Days 27, 28, & 29 Santa Fe, NM / October 11-13

Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, was part of the initial Route 66 alignment in 1926 but was eliminated from Route 66 in 1937, reducing the total Route 66 mileage by 90 miles.  Whether reducing the distance of Route 66 was the reason for re-routing the Mother Road in New Mexico, or whether it was the target of political spite of a governor who blamed Santa Fe for his failure to be re-elected --- our caravan surely did not want to miss this awesome city!  



But first, a visit to the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, NM.  The juke box was blaring as we entered the museum on a Sunday morning! Wait!  -- Is that Sandy, Virginia and Pat rocking to the music with Elvis?!  

So many cars to inspect and admire!

Our caravan travel days are structured to give us each the freedom to travel at our own pace and take in as much as we'd like. One such optional opportunity was the Pecos National Historical Park, site of the remains of Indian pueblos from 1640 to 1800 A.D. 

After a full travel day, Tina Poole, CEO of Adventure Caravans, surprised us by showing up at our campground ---- and bringing her famous margarita machine!  
Party ON! 







Tailgunner Rick Gilbert made the quesadillas, while Wagonmasters Terry and Barry Klein and Tailgunner Sharon put the final touches on a full course dinner of (New) Mexico classics!  What a feast!  Me gusta!  

Terry Klein leads the group in a toast.   Barry gave us an overview of upcoming Adventure Caravan tours.  And Tina enjoys a good party!  








Our first full day in Santa Fe began with a trolley tour of the downtown area. Clarice drove us through historic neighborhoods, the arts district, and transitional neighborhoods with residences, shops and galleries.  


We also visited the Georgia O'Keefe gallery, the Museum of Folk Art, NM Museum of Fine Arts, and the NM Museum of Indian Arts.  While most of the museums forbid photography, there were beautiful and unique exhibits in each.  In the downtown plaza, we enjoyed shopping from the artisans and wonderful frito pies and burritos from the street vendors.  

Our evening was a Route 66 Dinner and Dance Party at the home of Clarice, our trolley tour guide.  Complete with DJ and all the tunes of Route 66, and decked out in our Route 66 finest, we rocked the neighborhood with our renditions You Ain't Nothin But a Hounddog, Blueberry Hill, Moon River, and Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree.

Pat & Tom Whittaker, Claudia Lee and Virginia Nehring give an enthusiastic effort with Moon River. 

Randy & Liz Bradley, Nick Mellinger, and Joyce & Gary Weiss debut as The Hound Dogs!

Rick & Sharon Gilbert (hiding behind Rick), Sandy & Gunter Oeser and Barry & Terry Klein ham it up on Blueberry Hill.  Coordinating our arm movements needs a little more practice!

And the evening would not have been complete without dancing!

Our Route 66 themed dinner and dance party was a huge success --- with a step back in time that brought energy and lots of laughter.  Santa Fe will be remembered as a Good Time!  

After an evening of partying, we began the next morning with omelets in a bag  ----- the lightest, fluffiest, most perfect omelets ever!  Onions, sausage, cheddar, feta, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, peppers --- what more do we need?  Salsa, sour cream, hot sauce --- Terry Klein had it all!  And we're still trying to figure out Barry's secret for such fluffy eggs in a bag!  

Terry expertly seals each bag for perfect omelets! Maybe that's the secret to such fluffy eggs? 


And here is the fine fresh air kitchen where Barry and Rick boiled the eggs in a bag. 

Santa Fe was a wonderful city --- full of art, and history, and a blending of cultures.  We enjoyed all of that…but sometimes it's the simple things that our group enjoys!  Pedicures, and a few manicures, all around! What a fun morning ladies!  

On to Albuquerque next!    

Day 26 The Texas Panhandle into Tucumcari, NM

Today, we traveled from Amarillo, Texas, to Tucumcari, New Mexico with two stops along the route.  Our first stop was the historic Magnolia Station in Vega, Texas. The gas station was leased by Kenneth Lloyd and his wife in 1935, and they lived upstairs, a fairly common practice for early Route 66 gas stations.  It appears that the station is in the process of being cleaned up and renovated.  

