The Road Goes On…

Category: New Mexico

Elephant Butte, NM

Today we managed to cover a whole 26 kms but had a lot of fun.

After picking Cindy’s brain at the Cedar Cove RV park for things to do in the area we started with a brunch buffet at the Hodges Corner Restaurant. Kim, one of the waitresses there, recommended the Riverbend Hot Mineral Springs Resort and Spa right at the Rio Grande. They offer a Soak and Float package which includes an hour of soaking in their five hot spring tubs and an hour long float on an inner tube 6 miles down the Rio Grande. Wow, what a lot of fun!

Back to Hodges Corner Restaurant for dinner and the Cedar Cover RV park for the night where we expect to have an extremely relaxing sleep.

© OpenStreetMap contributors

June 7, 2013
Albuquerque, NM to Elephant Butte, NM

After spending the night on the Walmart parking lot, it was only fitting that we visit the store for breakfast at the McDonald’s inside.

Our packed day started with a 2-3 hour visit of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History where we learned all about the Manhattan Project (first nuclear bomb) and nuclear materials in warfare, medicine and power generation.

Next was a visit to an older section of Albuquerque where we saw the KiMo Theatre, built circa 1927 in the Pueblo Deco style which reflects the cultural influences of Indian, Hispanic and Anglo of the area.

Also in the area is the Hotel Andaluz, a former Hilton property from 1939 where Conrad Hilton married Zsa Zsa Gabor in 1942.

We decided to do an excursion to White Sands National Monument in the south. On the way we passed the White Sands Missile Range where we found a plaque near the Trinity Site where the first atomic bomb was tested. The actual site can be visited only twice a year.

Next came the Valley of Fires National Recreation Area which had nothing to do with the atomic bomb, but is an area of lava flow about 5000 years old. Many plants and animals live in this area now and a short interpretive trail helps visitors identify them.

Among the animals listed were lizards and Martin was complaining he didn’t see any of them. Evidently the lizards heard this and shortly thereafter two appeared.

Another thunderstorm loomed as we arrived at the White Sands National Monument where we arrived shortly before sunset. We only had 30 minutes or so before the sky turned completely back and the lightning flashes were close.

The weather report called for a severe thunderstorm with hail up to 1 inch. Not wanting to risk damaging the van, we decided to head back towards Albuquerque, about 4 hours away. Along the way were were stopped by the Border Control folks searching for illegal immigrants. They didn’t have any problems with Canadian tourists.

About 240 km from Albuquerque we stopped at the Cedar Cove RV & Mobile Home Park in Elephant Butte. What a fabulous place. The showers are huge, wheelchair accessible and absolutely spotless.

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June 6, 2013
Tucumcari, NM to Albuquerque, NM

The night was still a bit young and after writing last night’s blog we stopped by the campfire where we met up with Tom, one of the owners of the campsite, and a couple from England and had our first moonshine from Georgia. We talked about local politics, car racing and rich people in Bermuda who have to cut their cars in half in order to be allowed to buy a new one. There was some discussion of the benefits of having a BMW or Mercedes on an island that has a speed limit of 20 miles per hour.

The next morning we visited Tee Pee Curios and bought some interesting Mexican items.

The owner, Mike Callens, is an accomplished photographer and sells some of his prints in the store.

We drove on, mostly on I-40 since Route 66 is fragmented or dirt road in many parts of New Mexico. Just outside of Newkirk we came across remains of an old gas station and restaurant.

In Santa Rosa we visited the Route 66 Auto Museum.

Lunch was at a Mexican and American cuisine restaurant called the Silver Moon which was established in 1959. The food was great and the souvenir shop wasn’t bad either.

Santa Rosa is a very special city in that it has a collection of artesian springs in the area. The most famous is the Blue Hole which is more than 80 ft deep and 60 ft wide.

Back on our route, we were very happy we had decided not to go to Santa Fe when we saw the smoke from the forest fires. In the picture below, the you can see the smoke cloud caused by the fire.

We made it to Albuquerque and stopped at Absolutely Neon, only because it was one of the waypoints that we had on Route 66.

This was a good thing because we met Robert Randazzo, the owner of the store/gallery.

After talking for four hours about neon signs, politics and everything else under the sun, we decided to buy a small neon sign and then the three of us headed out for dinner at around 9PM. The Vietnamese restaurants we had intended to go to were closed by now so we ended up in an Italian restaurant in a very trendy area.

After pizza and beer we headed off to a nearby Walmart parking lot for a good night sleep. Those of you who watch Breaking Bad on TV (which is filmed in Albuquerque) might recognize our RV neighbour.

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June 5, 2013
Amarillo, TX to Tucumcari, NM

It was a dark and stormy night….

The thunderstorm that started at around midnight and lasted until about 1:30AM was so strong that it shook our 4 ton truck. Fortunately no damage done. Needless to say, everything started a bit later this morning. Add to that the discussion about whether to take the Santa Fe loop or not.

Our first stop of interest was Vega. We stopped, not for a museum, but for a visit to the Boot Hill Saloon and Grill. Two ice teas were our ticket to have a closer look inside.

The words of wisdom for today: “Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.”

After seeing a couple more abandoned gas stations and motels we arrived at the Midpoint Cafe which is coincidentally located at the midpoint of Route 66. Dennis is the current owner, having bought it two years ago to fulfill his dream of owning a cafe on Route 66.

The burgers were the best on the trip so far, but the “Midpoint ugly pies” which he makes himself were the highlight.

The story behind the name is that the recipe was that of the former owner’s baker’s grandmother. The granddaughter, while learning to bake as a child, wasn’t able to make as nice a crust as her grandmother, so they got the name “Ugly Crust Pies” which became “Midpoint Ugly Pies” with the current owner.

A little further down the road is the virtual ghost town of Glenrio, Texas. We stopped to take some pictures of a completely deserted four lane road (part of Route 66), which our GPS cheerfully announced as I-40 Business Loop.

A fine opportunity to give the tilt-shift lens a go.

We said goodbye to Texas and the Central timezone and headed into New Mexico, headed back to Texas after missing the visitor center and then back to New Mexico and its visitor center. Loads of brochures and great plans to visit Santa Fe and Los Alamos only to have our plans altered because of forest fires in that region. We slowly feel that we’re constantly weaving our way through natural disasters on this trip!

Near Endee, at the Russell service center we stopped to visit a vintage car museum and Ruth again feel in love with a turquoise Bel-Air. There just happened to be one for sale at a good price in the miniature edition.

Our last stop was in Tucumcari (Two-Come-Cari) where we spent some time talking to Kevin and Nancy, the owners of the beautiful Blue Swallow Motel. The motel was built in 1939 and Kevin and Nancy have lovingly restored it in a 1950s style, with original furniture and decor. It may be the only motel that still has garages for the guests next to their rooms. Unfortunately they were all booked for the night.

On the side of the motel are beautiful murals of Route 66 which we will leave you with tonight.

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June 4, 2013