We did a bit of exploring downtown, mostly on SW 6th St. This could be called “Antique Row”, I have never seen so many shops in one area. Our destination was the Route 66 Antique shop, can’t miss it, there’s an Okie truck outside. Unfortunately, it closed 30 minutes before we got there, my husband was glad since I’d already spent my allowance at the museum. We would really like to go there again. We cruised back to the BIG Texan Steak House, figured we’d eat there, wrong! Saturday night is not the time to be there, what a zoo! There was an hour wait to get in! We went east a couple of exits (Ross Osage) and ate at a great Mexican restaurant, La Fiesta. We might try the Texan for lunch tomorrow.
Well, we didn’t make it to the Texan. Believe it or not, traveling can make one a bit tired. I don’t know how anyone can do all of Route 66 in ten days! We did go out to the Cadillac Ranch and look around. The rest of the day was spent cleaning house and watching football. It actually felt good not to have to go anywhere. We will save the rest of Amarillo for the next trip.
Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas. I believe this is the first time we stopped here even though we had driven past on I-40 previously. Cheryl had always wanted to stop in large part due to Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch” tune.
We left Amarillo via I-40, this we took until Tucumcari, NM. We took the business loop and parked on the west side of the Blue Swallow Motel near an abandoned service station. We walked down to the Palomino Motel and then back up to TeePee Curios. Tom Snyder made this sound as if it were a motel; there is not one of this name here. Sorry Tom. We visited about an hour with Mike Callens, the owner, a very interesting and friendly guy. We have found most people along the old road very friendly, and willing to visit awhile.
We then stopped in at the Blue Swallow. There we met Lillian Redman, a woman that has seen quite a bit. She makes one feel at ease right away, the lobby of the motel is so homey and comfortable, I wanted to hug her since she reminded me of my grandmother. She has met many famous people, as she herself has become somewhat of a celebrity, and it has not gone to her head. She was so enjoyable; I could have stayed all day.
Next stop was Santa Rosa. Though there is not much there, it was an interesting little town. We stopped at the now closed Club Café and took photos; another place that we were too late for. I wonder how many things that we are saving for our next trip will be closed when that time comes. We are not stopping again until Albuquerque. We have explored Moriarity and Clines Corner previously. We would like to take the road through Santa Fe and Las Vegas, but due to winter weather, will have to save that for summer. We are making our base camp at American RV Park on the west side of town.
Our day starts out with a trip through town. I would love to see this city at night, there is so much neon. We checked out the El Vado and the KiMo Theater, pretty nice. We saw Lindy’s, known for its chili, but it was too early to eat that. There is the Route 66 Service Station, an eatery near the KiMo, it wasn’t open yet, but looked interesting. To us, most of the stretch of Central looks old. We ate lunch at the 66 Diner, were told it gets busy, but got there before the rush. We thought this was a great place! It is decorated in the 50’s style, down to the waitresses. We had the 66 Burger, with cheese, bacon and chilies. It was delicious, and a bit hot.
66 Diner - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Next we took the loop down to Los Lunas. To take this loop, follow Old Coors Rd until it merges with Coors Rd, it is then NM 45 until it becomes 314, then in town get on SR 6. The last stretch would be done best in a low-profile, convertible, at about 80 mph. Or at least for me, it would have been more interesting and fun. If you enjoy the desert, here it is. We stopped at Rio Puerco on the way back to camp.
On to our next base camp. We have traveled I-40 through New Mexico, Arizona and California so many times, but there are places that we still need to explore, and we will. We have explored Grants, Bluewater and Gallup, so we will skip these, although there are a few places yet to check out in Gallup. It was sad to see that the Indian City at Continental Divide was closed. We are making our base in Winslow at Freddie’s RV Park. We stopped early enough that we went into town to check it out. This is a really old town, but interesting just the same. We ate supper at the Falcon Restaurant. Very good food, and lots of it, and reasonably priced. My husband said it was the biggest chicken fried steak he’d ever had. We chatted with the owner, Pete Demas. What an interesting guy! From Greece originally, very friendly. He informed us that Winslow was the only town to have Route 66 divided, with one side going east and the other going west all the way through town. We had wondered which one-way street was the original road, they both are.
Next day and we’re out exploring. Our camp is at exit 255, so we crossed under the interstate and headed east on Route 66. Followed it to Minnetonka Trading Post, crossed the freeway and went on a great old section, 7 miles in all. It really gives you a sense of freedom, but also a bit scary. You are in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but desert around you. Back to the four- lane until Jack Rabbit Rd. We have been by this so many times before (I’m sure even as kids), but have never stopped. Always thought it looked like “just another one of those rip-off joints”. We stopped this time and were really glad we did. We talked with the owner’s daughter. We got a couple of great bargains. Even had my husband take a picture of me sitting on the giant jack rabbit out front.
