| Now for the long drive (I think the
longest stretch on the trip with nothing to see along the way) from
Capulin Volcano to Tucumcari. This part of the state has some green
grasslands. |
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| I did have an urgent need to relieve my
bladder and there was nothing for miles, so I found this little
picnic area on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. There
was no facility here, so I just had a piss next to this tree. It's
not like there was anyone anywhere nearby anyway. |
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| There are two people other than me who
should maybe recognize this. |
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| Way back in July 1978 our family took a
trip in the Winnebago from South Florida to California. One night we
stayed at this KOA in Tucumcari. Almost forty years later I was
here again. And in looks almost exactly the same as I pictured it in
my memory. |
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| But there would be no camping for me
this time. Instead I booked a room in a classic old Route 66 motel.
This one is one of the most popular and highly reviewed of the
motels along the stretch of the Mother Road in Tucumcari. |
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| The motel has been here since around
1940. |
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| The motel underwent some extensive
restorations under its current ownership. |
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| The rooms maintain the look of what
they might have looked like back when Route 66 was still a major
thoroughfare. |
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| Even down to the vintage telephone and
old-looking ice bucket. |
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| But there are other motels and old
establishments along Route 66 in town, most with their old signs. In
fact, sometimes the signs are the only things still remaining. |
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| One really weird thing about Tucumcari
is that many of its restaurants are closed on Sunday. All of the
places I looked at having dinner before I took the trip were closed,
like the old Del's Restaurant. |
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| An old restored Texaco station that now
sells collectables and antiques. |
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| Unlike the Apache Motel we saw earlier,
the Palomino Motel is still operating. |
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| The Golden Dragon looks like it is
open, but probably not on Sunday. |
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| Another restored old gas station. This
is next to the Blue Swallow. |
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| Motel Safari is also still open. |
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| For some reason, the La Cita Mexican
restaurant (closed on Sunday of course) seemed familiar to me. Maybe
I saw it forty years ago on the family trip west. |
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| The old Congress Inn became the Pow Wow
Inn at some point. The restaurant, the Lizard Lounge, was one of the
few places open. So that's where I had dinner, which was a
flame-broiled chicken sandwich with jack cheese and green chiles. |
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| There isn't much to Tucumcari. After
dinner I ventured into the downtown area. The Odeon was built in
1936 and could use a fresh coat of paint. |
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| Back in the 1940's this used to be a
Gulf station, but when Route 66 was widened the pumps were removed
and the teepee went up and it has been a famous landmark ever since. |
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| Oh, the neon signs that were seen in
the olden days along Route 66. The Blue Swallow has a beautiful one.
It really takes you back in time. |
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