NM Route 66 Across New Mexico
From Tucumcari to Gallup New Mexico
(Click on an image to see larger view.)
From Bard Ghost Town (west of TX/NM border) to Gallup, New Mexico (and NM/AZ border).
Before the actual NM Route 66 trip, there was the drive from Davenport, IA to El Dorado, KS.
The next day was the drive from El Dorado, KS to Vega, TX.
Then it was about an hour drive from Vega, TX to New Mexico.
DAY ONE
The fifth phase of NM Route 66 road trip started at the Texas / New Mexico border. We started out very early! Some of the NM Route 66 roadway was gravel, and some of it was blacktop.>
We looked for the Bard and San Jon Ghost town just off of Route 40. Unfortunately, ghosts don't adequately label their towns, so you are not really sure that you're in the right place.
Our first major town was Tucumcari, New Mexico. We wanted to check out "Dels Restaurant" but it was closed for maintenance. So instead we roamed around Tucumcari looking at the unique sites.
One of our favorite shops was the Tee Pee Curios. Its owner moved to New Mexico from Iowa. He does not miss the Iowa winters!
Another great shop was the Route 66 Welcome Center. The owner hand-makes some of the items for sale. She also has a good selection of unique Barbie dolls.
Close by was the Blue Swallow Motel which is still operating. The owner says he uses the slow winter season to make necessary repairs and upgrades.
Another motel in the area is the Motel Safari. It has a full-sized camel in the lobby!
The Friends Inn used to be called the Sahara Sands Motel and Restaurant. I do not believe that either is still operating.
We spotted Joes restaurant but did not go in. The sign says that its for sale. Maybe next time!
The Tucumcari Historical Museum was a nice place to browse, both inside and outside.
Tucumcari also has a Mesalands Dinosaur Museum. After viewing the exhibits, I do not feel old anymore!
We decided to try some authentic Mexican Food and visited the La Cita Restaurant. The exterior was painted by Doug and Sharon Quarles who have an art shop inside the restaurant. The Quarles have painted murals on many of the buildings in the area. By the way, the food was excellent!
Next, we traveled to the edge of town to visit the New Mexico Route 66 Auto Museum.
Outside of the museum and near the civic center parking lot is a Route 66 Monument. Nearby was a plaque honoring Yetta Kohn, a cattle rancher and business woman who lived from 1843 to 1917.
Cruising down the main streets, we saw other motels and shops such as the Tristar Inn, Buckaroo Motel, and defunct gas stations. For the night, we stayed at the Road Runner Lodge and had breakfast the next morning at the Kix on 66 restaurant.
Along the way to Santa Rosa, we looked for remnants of old Route 66 buildings and interesting landscapes.
Santa Rosa is home to the Route 66 Auto Museum. It had lots of classic cruisers plus a good selection of toys and collectables.
We continued our search of Santa Rosa for interesting sites from the heydays of Route 66.
Clines Corners in Lucy NM is like a large flea market. We browsed and then ate lunch at the local Subway restaurant. After lunch we headed to Moriarty, NM.
Moriarty NM is home of the Lewis Antique Auto and Toy Museum. There are hundreds of vehicles in varying conditions. Some of the vehicles were used in making movies such as Letters to the U.S. and series such as Roswell. The owner, Mr. Lewis, personally drove Tina Louise and Ricardo Montalban.
The next event was the 2019 Balloon Festival held in Albuquerque, NM. There are lots of special shape balloons on this day. Unfortunately, the conditions were too breezy to launch the balloons.
In the afternoon, we conducted some exploring of the Albuquerque area and found some interesting sights. We ate lunch at the Route 66 Diner which has a great atmosphere. It also has great burgers and daily specials.
Then it was back on the road again to do some sightseeing.
Since the hot air balloons did not launch when we were at the festival, we decided to try to catch them flying over Albuquerque the next morning. We definitely succeeded!
Here is the Dog House which specializes in, you guessed it, hot dogs! While outside taking some pictures, one of the hot air balloons passed directly overhear. What are the chances?
We toured Old Town which is a ten block section that formed the beginning of Albuquerque, NM. It was founded in 1706 by Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdez. There are a lot of great shops here and since the roads are one-way, walking the best form of transportation.
Back on the road we found the Monterey Motel, some New Mexico landscape, and the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History.
We just had to stop in Grants, New Mexico. Yes, it was founded by "The Grants"!
Pushing westward past Grants we passed Milan, New Mexico and toured the sites in Gallup, NM. Gallup was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the railroad. We turned around at the New Mexico and Arizona state line to return to Gallup.
Our last stop in New Mexico and the starting point for the drive back to Iowa was the classic Hotel El Rancho in Gallup, NM.
Our return trip took us north on I-25 into Colorado. We traveled through the Rutan Pass before hooking up with I-70 and I-80 back to Davenport, IA.
Total Trip: 3167 miles.
Average mileage: 25.9 MPG
Average speed: 68 MPH