious for attention getters. They don’t have a monopoly on gimmicks but they do elevate the art form. Commercial or not, folk art is everywhere.

Gallup NM has a route 66 commercial district that is extensive and doing quite well.  The Road Runner, Arrow Head, Blue Spruce, Lariat and Desert Skies to name a few were doing well. Very few derelict properties were spotted speaking to good business or prompt redevelopment. The area businesses were predominately vintage places.

Two places stood out from out brief visit. One was Earls, established 1947. The place looked neat and busy and made a good stop for lunch. When we got out of the jeep and walked around we realized that the sidewalk was lined with Indian craftspeople selling their products, mostly jewelry and leather crafts. We sat down, ordered lunch and while waiting craftspeople came to the table showing what they had to offer. We ended up getting some nice and unique gifts for folks back home. I had Earl’s special sandwich a modified club made with grilled ham and a special sauce. It was pretty good.

The next highlight was the discovery of the El Rancho Hotel. It is famous as being the place where stars stayed in the day with rooms named after famous guests that had stayed there. This was on Lorna’s list of places to stay but got scratched when we saw it would be a mid- day visit. She did get wound up when she saw they had a restaurant we could have eaten at instead of Earle’s! We did the next best thing, she went to their gift shop while I loitered in the majestic lobby getting pictures. I did get a shot of the Doris Day room.

Manuelito brought us to the Chief Yellow Horse Trading post and the Arizona border. The state line runs through the property including a line painted on the store floor! The shop in in the face of a massive cavern and curiosities abound with props and odds and ends like a yellow rhinoceros and a big brown cobra snake posed to bite. They had petrified wood for sale. Legend has it that Yellow Horse got shut down by the government for misappropriating the stuff. Apparently he had a stash and his son is now selling that and other mineral oddities for $2.50 a pound. Lorna snagged some specimens.

Next door, fully into Arizona is Lupton and a bizarre string of trading posts and truck stops. Found there is the Tomahawk Indian store featuring the world’s largest Tee Pee, a steel fabrication that houses….. you guessed it….. the gift shop. Above the Indian Village Trading Post at the end of the strip a nice mural was painted on the rock wall backdrop. Lot’s to look at. It was a good spot to get a mid afternoon ice cream bar in the 96F heat.

Houck was home to Fort Courage made famous in the TV show F Troup. This was a little bit of a let-down. It was neither a real fort nor a TV set. It is actually another Indian Gift Shop wrapped in a decent effort to masquerade as the fort. Fences, a water tower (Upright under grown gasoline tank) and 2 serious guard towers with painted cutouts of guards out there are enough to lure you off the road. More interesting was the closed Pancake House restaurant sharing the parking lot. I remember seeing pictures of these but never visited one. The round building sort of resembles a stack of pancakes and the handsome brown and orange sign towers over the place.

From I-40 we could spot the Querino Canyon Bridge. This is a 1930 269 foot bridge towering over the canyon. It’s on a dirt stretch of 66 we chose not to drive. I took some pictures while out in the breakdown lane of the I-40 bridge. Remind me not to ever to that again! It’s of  Warren Deck Truss design with 3 spans. The 2 support towers are steel posts and cross braces. Once again this is a big bridge spanning a dry creek in the valley.

In Sanders we found the yellow bridge over the Puerco River. It’s closed to traffic on an abandoned stretch right near an I-40 exit. The two spans are of the Pratt Pony Truss design that includes outboard side bracing of the trusses.

The next stop was the Painted Desert / Petrified Forest National Park. The 28 mile loop ($10. / car) wound though colorful shale mesas and led to petrified wood deposits that could be viewed but not taken. It was a nice visit with good photo ops. There were also some Indian ruins with petroglyphs. . I did get some pretty nice pictures in the late day light. The park actually spans I-40 with a bridge near which a Route 66 turnout has been created to recognize the old road. Lorna spotted a lizard out on a rock that I got a picture off as well a deer we met near the exit gate, this isn’t out local white tail deer I’ll tell you. I’ll refrain from a total description of the park, plenty is published.

