Day Four:
This morning started at a reasonable time; 8:30 AM. Beautiful sunshine and temps in the upper 60s to start with although closer to normal temps along with the chance of scattered showers were promised today.
I rolled out to eat breakfast at a Route 66 landmark restaurant called Lindy’s which is on Central Avenue in Albuquerque. Central is the alignment for Route 66 through Albuquerque. It was a great breakfast and I think my least expensive so far. I decided to start out today by doing a bit of backtracking and I headed over to Sandia Crest; a high point in the Sandia mountain range…it’s a fabulous drive; the approach road called the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway which climbs to an elevation of over 10,000 feet – temperatures at this elevation was in the upper 50s!
There is an observation platform at the top along with a snack bar and gift shop. After a couple of pictures and a walk though the gift shop I headed back down; into Albuquerque and Central Avenue all the way through town. On the far west side of town, Albuquerque is putting up some nice “Route 66” signs at street corners and in one case, an arch across the street with what looked like neon spelling out “66” (I’m sure it looks great at night). Leaving Albuquerque you cross the Rio Grand River and out into some very sparsely populated country.
Overall, this has been the best “driving” day so far. Along with the perfect weather the scenery only got better as the miles passed heading through towns like Mesita, Laguna, Budville, Cubero (Hemingway wrote part of “the Old Man And The Sea” here), San Fidel, Grants and Prewitt as I made my way toward Gallup. I had planned to eat lunch in Grants which sports a couple of well known Route 66 diners but unfortunately, my backtracking this morning caused me to get to town too late as those places close about 2PM…so, I ended up at the local McDonald’s for lunch!
There are lot’s and lot’s of old motels along today’s route; most of which aren’t in operation any more and in many cases, the buildings are almost gone or heading that way quickly. However, it was obvious where they had been as there were hints of old signage and motel offices.
By and large, there were miles of almost nothing in the way of civilization broken only by the occasional gathering of small adobe homes or trailers…this is Pueblo country and unfortunately, obviously not well-off financially. With or without money, living in this part of the country couldn’t be easy and it makes you think of what it was like for early settlers and those traveling to California before there were roads at all; let alone GPS navigation and A/C! Nor would it have been easy for the dust bowlers in the 30’s and 40’s traveling across country in vehicles that managed each mile likely as much on prayer as on gasoline.
There was an old alignment (pre 1937) available today but with a warning of rough pavement in some places and no pavement at all in others but I bypassed that but did take an alignment that was full of surprises including “Owl Rock” which seems as if it simply lifts up out of the road.
The thunderstorms never materialized for me while I was driving but it was evident that they had deposited some substantial amounts earlier in the day as I passed through areas that still had some standing water (including one very narrow underpass that’s barely wide enough for one vehicle at a time)!
Other highlights of the day included crossing the Continental Divide shortly before getting to Gallup which is my stopping place for the day. I’m staying at a Route 66 icon called the “El Rancho” hotel built in 1936 mostly to cater to movie stars coming to this part of the country to film great western movies...some of the biggest stars Hollywood ever gave us have stayed here and even if you aren’t staying; just looking around the hotel lobby is worth a stop.
Today’s driving time was just over 6 hours and covered 231 miles which included about 50 miles of backtracking to see Sandia Crest!
Links:
El Rancho Hotel
Today’s Pictures
Showing posts with label Route 66. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Route 66. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Touring the Mother Road - June/July 2009
Touring the Mother Road - June/July 0209
Route 66 has been called the "Mother Road" and the "Main Street of America" and for good reason. It was a major factor in the building of our U.S. Highway system; carried tens of thousands of refugees from Oklahoma and Arkansas to the hope of a better life in California during the great "dust bowl" years which became the backdrop for Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". During World War 2 it was a major factor in moving war supplies and troops and after the war, it was the canvas we used to show our nation's prosperity and our love affair with the automobile that still exists today.
Route 66 officially doesn't exist today - it was decommissioned as a U.S. route in 1985 but thousands of people who know and love the route and what it represents have revived interest and preserved it - the eight states it passed through have help erect signage to help folks follow in the footsteps of those who went before and to at least partially experience life the way our parents, or grand parents experienced the great American highways.
As some of you know, I and a dear friend traveled the Route form its beginnings in Chicago and as far as the Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo, Texas in 2007. This year, I'm traveling the route alone in my 370Z; picking it up in Amarillo and heading as far as Oatman, Arizona before heading up to Las Vegas for a couple of days and then heading back home.
