Arizona to New Mexico to Texas

Standin’ on the Corner Park in Winslow Arizona was our reentry onto Route 66. This public park was opened in 1999, and is the center point of this fairly sleepy town, population around 9,500. The song, Take It Easy, written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey, and recorded by the Eagles is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The park has a mural and two statues of men (the songwriters) standing on the corner where a flatbed Ford truck has pulled up. The corner is a constant parade of people walking up to take pictures of themselves within the diorama. The community has a welcome center, with clean public use bathrooms and a variety of pamphlets about the community history.

We passed through Holbrook, Arizona, where there was a more commercial and inviting-looking wigwam hotel opportunity, but too early in the day to stop, and we also passed the Petrified Forrest Park, which was closed for some reason. Joe and Aggie’s Café was recommended as a Route 66 classic restaurant, but it too was closed. This became a theme in several states. Not sure if it was due to Covid, lack of staff or something else. We stopped and took pictures anyway, and added several unplanned stops as we saw things of interest. By this point we were through Arizona, and it was getting close to evening, so we started thinking about where to stop for the night.

Route 66 through New Mexico is stunning. Mountains and forests dot the landscape and the rock formations are colorful. There are caves alongside the road and it is easy to imagine ancient peoples living in them. We were getting pretty tired so we consulted our trusty guidebooks and learned we were approaching Gallup, New Mexico, where the El Rancho Hotel and Motel was one of the recommended places to stay. I had tried to get a reservation here some time ago, and learned they were completely booked but we decided to try our last-minute luck and scored a room for the night! This hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and all the rooms are named after famous Hollywood Stars.

We pulled into the parking lot and immediately did a car show with Penny for a nice couple named DJ and Doug. They had also recently retired, lived in Rhode Island and had been visiting family in California. Like us, they had heard about El Rancho and made last minute reservations. Bob and I went to check into our room, learning that we were in the Joseph Cotton room. I though he was in cowboy movies, but when I looked him up, realized he was in Citizen Kane and had starred in The Philadelphia Story alongside Katharine Hepburn. So we were happy to have his room. Even once we found a discarded ice pop plastic container on the window unit air conditioner, and we don’t think it was left by Joseph Cotton. I wiped a few surfaces with some antibacterial wipes and we headed to the restaurant for dinner. There was a twenty-minute wait, but we saw DJ and Doug, who told us we could get the same menu in the bar with no wait. So the four of us sat down to dinner in the bar. We all enjoyed the company, had much in common, and while the wait in the bar was probably equal to that in the dining room, had a great time. The restaurant had a delicious Mexican menu, and excellent margaritas! The El Rancho hotel was built by the brother of film director D.W. Griffith, one of the founders of United Artists, and has tons of Hollywood memorabilia. The bed was comfy, Joseph Cotton didn’t show up, and we had a good breakfast next morning and went on our way. We still had one eye on the weather, and while it was in the 50’s during the day, it fell into the 30’s at night and snow was still being forecast in the higher elevations.

In Albuquerque, our trusty guidebooks recommended the Route 66 diner, which was cute, but closed. We weren’t hungry and got a few pictures. We also did a few car shows, as every time we stop, Penny draws a small crowd. In this part of the country it seems that SUV’s and trucks are the vehicle of choice. The roads reflect that as even the highways are pretty uneven, so Penny is a rarity. In Santa Rosa, New Mexico, we stopped at the Blue Hole. The Blue Hole is an artesian well which is about 80 feet deep and very clear. The water temperature is a steady 62 degrees Fahrenheit and is billed as one of the most popular dive sites on the planet. We were a little surprised at that, as the Blue Hole is tucked away in an unassuming little park, but there was a diver in the water when we arrived. We tried to stop at the Santa Rosa Auto Museum, but it was, of course, closed. So, on to Tucumcari.

Tucumcari, New Mexico, was one of the cool surprises of the trip. With a population of only a little more than 5,000, this town really believes in Route 66, and works to keep its history alive. Vintage motels compete favorably with chains and local restaurants and gift shops offer interesting options. We pulled into a number of dilapidated buildings (Bob’s favorite for pictures with Penny), and ate at Del’s Restaurant, an icon of the Mother Road. We passed the Tee Pee Curios gift shop, but decided we should find a place to stop for the night. Since we had spent the night prior at a ‘period’ Route 66 hotel, we were a little wary of the obvious choice in Tucumcari, the Blue Swallow Motel, but decided to give them a call and see if we could pull off the last-minute reservation twice in a row. Score, again! And this one was outstanding!

The Blue Swallow Motel started in 1939, and today is owned by Rob and Dawn Federico, who give full credit for the beautiful restoration to the owners who came before, including Lillian Redman, who remained loyal to the motel during the years of decline as the freeways pulled business from the Mother Road. The motel is a 12-unit L-shaped motel with garages for each unit. Each unit contains vintage furniture, lighting, rotary phone, apartment-sized refrigerator, and a very modern comfortable bed. It was named by Smithsonian Magazine as “the last, best, and friendliest of the old-time motels.” The movie Cars displays the neon lighting from the Blue Swallow in the Cozy Cone Motel—'100% Refrigerated Air.” Rob and Dawn were a delight, fussed over Penny, walked us through the motel, filled us in on the history, and gave us tips on our journey. We were still a little worried about the coming weather, or would have stayed another day. We loved Tucumcari and we loved the Blue Swallow Motel.

So on to Texas. And the MidPoint Café—the midpoint of Route 66. Which was closed. But we got some pictures. The Cadillac Ranch was nearby, so we decided to stop. This is an art installation of 10 Cadillac’s from 1949-1963 buried nose first in the ground. The cars are brightly painted, and concession trucks sell spray paints onsite. Periodically, the cars are repainted for specific themes, such as the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, but during our visit, they were just wildly colored. Families enjoyed the painting, but something told me to head back to Penny, who was parked alongside the road near the fenced gate. Good thing. A young boy, probably around 12 or so, was busily painting the gate near Penny with a can of bright spray paint. There were no adults in sight. I asked him nicely to move away from the parked cars, pointing out that the wind might cause the paint to blow onto the cars. Then I sat in Penny, rolled down the window and watched. He moved away for a while, then began to edge his way back with his spray can. I opened the door, stood by Penny, crossed my arms and stared at him. He ran off. And came back with a man, a woman and another small child. All giving me the stinkeye, who moved on to their truck and drove away. Sorry jack and jackette. Watch your kid. When Bob came back we left.

Our next stop was to be Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Somehow, either the park was closed, or the directions were bizarre but our guidance kept taking us over a dirt road so we gave up. In McLean, Texas, we stopped at Phillips 66 on the Route, which is a vintage 1928 gas station designed to look like a country cottage. We also stopped at the Big Texan Steak Ranch, where, if you can eat a 72 oz steak, a salad, a shrimp cocktail, and a baked potato in an hour, you can have it for free! We weren’t that hungry so we took a picture and left.

Most of the remaining places on our list for Texas were closed. We continued to grab pictures where we wanted, but decided we might fare better for finding things open in Oklahoma. Stay tuned to see how that worked out.