After leaving the park we headed down a  looooooong, straaaaaight, flaaaaat road that led to Holbrook where we would eat and check into the hotel. When we got to the town I went to the GPS and realized our room was in Winslow, 30 miles away. Fortunately I-40 made beeline to it was it was only a 30 minute goof. We did see enough of the town to know that we need to double back tomorrow, more on Holbrook tomorrow.

In Winslow it was a late meal at Denny’s and then we checked in. By the time the pictures were downloaded, sorted and backed up I barely started this posting and decided to crash. I’m committed to having continuity so were getting a late start today while I capture yesterday. Today will be another long day touring but there are several significant stretches where I-40 is gone and we will be on I-40.

Santa FE - Albuquerque - Grants

Thursday June 7, 2012

I don’t think I mentioned it but a wild fire in Arizona had cast a plume of smoke over Santa Fe last night. It was waning at sundown and gone when we woke up this morning, good news for all. Driving out of Santa Fe there were quite a few worthy vestiges of the Route 66 era however morning traffic took the fun out of snapping pictures and we rolled on out of town. There were some nice Spanish style motels that would have made good pictures. The plan today is to stay in Grants NM tonight with a midday stop in Albuquerque on the way. Once we were out of town it wasn’t long before we were traveling in Indian Territory where photography, especially of the villages is forbidden.  There was a mix of forgotten properties from all races as we rolled though quiet countryside and small communities.

I think we were down in Bernadillo after we had seen an “End of Indian Nation” sign taking pictures of a water tower and the hillside when 2 police cruisers pulled up behind us. They wanted to make sure we were OK but then they saw the camera and mentioned that pictures are not allowed. When Lorna mentioned I was taking pictures of the water tower they looked at me like I was some sort of screwball. I didn’t bother to mention that the last sign I saw said we were out of the territory. I didn’t see the one about pictures either. Live and learn, we went on our way.

On the outskirts of Albuquerque we did see some nice classic places like the El Camino Motor Hotels and Dining Room. A big winged steel dragon was the folk art for the hour. Route 66 rolls right through the city and we decided to log some walking distance. We parked and bought 2 hours of time from the ticket machine.

The first thing we came to was the 1928 Madonna of The Trail, which pays homage to the pioneer women. The downtown is significant in size with a big city feel. The midday traffic was surprisingly light.  The city like many has a lot of murals painted on vacant buildings and blank walls. Some murals are in the form of tile mosaics including 3 chairs along a sidewalk. There are lot of interesting buildings and we even got a shot of the SUBWAY sandwich man dancing on the sidewalk! We made it appoint to target the route 66 path and a few related places just of the route. There were many shops actively marketing to the RT 66 followers.

We ended up having lunch at Lindy’s Diner, a nice little spot on a corner. They had a lot of classic RT 66 brick-a-brack. I had a cheese steak sandwich that really hit the spot. Instead of the usual shredded beef this was made with a thin stack of paper thin slices. Peppers and onions with cheese all toasted in the bun rounded it out. Lorna had a nice BLT that came with a fantastic pasta salad.

We spotted the KIMO and EL Rey Theaters, both active. The KIMO was especially nice.  We didn’t stop to browse but the Indian Jewelry and Crafts store looked like someplace where a lot of time could be spent. Just from the street the layout looked elegant with items like feathered head dresses. There were several gentleman’s clubs including one where couples always get in free. We even saw a genuine man’s hat store socked with many hundreds if not thousands of man's hats, mostly cowboy. They have taken a lead with electric cars with street side charging stations. We got back to the Jeep with :15 left on the ticket and headed out of town to see what was waiting on the west side.

On the way out of town it was mostly Lorna taking shots on the fly. She did good at capturing a representation of many places we just didn’t have time mess with in afternoon traffic. The Hot Dog House, a wiener emporium is one that came out good. The Western View Steak House & Coffee Shop, Mac’s La Sierra Coffee Shop with a big cow on top of the sign and the El Don Motel were some of more  the keepers. I did get to park and walk a few adjoining places with my camera. Overall it was a vibrant area with relatively few dormant places. There were signs of repurposed buildings which is good news. The styles are from another time.

