Day 28 Route 66

We aren’t actually leaving Albuquerque yet but we spent today doing things here in hopes of leaving tomorrow. Our first stop was the UPS store to pick up the new, more padded seat for my Segway. Unfortunately, we got there before the seat did. We thought that the tracking number indicating the seat was in Albuquerque was enough. Nope, it was in ABQ all right but not yet to the store we asked it be delivered to. Normally it would have been there by the time we found the store but today’s delivery driver was running late. So we decided to make our other stops and come back later. But, the delivery driver pulled in before we got out of the parking lot, so we waited after all. At least, we didn’t have to backtrack for it.

Then we went to WalMart. Our groceries were amazingly low for us and I needed to order another prescription. We’ve been moving all our prescriptions from Target to WalMart because there are more WalMart stores than there are Targets once you get out of Minnesota. This may be a bad idea, though. As I’ve indicated previously, WalMart pharmacies don’t seem to have their act together well at all. They treat each new prescription as if I’m a brand new customer so they don’t get the address right nor do they see that they are supposed to give me easy-open caps. This one didn’t notice they were supposed to fill with a generic if possible nor did they file a claim with our insurance company. So Dave had them do it over again. I think I need to Google Target and see if they are more prevalant than I originally thought.

At least, this WalMart had recycling bins. We finally got rid of that bag of cans we’ve been carrying around plus another bag we filled up while trying to get rid of the first one. Yay!

Then we started seeing the Route 66 sights in ABQ. We were supposed to do this earlier in the day so the photos didn’t come out as well as I would have liked. And some of the places we saw didn’t have good photo opportunities at all since they were all along Central Avenue, a busy 4-lane street. But, we did see the De Anza Motel, the Royal Motor Inn, the Town Lodge Motel, the Aztec Motel, the Lobo Theater, the 66 Diner, and the KiMo theater.  

   

We had lunch at the 66 Diner. We almost didn’t because we couldn’t find a place to park.  We got trapped in their parking lot  without finding a spot then found ourselves turning into a very narrow alley trying to get out again. I got out and helped Dave figure out the maneuvers required. We had about three inches on each side of us as we made the turn but we didn’t scrape anything. Then we parked in a lot next door, with me helping him back up over that same alley so close to a utility pole that when Dave got out of the RV it leaned into the pole. When we were ready to leave, he pulled out of that one before I got in or something would have been damaged.

The diner had lots of memorabilia on the walls including a row of hundreds of Pez dispensers which reminded me of my friend the late Pat Walker who also had a collection of them. I still miss him.

The diner also had George Lopez eating at the table next to our booth. All the waitresses suddenly felt a need to come to our end of the counter to roll silverware in napkins. And a few people stopped to ask for photos and/or autographs. All of this happened behind my back so I didn’t know what the fuss was until he and his friends left. I’ve never watched his TV program so I wouldn’t have known who he was if the waiter didn’t tell us. He did look like he should be somebody, though. Something about his tan and his clothes and the way he carried himself. I wonder if celebrities don’t get tired of never being able to eat a meal in peace, though.

Driving down old route 66 in cities can be a challenge because I see lots of places that look like they should have been on our list and wonder why they weren’t. One of the reasons may be because they bought their signs from this place–The Absolutely Neon Co. How would you like to have that display in your front window?

We also went to the American International Rattlesnake Museum. Sort of. It was in Old Town where the streets were narrow, not as narrow as that alley, but narrow anyway. And the only parking was in a paid lot where we couldn’t tell if we would fit between the gate posts. And the museum, which we only wanted to see because it advertised a display on how to be safe around rattlesnakes, looked more like the old rattle snake/trading post tourist traps than a museum.  

So we skipped it and headed back to camp where Dave is installing the new seat on my Segway and we will do laundry to be ready to hit the road again tomorrow–God willing and the creek don’t rise.

TTYL,

Linda

We Blew It

We are sitting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and have been doing so for several days now. As you may remember we were trying to get over the mountains before it got cold enough to freeze our water lines. Dave watched the weather forecasts very carefully to help us determine what the temperatures were doing. Unfortunately, when the temperatures gave us a potential break, the winds started. I don’t know if any of you have ever driven a motorhome in 35 miles an hour wind gusts. We try very hard not to do so. Blowing off the road is not on our list of things we want to do.

So we are still sitting in Albuquerque. And the temperature here dropped to 19 degrees last night. And our water lines are fine. It turns out our furnace blows into the water pump area and the rest of the lines are inside the coach. The indoor/outdoor thermometer Dave put in the pump area only got down into the 60s last night.

So we’ve had a few days off. Or a few off days. I’m not sure.  

Here’s some of the things we’ve done with those days:

We cleaned house, inside and out.

We did the monthly maintenance of the RV.

We reset our clocks and watches–except for my pocket watch; we haven’t found it yet.

We paid bills and filed papers.

We backed up the computers.

We checked on my Segway and ordered a new seat for it.

We ordered a bunch of freeze-dried foods.