Our next stop was at the Route 66 Mid Point and Cafe in Adrian, Texas.  It is the mid point between Chicago and Santa Monica --- 1139 miles from Chicago!  1139 miles from Los Angelos!  The main street of Adrian is pretty quiet now that I-40 has by passed the town and Route 66 but the Midpoint Cafe and Route 66 Gift Shop was a charming diner for our lunch! 

Then, shortly after our lunch at the Midpoint Diner, we entered our sixth Route 66 state -- Welcome to New Mexico.  We traveled only 115 miles today, to Tucumcari. Once we had all arrived at the campground, we drove a short distance into the small town to see how Route 66 helps to keep the town alive today.  The Blue Swallow Court Motel is a real Route 66 gem!   Built in 1939, the Blue Swallow is one of the oldest continuously operating Route 66 motels, and it operates at a profit today.  Originally, the motel was advertised as "100% refrigerated air" -- a great selling point in the New Mexico desert.  Each room had an accompanying garage to house the motorcar, and each garage included a mural.  The present owner seems committed to keeping The Blue Swallow's character alive --- even adding Disney "Cars" to the garage murals!  We're pretty partial to traveling Route 66 in our RVs…but the Blue Swallow would be a great option for those without RVs.  

Tucumcari is also home to the New Mexico State Route 66 Museum!  Nice cars!  

After dinner in a local restaurant, Tucumcari's main street was the perfect place to see some great neon signs!  Rest well, because tomorrow, we make our way to Santa Fe…

Days 23, 24, & 25 Amarillo, TX

Typical of our traveling days, we covered just 151 miles from Elk City, OK to Amarillo.  Driving Route 66 means driving two-lane roads much of the time…at a slower pace than is typical for RV driving on the interstate.  The slower road gives time to savor the views and small town America.   Hey George and Kathy!  Hey Larry!  --- let's get on the road!  Amarillo tonight!  






Soon we had entered the state of Texas --- the fifth of the eight states we'll drive on our Route 66 journey. We drive Texas at its narrowest part -- the Texas panhandle. Among our stops en route to Amarillo were the U Drop Museum in Shamrock, TX and the Devil's Rope Museum.  

This art deco gas station and restaurant was built in 1936 in Shamrock, Texas.  Today the Tower Station serves as a Route 66 gift shop and visitor center while the U-Drop Inn provides a glimpse of the diners that were typical in the heyday of Route 66.  After falling into disrepair, the structure was purchased by a bank, given to the city and restored with funding from a federal grant.  It appeared in the Disney movie "Cars" as Ramone's automotive body and paint shop.  It appears that Jim and Rae Anne are still waiting for lunch…sorry, guys, the U--Drop no longer serves food.  

Who knew that there are so many styles of barbed wire, so many cattle branding irons, and so many types of rope that they fill a whole museum?  




Driving the authentic Route 66 as much as possible means some directions that can get a bit confusing.  When the road has fallen into great disrepair, our caravan drives the interstate for a short distance.  Sometimes the authentic Route 66 is on one side of the interstate, then it switches to the other side.  The navigators needed to be alert, and detailed as they read the trip log to their driver. Most days our navigators handled their role perfectly.   And then, there was today ---- let's just say that many in our caravan were directionally challenged!  More than one rig came upon this sign.  One driver (nameless, of course) unhooked the towed, backed the RV a half mile, and turned around.  Several rigs followed a (nameless) RV several miles past the sign, only to turn around in a pasture.  The good news is that all arrived safely in Amarillo and no rigs were damaged during the trip!  Our social hour became a true Attitude Adjustment Hour as we shared our stories!  



So, now that we managed to get to Amarillo, let's explore.  It was especially nice to have a charter bus for our tour of the sites of the city.  Since it was Kathy Snyder's birthday, she came prepared to celebrate her 66th birthday on Route 66!  

Cadillac Ranch, though technically not on Route 66, was a highlight --- even if the day was a bit drizzly and the field a bit muddy!  

These half-buried cars have been an outlet for the artist in each visitor since 1974. And so we wouldn't be left out of the fun, our tour guide brought along the spray paint!  