As we left town a decorative beam spanned the road with a Route 66 shield, neon and art deco touches. The posts minus the over the road beam repeated several times as we left town. We were glad that we took the time to make more than a drive-through visit.

In Rio Puerco Lorna checked out the gift shop while I visited the 1933 Parker Through Truss bridge. At 250 feet long it is one of the longest in the state. It was rebuilt in 1957 and retired in 1999. It is being preserved as a landmark by the state. It was hard to imagine two lanes of opposing traffic on this narrow bridge. Also notable is the total lack of water under it. Many of the bridges I see in these parts are really there to handle rainwater surge, not constant flowing water.

Down through Correo Lorna was getting shots of the terrain. The strata varies between skewed and dead flat. Most of these shots were taken while rolling down the highway and the camera continues to impress me. The speed limit on I-40 which we had to use for some abandoned legs is 75 and few exceed it. 75 is not a fun speed with the short wheel base and high center of gravity of the Liberty. 70 is OK and 45 on old 66 is even better. Also on 66 my eyes have time to take in much more and we can pull over for a still shot, rarely with anyone else to deal with. The terrain is also much closer.

We entered Laguna tribal land and this time I found and read the sign. It read to the effect that the villages and people were not to be photographed. With that we headed down 66 and in Miesta came to Owl Rock, a lava outcrop at the edge of the road.  Shortly thereafter we found Dead Man’s Curve where the road winds tightly around a small mesa. Between the narrow road, oncoming traffic and falling rocks the title of the curve is well earned. The camera remained still for several more Laguna towns.  There was a rich mix of Indian and “white man” buildings. When we spotted one of interest we jotted down the name and description. Someone else’s photo is probably available online with no risk of a hassle. On the way we drove through a volcanic lava field and crossed under I-40 using a 2 lane box culvert passage..

This got us to Grants and our room at the Comfort Inn, just past 5:00. Very nice and a good buy. We went to The Surf Shack for a Pizza Meal we had been craving. There is a Pizza Hut be we wanted to sample something local. Salad, bread sticks and a small pizza were all good and 1/2 of the baked food is in the room fridge. This place has taken most of an old shopping plaza and become a homegrown Chuck-E-Cheese including a roller skating rink. They have an arcade, room of larger activities, party dining space and the roller rink that they bundle for parties and events. It’s nice to see local operations put stuff like this together. The place was as clean as a whistle.

After dinner I walked the main drag capturing the place in pictures as the sun lowered in the sky. This meant that the west face was usually the best to photograph. There must have been a freight train on the tracks  in one direction or the other every fifteen minutes. Some even had the double stacked shipping containers. The Main street is in pretty good shape with some dormant or repurposed places. A quick read of the town’s history shows some nice diversity.

I should have measured it, the  main drag goes on forever with 2 theaters, one the WEST in daily operation. The LUX is in OK shape but activity is uncertain. The Roarin 20’s Speakeasy, Lavaland Motel (remember the lava field?) and rambling Franciscan Lodge Motel "your home on the road” all spoke to another age. The Wayside Motel has… gone by the wayside with the units gone but the office standing. The Uranium Café remembers the local Uranium boom. Outlaws Saloon and Dance even has a band in there on this Thursday night. The Post Office apparently scoffed up an awesome art deco, pueblo style building, complete with neon trim!  The Sands and Southwest motels were doing business in spite of the 5 or so newer places here by the interstate. I will say that the small players are hard to find fast online and in this age of bedbugs and such going to a local place in a strange town is a leap of faith.

The town park has a huge iron work piece of folk-art highlighting Route 66 in New Mexico. A stream runs along the park and across the road where a water fall fountain spills back into the stream. They are connected by a sidewalk running under the bridge that carries route 66 over the steam. This works out a lot like the subway crossings we found in Oklahoma and Illinois. This helped keep pedestrian traffic out of the busy roadway. There were many more interesting places I captured.

