Next stop, Holbrook, another KOA. This is a quaint little town, lots of old 66 flavor here. We arrived early so we had time to check the town out. We stopped in at Julien’s Roadrunner, met the proprietor Ted Julien, a real nice guy. He grew up in an orphanage in New York and moved west when he was old enough. He’s been in Holbrook for 25 years. He has some good items for sale. Our day of fun on the mother road was marred by high winds. We drove east to Fort Courage and then hit the road. It’s amazing how many Indian trading posts there are. We went through Querino (there is nothing left of the old Querino Trading Post, even the gas pumps are gone, possibly a fire), Sanders, and Chambers. We tried to do the section from Navajo to Pinta Road, it was fenced off after 2.5 miles. We saw what looked, to us, to be an old rest stop. We got back on the interstate to exit 320 (Pinta Road) and followed the road up to the old Painted Desert Trading Post. It’s sad to see a business that you know thrived in its heyday sitting abandoned and forlorn. The road is fenced off at the bridge, so you have to turn back.

We decided to go into the Painted Desert, it’s been 15 years since we were last here. It has some very colorful scenery, it’s beautiful. We only went about half way through and then returned to the freeway, the wind was blowing so hard that it was causing a dust storm and impairing the view. Before returning to Holbrook we took exit 303 and traveled the section heading east to Rocky’s Old Stage Station, nice ride. The gate was closed so we weren’t able to talk with the owner Nyal Rockwell, we were greeted by his friendly dog. Back in town we had dinner at Joe & Aggie’s Cafe, fairly good Mexican food. There is a photo album of people who have stopped in, among the celebrities, Michael Wallis and Alice Cooper. We usually aren’t out at night, it was great to drive around and look at all the neon lights.

We got held up in Holbrook for a few extra days, Flagstaff received 3 foot of snow, we had rain and wind. Next stop was Gallup, New Mexico and yet another KOA, what can I say? Another computer friendly campground, it seems to be the wave of the future. Lucky for us, since that’s how we keep in touch with several people. We spent the afternoon running errands. Tomorrow we’ll go cruising.

First thing we did was take the road west, really a nice drive. Uneventful except for a truck blocking both lanes. He had tried to turn around and high centered, and was stuck in the mud. Thankfully, we could get around him. What was he thinking? Stopped at Fort Yellow Horse Trading Post, it was closed, looked as if they probably were still in business though. On to Arizona and the Teepee Trading Post, had to see if they had anything new. There is an old trading post on the right as you first enter Lupton that looks as if it is undergoing a renovation, good for them, hope it does well. The old location of Allentown used to have an old building standing, it is no longer there, it has been knocked down. We believe this to have been Stafford’s Cafe, using the Jack Rittenhouse book. It is fun to follow the old road here as it follows all the hills and vales. The section east of Indian City on the north frontage road even has some of the old curbing left. On to Fort Courage and back on the Interstate.

Back in Gallup we had lunch at the Eagle Cafe, we had lamb stew. We had the half order and it was more than enough, really tasty. Not much atmosphere, like an old drugstore soda fountain with booths and no decor. Cheap. The Eagle was the first and remains the only original Route 66 “eaterie” in the same location, boasting almost the same interior, and the same family ties. Time for more cruising. We took the Interstate to Grants and worked our way west.

We stopped to check out the old Grants Motel. Only the sign is left. We took photos of a few things and continued our journey through Milan. We checked out the Bluewater Motel, possibly in the process of renovation (Bob says in ‘91), it looked more like a storage area. Nice looking. The 66 Swap Meet was closed, only open on the weekend. Looked interesting. It’s sad to see the old trading posts, their faded signs begging for customers, none to be found, just the occasional photographer stopping by. This is a great stretch of road; if you don’t look to your left you won’t even notice the freeway. Stopped in Thoreau for a soda. Believe it or not, we encountered a small rush hour. Not much to the town. The Continental Divide is a fun stop, great photo area for the red rock plateaus in the background. At Iyanbito we checked out the remains of the Perea Trading Post & Siding. Not much left. It was strange to see old floor tiling when most of the stuff around was rock. We went up to Red Rock State Park, it’s beautiful up there. We will camp there on our way back west from Albuquerque. For dinner we went to Virgie’s, not bad Mexican food, good margaritas. We got spoiled for Mexican food at 2 places, Mazatlan in Bend OR and Tumbleweed Grill in Boone NC, not much else stacks up for us. I’m sure other people find these places bad, but to us they are great!

