Tucumcari Tonite!

We happened to be in Albuquerque during the annual Balloon Festival. I had seen it many years ago while attending a Human Resources conference but it was Mark's first sighting of the many balloons ascending in the skies over Albuquerque.  We had decided in our trip planning to save Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos for another visit, so sped right along on the interstate, other than quick stops at Trader Joe's and the Apple Store.  The overpasses in New Mexico are all designed with nice architectural features and colors reflecting the Southwest.

When we approached small Route 66 towns, we detoured to see them and often took the old Route 66 road instead of I-40.  Route 66 was "America's Main Street", covering the distance between Chicago and Los Angeles from the 1930s through the 1960s, until the big interstates began taking over.  Most of the old Route 66 motels, motor courts, diners, and gas stations are gone but a few remain.  Some are still in use (such as the Wigwam Motel where we stayed in Holbrook, Arizona), some have been restored as museums of a sort, and some are still there to see but are in disrepair.  It's a nostalgic view of a certain time and way of travel in the United States and a popular trip.  This time of year is a good time to travel "the Mother Road" as there are few tourists.

We traveled through little towns like Zuzax, Edgewood, and Moriarty.  In Moriarty we found a cute farm with a retail market and got a few apples.  There was also a soaring museum, which Mark enjoyed.  I think that he was the only museum customer in a long time and the docent appreciated Mark's visit!  We stopped in Clines Corners at the huge gift store but the goods were so awful we couldn't find anything to buy other than some homemade fudge.  They did have a kitschy wooden Indian which called my name for a photo.

In Santa Rosa we drove over the Pecos River, which was little more than a muddy creek at this point.  We then visited more small towns, including Cuervo, Newkirk, and Montoya.

Back in the heydey of Route 66, Tucumcari advertised all along the road "Tucumcari Tonite: 2,000 Rooms".  Now Tucumcari is a small town with no draw for tourists except those experiencing the nostalgia of Route 66.  That included us!  We spent the night at the Historic Route 66 Motel and unfortunately forgot to take photos of it.  It was a comfortable place and we had dinner at Del's, another Route 66 icon.