Getting out of the car to finish unloading the SHELL sign towering above the nearby station caught my eye. It is a the common series of square boxes, each one having one big letter. The original owner must have had a 6 letter name since on this sign the blocks read S H E L L [blank].

We finally got back, logged on, took care of things, downloaded and backed up the pictures then worked on this blog. In between we needed to research some minor side trips, set tomorrow’s goal and book a room. We are now just about on schedule to finish in time without short sheeting a state. We have a 135 mile per day goal right now. We beat that yesterday, met it today and will beat it tomorrow so we are closing the gap. Each state will now be progressively less in mileage and as expected New Mexico and probably Arizona will have longer hops and more sites that are stop and go photo opportunities.

Winslow Arizona here we come!

Up the Santa Fe Loop

Wednesday June 6, 2012

We rested well in Tucumcari and headed over to the suggested restaurant for breakfast, “Kicks on 66”.  It looks like it is part of a dormant motel complex. We were a little past the rush (I think) getting there just before 9:00 AM. Half of the 6 parties had Route 66 books and were plotting their next moves. I guess we’re really not alone in this endeavor.

We headed out of town checking out the last 6 or so establishments on the west side. The first leg to Newkirk was on I40 letting us get some real miles behind us PDQ. Wilkerson had an old figural bottle shop, a few gas stations and a small church, all abandoned.

We left Newkirk on old 66 and Lorna started to get into snapping pictures of the terrain. Every curve, knoll or mile down the road brings us to a different scene. The space is broad and open and the surrounding hills, mountains and mesas make it expand and contract as we weave ahead. After a solitary drive down the road we came to Quervo, a town that got sliced in two by I-40. A 2 lane underpass keeps things connected but the interstate must have taken a huge swath out of the town. A number of towns have moved once or twice to dodge highway work.

One abandoned filling station on the north side bad sold BELL gasoline and also served as the post office. From there you could see QUERVO spelled in white on the hillside to the south.

On the south side we found a handsome red block building. The roof  as intact but tired and the windows look to be gone. The stone has an inscription ending in No.6. It looks like it could be a school. Along the frontage road there were a number of small housed left open to the elements. A 1915 red block church looks like it might still be in use. In the streets further back homes were inhabited. There was also some commercial trucking equipment in use. Several generations of water towers were visible suggesting a community water supply.

Along the way Lorna was getting pictures of wild flowers, lot’s nice stuff we don’t see at home. A few times now I have run into “picky bushes” that can leave your socks booby trapped with spiny balls.

We decided to make the loop up to Santa Fe and Santa Rosa was our departure from the I-40 corridor. Santa Rosa was chock full of Route 66 icons, many still in business. It was good to see so many doing well. The town was refreshing, far removed from that ghost town feeling. On a Wednesday morning near noon I didn’t have any trouble walking across the 5 lane main drag. The Silver Moon, Route 66 Restaurant, Joseph’s Bar & Grill and Johnny’s Comet II were all still serving food. Most motels were active but fuels stations and the truck stop at the west end were on hard times. We didn’t stay too long being early for lunch.

From there we headed to Santa Fe for the night. US 84 has replaced 66 for most of this run though there are many sections of the old road available as respite from the 75 MPH highway. This took us up through some really nice country and we made numerous stops to take pictures of the scenery, flowers, cows, sheep horsed and anything else of interest. Today’s image tally was 320. 

In Dilia we found a nice pale yellow adobe Catholic Church that must have been active. While taking pictures a woman pulled up offering to sell us burritos. Maybe she knew something. An abandoned store had been selling antiques, fine art and ice. This Santa Fe loop is a pre 1937 alignment. On the way out we got some nice open road pictures.

