Saturday, August 07, 1999
Day 8: Tucumcari, NM - Albuquerque, NM
We stayed up entirely too late last night watching TV. After getting not quite enough sleep we checked out of the Blue Swallow and stopped at Del's Restaurant for breakfast. Chris had some pancakes and sausage and I had a ham & cheese omelet. Now, THAT'S food that will stick to your ribs, or at least to the inside of one's arteries.
We drove from Tucumcari to Santa Rosa, another town that has seen better days. Many of the old gas stations and motels are also closed, sitting vacant and showing the tolls of time and the New Mexico sun. We headed up to Santa Fe along the old 1930's alignment. The land went from open range and mesas covered with sagebrush to mountains over the next 90 miles. We both noticed the extreme apparent poverty in the homes and trailers that dotted the landscape in the villages we passed through or by. As we approached Santa Fe, the buildings all began being constructed of adobe. I don't mean just most of the buildings, I mean ALL of the buildings. It was hard to tell what was a shop, a government building, or a residence. All in all, Santa Fe was pretty, but the shops looked pretty pricey. We opted out of shopping and headed out for Albuquerque. long the old road from Santa Fe to Albuquerque once again poverty was very apparent. I saw a billboard that stated "New Mexico, #1 in Poverty, #1 in Nuclear Weapons---coincidence?" Not sure what it meant, but I guess both are true.
Central Avenue in Albuquerque is classic Route 66. Old motels line the boulevard. The neon is spectacular, like nothing I've seen before. We're staying at the El Vado Motel, a motel court built in 1939 of adobe ( go figure!). Each room has a carport to keep your car cool and protected from the New Mexico sun.
We looked for the Atomic Energy Museum today , but couldn't find it. Chris wanted to go see a movie tonight, the Blair Witch Project, but I told him it was too scary and I'd give him 10 buck if he'd wait & see it in Midland when we get back to Michigan. He reluctantly agreed.
For supper we ate at the Route 66 Diner here in Albuquerque. It had a retro theme, but one could tell a manufactured retro, unlike many of the authentic diners we've been in so far. The food was still good, however.
Tomorrow we will finish New Mexico and get to Arizona where we'll tour the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. We'll be staying in a Teepee tomorrow night, and from what I've read from people on the Route 66 Mailing list, there aren't phones there, so I won't be able to send or receive email. I'll update y'all when we get to Williams, AZ on Monday.
Doin' the route...
We drove from Tucumcari to Santa Rosa, another town that has seen better days. Many of the old gas stations and motels are also closed, sitting vacant and showing the tolls of time and the New Mexico sun. We headed up to Santa Fe along the old 1930's alignment. The land went from open range and mesas covered with sagebrush to mountains over the next 90 miles. We both noticed the extreme apparent poverty in the homes and trailers that dotted the landscape in the villages we passed through or by. As we approached Santa Fe, the buildings all began being constructed of adobe. I don't mean just most of the buildings, I mean ALL of the buildings. It was hard to tell what was a shop, a government building, or a residence. All in all, Santa Fe was pretty, but the shops looked pretty pricey. We opted out of shopping and headed out for Albuquerque. long the old road from Santa Fe to Albuquerque once again poverty was very apparent. I saw a billboard that stated "New Mexico, #1 in Poverty, #1 in Nuclear Weapons---coincidence?" Not sure what it meant, but I guess both are true.
Central Avenue in Albuquerque is classic Route 66. Old motels line the boulevard. The neon is spectacular, like nothing I've seen before. We're staying at the El Vado Motel, a motel court built in 1939 of adobe ( go figure!). Each room has a carport to keep your car cool and protected from the New Mexico sun.
We looked for the Atomic Energy Museum today , but couldn't find it. Chris wanted to go see a movie tonight, the Blair Witch Project, but I told him it was too scary and I'd give him 10 buck if he'd wait & see it in Midland when we get back to Michigan. He reluctantly agreed.
For supper we ate at the Route 66 Diner here in Albuquerque. It had a retro theme, but one could tell a manufactured retro, unlike many of the authentic diners we've been in so far. The food was still good, however.
Tomorrow we will finish New Mexico and get to Arizona where we'll tour the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. We'll be staying in a Teepee tomorrow night, and from what I've read from people on the Route 66 Mailing list, there aren't phones there, so I won't be able to send or receive email. I'll update y'all when we get to Williams, AZ on Monday.
Doin' the route...