Nice work, Randy Bradley!  


Throughout Amarillo, there are statues of quarter horses, honoring Amarillo as the home of the national Quarter Horse Congress Museum and Hall of Fame. 

Another Amarillo museum that captured our interest was the Sizemore's Traveland RV Museum ---- a huge collection of all brands of vintage RVs, some famous and the not so famous.  A favorite was the Gornike's bus from the Robin Williams movie, "RV". 

After our bus tour of Amarillo, it was time for dinner…Big Texan style!  Limos arrived at out campground to escort us to the restaurant --- and we enjoyed the ride!  Steak dinner with all the trimmings, roving entertainment, and the chance to watch another contestant attempting to eat his way through a 72 oz steak dinner!  There was no amount of encouragement that could convince any in our caravan to join the competition!  

Our time in Amarillo was about to end, but not before a totally unscheduled choose-your-own-adventure day!  Yes, some of us chose to take care of necessary tasks of laundry and cleaning, but many of us  made time to drive a few miles to the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon State Park.  The Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States, and is a beautiful spot for photography, a scenic drive, or hiking.  Palo Duro Canyon is known for its caves and hoodoo formation -- and both were easy to see from the comfort of the car or gentle trails.  

Amarillo has offered much to this group of modern day travelers on Route 66!  Tomorrow --- Tucumcari!!!!   

Day 22 & 23 Elk City, Oklahoma on Route 66

Day 22 was a travel day with a short stop at the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK.  Along the way, we are reminded that Route 66 is Mainstreet, USA.  In El Reno,OK, a small town where automobiles were once built, there are a number of murals honoring Route 66, those who have served in war, as well as a mural of hero burial.  Beautiful for those of us driving through…and even nicer for those who call El Reno home.  

Near Hydro, Lucille's Service Station, built in 1929, is one of only two upper story, out-thrust porch style service stations left on the Oklahoma stretch of Route 66 --- just one of the many treasures we pass as we drive The Mother Road. 

On the Afton Oklahoma section of Route 66, this monument
tells the story of another of the famous names for Route 66---the Will Rogers Highway. Alongside the current Route 66, you can see a 9-foot wide section of the original highway…gravel and cracked asphalt.  This section of the original highway is about 13 miles long, and is listed as an 
Oklahoma National HIstoric Landmark. 

Many of the eight Route 66 states have a state Route 66 museum.  This retro neon sign and a cherry-red '57 Chevy welcomed us to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton.  Inside, a walk along the "Main Street of America" gives visitors a chance to look at old cars and souvenirs and displays about old route 66.  

Wouldn't this retro Love Bug van be a great addition to our Route 66 Adventure Caravan!

Fortunately, we have not had need of the Oklahoma State Police, but this 1937 Ford with a flat-head V-8 engine is a beauty. A very fast car…but also difficult to stop!  Although it's a vintage car, it has been recently used by the OHP to arrest and transport a suspected DUI violator.  

While we usually stay in more typical RV parks, we stayed one night in Elk City, Oklahoma. This wise Chamber of Commerce must have known, "If you build it, they will come."  They have RV sites with water and electric hookups behind the Convention Center.  Thanks, Elk City!  But before we departed Elk City for Amarillo, we made a visit to the NATIONAL Route 66 Museum, and the adjacent Old Town Museum, Farm and Ranch Museum, and Blacksmith Museum --- all on Route 66!  

JW Hurdle inspects the tiny teardrop trailer in the National Route 66 museum. 

Kathy Snyder enjoyed the nostalgia of the Popeye room.  Where's your spinach, Kathy?  

Tailgunner Sharon Gilbert remembers her childhood days when playing in a caboose was loads of fun.
All along Route 66,  various railroads run parallel to the Mother Road. 

  

In many of the small towns along Route 66, we've seen tributes to entertainment of the past.  Because the railroad parallels Route 66 so much, it was often railroad officials who helped to bring opera houses and theaters to small towns.  In the Elk City, Old Town village museum, we see an Opera House built in 1998 that is used as an event venue today.