After we left I checked the GPS for food. Everything was about 28 miles away in Las Vegas, NM. Driving up through Anton Chico we stopped for lots of nature pictures and enjoyed the open high country.  We had been thinking about Mexican food and happened on the Smiling Faces Restaurant, Authentic Mexican food. It was a letdown with oily tacos that lacked seasoning. The rice was equally bland and soggy. They did have a big collection of smiley face stuff that Jocelyn will enjoy seeing.

US 66 runs alongside many of the highways and there is usually a similar frontage road on the opposite side. To let activity pass there are drive through box culverts under the roadway.  We had been wanting to do some “dirt 66” and decided to see where one of these culverts would take us. We drove down off of 66 and drove through the square tunnel just 1 car wide with height limits.  Once across we were on a dirt road and one direction was closed. We headed down the open side for a few miles passing many remote properties folks called home. Eventually we found the Serafina Post Office and we continued on to the main road. Birds had lined the top corners of the tunnel with mud nests. This road has railway tracks running out back. In order to give the same access across the roadbed to pedestrians and animals a similar tunnel was built under the tracks. It was nice stone block construction with arched passage.

San Jose NM gave us a closed through truss bridge and a nice church. The village is active with many adobe structures. Nobody looks prosperous but the many tan adobe homes of varying patterns fit well. Farther on San Juan NM we found another nice little church and a dead end. We did get to drive along a steep drop off where an amalgam of discarded jalopies could be seen hanging out of the slope above. It gave Lorna the creeps. She wouldn't let me stop to take pictures.

In Canconcito we found historical markers and a chapel that had outdoor items commemorating a Civil War battle. We hit dead ends when trying to find Apache Canyon.  There is so much to explore in these places that you need to make choices and cut losses when it’s not happening.

Entering SantaFe the Bobcat Bite was suggested as a point of interest. It looks to be doing well. Driving 66 to our hotel there isn’t much remaining. I did find the Stage Coach Motel next door that is slated for demolition. A few doors down is a dormant restaurant with what must have been a nice neon sign.

It’s been a string of late nights and I have a chance to hit the hay before midnight so I’ll be skipping some of the other goings on. Tomorrow we will be heading back down to I-40 and should be approaching the Arizona border.

Tucumcari Tonight

Tuesday June 5, 2012

We got going today and took some time out for shopping. My old trusty roll aboard suitcase blew a zipper and the retractable handle had gone to heck so it got replaced. I needed more external memory to back up the pictures; we’re past 20 Gig by now and needed to stay ahead on batteries. With that done we were out of Amarillo before 11:00 AM. We snagged a few more vintage motel shots on the way out of town and soon we were rolling on route 66.

Before we knew it we spotted a crowd on the east bound service road and recognized the site as Cadillac ranch. After crossing over at the next exit we were east bound back to the ranch. Set back from the road in a farm field is a row of 10 old Cadillac’s, planted grill down up to the windshield. There was a good crowd including a motorcycle caravan. What we didn’t realize is that the custom is to bring spray paint so you can leave your mark on a car. This has been going on for a while and the cars look like they have been covered with spray foam the paint is so thick. The appearance of the cars is a cross between tie died and graffiti. We posed with the cars for a picture and after taking a few dozen more were on our way. The perfect attraction, free and no gift shop!

Most communities on the route are 6-12 miles apart. It is very rare to find a reason to stop between towns and some are just plain gone. This is getting to be more pronounced as we go west and we’re starting to log some good sprints. We are also getting into territory where some sections of 66 have been lost and the leg is done on the interstate at 70 MPH.

Were still in grain country with massive grain elevators every 10 miles or so. Many are co-op operations. We’ve seen combines working the fields followed by clouds of dust as the chafe is blown away.  The combines discharge the wheat into big wagons that are towed alongside in the fields. Those wagons have blowers that are used to fill open top dump trailers alongside the road. Seeing the fields that go forever and the scale of this harvesting equipment helps put Americas ability to produce food into perspective.

In Wildorado there was an abandoned filling station campground with about 10 hookups visible. Hookups were $4.50 per night. The hookups are still there along with a lone picnic table and a forgotten Winnebago. Imagine camping on a narrow strip between Route 66 and the wheat fields. Showers and Ice were available, what more can you ask for?

