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…
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