What follows is my attempt at writing down some of my experiences along the route
Edit: I wanted to make mention of something that happened and in doing so, dedicate this blog and in particular, this trip down Route 66 to the memory of a friend named Randy McLeod. Randy passed away on Thursday, June 25th at the much too young age of 52.
Randy’s passing certainly won’t be noted as will the recent passing of celebrities like Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Karl Malden and of course, Michael Jackson, Nevertheless, for those who knew Randy, it’s a sad time and a sad note on which to start a vacation trip.
I know randy as a part of the Datsun/Nissan “Z” car community in which I heavily participate…here is what a mutual friend had to say about Randy’s passing:
“Thomas Randy McLeod passed away early this afternoon (Thursday). Randy has participated in several area Z car shows, car club rides and regional Z events. Randy passed away at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. Originally from Jackson, Tennessee, Randy worked for TVA in both Chattanooga and Knoxville for 28 years. He is survived by a daughter and son. Randy attended UT-Martin, and graduated from UT-Knoxville with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. Randy also had completed Master degrees from UTK and was nearing completion of his PhD.
Randy was a Z enthusiast, having owned three, his latest a 2007 350z, San Marino Blue. Randy's Z was easily recognized by his personally built in-car computer and his passion for truly driving and enjoying his Z. He participated in, and placed at last years East Coast Regional Z Car Show, and attended ZNationals and ZDAYZ as well. He often joined the Smoky Mountain Z Car Club's rides and rides with the SportsCarFrenzy.com car club.”
Randy was often in my thoughts during my trip and it seems only fitting that I mention his passing here and dedicate my trip to Randy…I’ve no doubt he would have enjoyed the sights and history of Route 66 and especially the special and sometimes quirky people you meet along the way…I’m privileged to have had a chance to know him.
Route 66 has been called the "Mother Road" and the "Main Street of America" and for good reason. It was a major factor in the building of our U.S. Highway system; carried tens of thousands of refugees from Oklahoma and Arkansas to the hope of a better life in California during the great "dust bowl" years which became the backdrop for Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". During World War 2 it was a major factor in moving war supplies and troops and after the war, it was the canvas we used to show our nation's prosperity and our love affair with the automobile that still exists today.
Route 66 officially doesn't exist today - it was decommissioned as a U.S. route in 1985 but thousands of people who know and love the route and what it represents have revived interest and preserved it - the eight states it passed through have help erect signage to help folks follow in the footsteps of those who went before and to at least partially experience life the way our parents, or grand parents experienced the great American highways.
As some of you know, I and a dear friend traveled the Route form its beginnings in Chicago and as far as the Cadillac Ranch just west of Amarillo, Texas in 2007. This year, I'm traveling the route alone in my 370Z; picking it up in Amarillo and heading as far as Oatman, Arizona before heading up to Las Vegas for a couple of days and then heading back home.
What follows is my attempt at writing down some of my experiences along the route
Edit: I wanted to make mention of something that happened and in doing so, dedicate this blog and in particular, this trip down Route 66 to the memory of a friend named Randy McLeod. Randy passed away on Thursday, June 25th at the much too young age of 52.
Randy’s passing certainly won’t be noted as will the recent passing of celebrities like Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Karl Malden and of course, Michael Jackson, Nevertheless, for those who knew Randy, it’s a sad time and a sad note on which to start a vacation trip.
I know randy as a part of the Datsun/Nissan “Z” car community in which I heavily participate…here is what a mutual friend had to say about Randy’s passing:
“Thomas Randy McLeod passed away early this afternoon (Thursday). Randy has participated in several area Z car shows, car club rides and regional Z events. Randy passed away at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. Originally from Jackson, Tennessee, Randy worked for TVA in both Chattanooga and Knoxville for 28 years. He is survived by a daughter and son. Randy attended UT-Martin, and graduated from UT-Knoxville with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. Randy also had completed Master degrees from UTK and was nearing completion of his PhD.
Randy was a Z enthusiast, having owned three, his latest a 2007 350z, San Marino Blue. Randy's Z was easily recognized by his personally built in-car computer and his passion for truly driving and enjoying his Z. He participated in, and placed at last years East Coast Regional Z Car Show, and attended ZNationals and ZDAYZ as well. He often joined the Smoky Mountain Z Car Club's rides and rides with the SportsCarFrenzy.com car club.”
Randy was often in my thoughts during my trip and it seems only fitting that I mention his passing here and dedicate my trip to Randy…I’ve no doubt he would have enjoyed the sights and history of Route 66 and especially the special and sometimes quirky people you meet along the way…I’m privileged to have had a chance to know him.
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