 Down the road a bit was a motel and Café with towering signs calling travelers to pull over. The Royal motel is still operating, $29.99 and up for one person with a free continental breakfast. The Café name is blown out the big sign, all that remains is ‘S, maybe it was Rick’s? It’s not uncommon to see these massive signs with empty frames towering in the sky. Some are partially wrecked making an aerial game of scrabble.

As is often the case the grain elevator greeted us in Vega Texas. The longhorn car wash has a big mural of a long horn steer. The Hamburger House is gone but the sign stands along the side of the street. Dimas TradenPost had a wild mix of stock piled high inside and out. A pair of green Roswell aliens chainsaw carved from a 2 foot diameter log about 8 feet tall and bright green stand by the side of the road. They have one of those snazzy ball top water towers, painted bright yellow with Vega and the Longhorns school mascot painted in black. There is a 1924 restored Magnolia brand gasoline station that is a gem. Tack sharp with some all the trimmings. There were nice history posters in the window that I need to read latter. It’s a handsome 2 story building that looks to be built from pebble faced concrete panels.

A native building material seems to be a golden brown smooth pebbles. You can see it road pavement and is often used as a loose driveway material. It’s interesting to find myself fascinated by the color of someone elses dirt. We grow accustomed to our local materials and don’t expect things like that to vary.

I must digress…. While shopping today Lorna discovered the newly released Beach Boys album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio” and got a copy. Driving along we forgot to play it today but I have it on the ear buds while I type and I’m smiling. After a long dry spell the chance of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys ever producing again wasn’t even in the cards. As things played out Brian has had a string of solo projects that keep the spirit alive. To be able to drink once more from the fountain of summertime joy is a gift.

Getting back to Vega, a giant rooster greets you at Roosters. The Vega Motel seems to be on hard times but Bill’s Barber Shop at the  end of the horseshoe opposite the office is still clipping. The Roadrunner Drive-in is closed and the bus station building is quiet. Some real nice murals can be found around town. The Bonanza Motel had a few cars in the yard and may be active. The Boot Hill Saloon & Grill had business. The bar seems to always be one of the last survivors.

The Roark hardware store has been operating since 1925. It is the longest operating hardware store on route 66. It was closed when we drove by but seems alive judging by products in the side yard.

Lastly Vega is the seat of Oldham county. The 1915 courthouse is a handsome  golden brown stone building.

In Landergin we spotted the usual grain elevator and derelict filling station with blown out monster sign. The RESTAURANT panel on the sign was drooping but intact calling us to the abandoned Landergin café.

Adrian Texas is the last town in the state. It has the usual abandoned filling stations and the Fabulous 40 Motel claims vacancy but don’t count on staying there. Did I mention that they have a grain elevator too?

Adrian’s claim to fame is the Halfway Café. It is at the exact geo-mathematical center of route 66. We have 1139 miles to go. We arrived for a late lunch, this put us at 13-1/2 days into the 22 days we had after leaving Chicago. We have about 9 day’s left allowing a little time to ship souvenirs and get the baggage balanced. We’ll need to watch our time but as I mentioned this is becoming a game of bigger hops. Logging options are limited out here and in many cases our day’s plan will be set by where we can find our next bed. We can’t just count on crashing in the next town like we did in the first half of the trip. Needless to say they sold us lunch and a mess of souvenirs including a T shirt for my 66 wardrobe. We also took the commemorative photo in front of the sign.  After a brief stop in Glenrio home to a deserted filling station and café it was on to New Mexico.

The last 18 miles of Texas had to be on I-40. As we crested the hill to Exit 0 it was like we crossed a bridge and a whole new world opened up. In Texas I said that the sky was big and Lorna expressed it as feeling like she was in a snow globe. Suddenly mesas and high plains framed the horizon in ways that neither of us had ever seen in person, very cool!