Next day we had an early lunch at Earl’s family restaurant. We had tried to go the day before and it was packed, no problem getting in today, it did get busy though. The food was great, and plenty of it. And very reasonable. One thing you must get used to are the endless streams of Indians coming to your table trying to sell jewelry and pottery. I don’t understand this. They also have tables out front at the entrance. We will now take a break from Route 66. We went up to Window Rock on the Navajo Nation. Really cool rock formation. The tribe is in the process of turning it into a veteran’s memorial. There isn’t much there and you can’t hike up to it, much to our disappointment. We proceeded to the old Hubbell’s Trading Post, talk about a step back in time. The buildings are still in really good shape. The prices are high. Nice day trip. Next stop, Albuquerque and the American RV Park, it’s at the beginning of Central Avenue on the west side of town. Great, they’re computer friendly also.

First day of exploring we took the road west to Grants. We stopped at the old Laguna Pueblo. It’s amazing that people still live there, it all seems so run down. Onward we went to Budville. Wish the trading post was still in operation, looked like it would be a nice place, well worth the stop.

Budville Trading Company Budville, New Mexico

Next was Vila de Cubero, you can understand why Ernest Hemingway picked this area for writing; it's away from all the city distractions. We also drove through Cubero, another run down town. Through San Fidel and McCarty's. The church in McCarty's is really beautiful; I would love to see the original in Acoma. It's fun to follow the old road and imagine what it was like traveling so many years ago. Once in Grants to our surprise we stumbled upon the Uranium Cafe, right across from the Chamber of Commerce. We had lunch there, it was great, good burgers. In talking to the owner we found out that the original sign had been discovered beneath a Mexican food sign. It was great to see something that was thought to be lost. We went across the street and went through the underground mining museum. This is a definite "must-see". During Earl's construction years he had worked in tunnels, it took him back in time. It is done really well and gives you a feel for the conditions faced by miners.

Next trip we went east to Cline's Comer. We had a relative that we wanted to buy a rattlesnake ashtray for and figured this would be the best place to get one. From here we worked our way west. We stopped at the old Longhorn Ranch to check it out, we have an old postcard of the place and wanted to compare. It's a pretty cool place, or at least it was during its heyday. You could almost hear all the sounds of an "Old West" fun place. Then it was Moriarity. We had eaten at Mama Rosas the last time we were through here, it has moved to a newer place up the road a bit. Peaceful town. We continued on in to Albuquerque, a really nice drive. Then we hit traffic in town, reality and the fast paced life back in our face. We checked out some of the older motels, some great ones scattered about. Seems weird to see them mingled in with the newer ones. We stopped at the 66 Diner. Had planned on just having dessert, it smelled too good not to eat. We had been to the diner before the fire and they have done a wonderful job of restoring things to the way it was, moved a few things, but it looks great.

This day takes us on our greatest adventure. We are stepping way back in time and going to the town of Cordova, northeast of Santa Fe. This town was used in the filming of an episode of the "Route 66" TV series, titled "Trapped at Cordova". The town is still as it was in the 60s. The streets are real narrow and the houses close together. The church and the town square used in filming are still there, though a bit weathered. The school that was used is now a mercantile and a new school has been built. We were surprised to find a cafe there. Sun Horse Cafe. We ate there and it was good. The owner, Vamarie Nanej, is also the cook. The cafe is in the front part of her house, which used to be the mercantile. We could find nobody who remembered the filming. Some people that may have remembered were either at work or had passed on to greener fields. The people we did talk to knew more about the filming of "The Milagro Beanfield War", filmed there and up the road in Truchas. We were told that there was a corvette club that came through town and drove around the town square and then left. It was an interesting day.