Before stopping at the state visitor’s center for information we took a run up into the hills on old route 66 to see what the remains of Bard were looking like. The place was a ghost town with a few inhabited homes on a back street. Another guy from Illinois was exploring the town as well in a period correct Ford Galaxy. He pointed out the last post office building. Over the top of the hill I found an even earlier post office.  The rambling Motel and Café were  getting overgrown and several filling stations were weathered but standing. One was of a design I have started to recognize and I need to research what brand they were built for. Lorna is having a good time taking pictures of the flowers, there’s some nice stuff growing wild.

While driving a stretch of old 66 Lorna noticed sneakers nailed to the tops of a string of fence posts, someone is having fun, maybe it’s the next route 66 attraction in the making!

We next visited San Jon starting with ice and gasoline. The only real activity is a newer filling station / convenience store. The rest is down for the count. They have a municipal park with free camping, right on the main drag. A mural remembers a local man that died in 2011 at 19. No name or cause is revealed, another story to research. The truck stop offers a “taste of India Buffet”.  It looks like the San Jon Motel is still renting rooms. Many offer daily, weekly and monthly rates. Smith’s Café is open to the elements s and the big red letters on the sign have just about faded to nothing along with the lettering on the façade.  Abandoned gasoline stations from most 20^th century decades can be found.

As I have mentioned in the past some of these dormant properties have become private homes. Usually you can spot a car, kids toys or something that suggest fresh activity. When we notice these we just make note and move on respecting their privacy. They didn’t ask to be an exhibit in a study of the rise and fall of Route 66. Seeing the places I suspect they have their share of pain.

This brings us to Tucamcari, our home for tonight. We’re staying at the historic Blue Swallow Motel, a 1942 motel with a  garage bay between each unit. The side doors have been sealed but I the day you could go from your car to your room without being seen. Handy on rainy days or for a tryst. Listed in the national Register of Historic Places the rooms have been maintained in a period correct fashion, within reason, I do have WIFI. The TV is an older model perched atop a gorgeous old shortwave radio. Other than the TV and ceiling fan the room is pretty much as it has been for generations. Even the phone here at the desk is a heavy gaumy rotary dial phone of a style that predates me. The modern air conditioner is appropriate since in the day all units had what was then called refrigerated air. The place has a magnificent blue neon sign with piping around all of the rooms Over the door each unit has a stylized blue neon swallow.

We got into town just after 4:00 and were able to tour the dinosaur museum as Lorna planned. It was a good presentation. We then registered at the motel and got dinner suggestions. A local favorite just down the street is Del’s known for their Chicken Fried Steak. I found the breading unique and enjoyed my meal. Lorna was equally happy with her steak. Old route 66 runs right up the main drag here and I went to take some pictures while Lorna nested in the room.  The town used to claim 2000 rooms but I read they have cut it back to 1200. I have no problem believing that this place has at least 800 abandoned rooms. Some businesses such as where we are staying make a go of it but many have fallen by the wayside or must be just getting by. The number of significant 1  and 2 story motels that have been closed and left, complete with signs is mind boggling. The same is true for filling stations. Most are closed, some have been repurposed and many of those failed in their second lives.  Open restaurants are equally scarce. The town does have a Main street that we won’t get to visit. From what I read it has it’s share of hard luck with burned and abandoned buildings. The best analogy I can suggest is to drive through Old Orchard Beach in December, lots of capacity but limited demand.

The town is kicking butt to survive. They are another mural city with a map that will take you all over town spotting murals. I got to see some of them. They have spawned the slogan “Tucumcari Tonight” with highway billboards to entice travelers to the lodging establishments. This weekend they are hosting an antique car rally. The lodging here is very affordable so all they need is traffic.

Today we kicked the mileage up a notch and it we’ll cover even more ground tomorrow to meet our goal. Weather continues to be good with dry days albeit with some passing clouds. Overnight rain has been common and continues in the forecast. Crossing into New Mexico has put us into Mountain Time lagging home by 2 hours. That gave me some extra time to write tonight and now that the day’s story is told I’ll call it a wrap. Oh... and while writing this I fell in love with the new CD.