We caught up with our on-line discussion groups.

Dave did some more fine tuning of the Escapees Class of ’08 map.

And, of course, I did more trip research.

So now we can’t leave because the Segway seat is coming here Friday. The freeze-dried food will be waiting for us at an REI in California.

So still we sit. Which is actually a nice thing to do every now and then.

TTYL,

Linda

Day 27 Route 66

I have become a morning person! Not on purpose. I just went to bed early the day we crossed into Mountain Time Zone and then daylight savings time ended. So when I woke up at 8 am this morning it was actually 6 am! I haven’t been up that early in a long time. We were on the road shortly after 9 am.

Today we saw the Route 66 sights in Tucumcari, New Mexico: Tepee Curios, the Blue Swallow Motel which was advertising 100% refrigerated air, and LaCita with its sombrero entrance.

  

It’s clear we are now out west. Even this two lane highway has cattle guards wherever we cross another road. We slow way down for them since they shake us up enough at slow speeds.

One of the old alignments of Route 66 went to Santa Fe. It included a hill with a 28% grade. We decided not to go there.  Can you imagine the pioneers doing that with their wagons?  This must be one of the ones I’ve seen pictures of where they tied ropes to each wagon and everyone helped pull them up the hill.

Today’s route took us alongside a Union Pacific Railroad mainline. We saw a long mixed freight moving beside a stopped stack train. That surprised me since usually stack trains are carrying higher priority merchandise than mixed freights. Maybe it had to do with the auto racks on the mixed freight. We also saw another stopped train that had two locomotives on each end so we weren’t able to determine which direction it was headed.

In Santa Rosa, New Mexico, we visited the Route 66 Auto Museum. All of these vehicles are sitting outside the museum. Since we are racing weather we didn’t take time to go inside. We’re not either one that much into autos anyway.

     

Then we ate lunch at Joseph’s where we saw another classic car. It wasn’t on display, though. It’s owner finished lunch and drove away about the same time we did.

 

We also stopped at a gas station where I saw two teenage boys wearing chaps over their jeans. I wanted to take their picture but they were too close to do so without them noticing and I thought they’d be embarrassed if they caught me or if I asked their permission so I didn’t.

We stopped at a rest area to see what they are like in New Mexico. This one had full facilities for everything except recycling. We may carry our bag of cans all the way to California.

There were a lot of billboards for the Flying C Ranch souvenir shop. They advertised a lot of authentic Indian and Mexican goods. Since they also advertised Black Hills Gold I question their authenticity of anything. Why would anyone want to buy a souvenir of South Dakota while in New Mexico? We didn’t stop there.

As we passed Clines Corners, New Mexico, we started seeing mountains. They don’t appear to have any snow on them yet.

In Moriarity, New Mexico, we stopped to get a picture of the rotosphere at El Comedor de Anayas. That thing moves.

I tried to take a nap there but every time I started to doze off a fly landed on my face. Dave is good at killing flies but having him keep swatting them wouldn’t have let me sleep either. So I gave up and we moved on.

We drove by a movie rental place that gave us a chuckle. Their sign said, “Get your flicks on Route 66.”

We planned to stop at Hidden Valley Resort but it lived up to its name by hiding so well we couldn’t find it so we just kept driving.

Finally we reached Alburquerque, New Mexico. We stopped first at Home Depot to see if we could buy a new water pressure regulator since our previous one is now gracing some park we stopped at earlier. They didn’t have one there but Dave did buy an indoor/outdoor wireless thermometer so he can monitor the temperature in our pump bay when there’s a risk of it freezing.

Then we stopped at Camping World where he did buy a new regulator. I wish I’d remembered to have him buy some collapsible water jugs there.  

We are now camped next door to Camping World at Enchanted Trails RV Park. We have full hookups for $14 with our Passport America discount. Unfortunately, the sewer connection is raised so I imagine we’ll wait until we are leaving to stop at their dump rather than try that uphill dumping again. Once was enough for that experience.

We did see some more vintage cars here, though. With vintage trailers attached. Cool, huh?

 

This campground also has this sign at the entrance.

I like it when people use humor to gently remind people of things they need to think about.

TTYL,

Linda

Day 26 Route 66

Dave had a bad night last night. We are both subject to acid attacks. I take Prilosec which pretty much put an end to mine. Dave’s doctor prescribed Previcid which pretty much put an end to his. Then our insurance decided Previcid is too expensive so Dave should take Prilosec. It sometimes works for him but he is now having attacks every week or two. When he has one he gets up, takes a Rolaid, eats some crackers, and hopes it goes away so he can go back to bed. Last night he didn’t get to go back to bed. Which meant I didn’t get as much sleep as I would like either. So today we are both having to help each other think.

The five day weather forecast says we can go to Albuquerque before we have to reevaluate whether or not to head south. So we headed out driving along between the freeway and the railroad tracks. Sort of. The tracks themselves are long gone but the right of way is still visible.

Vega, Texas, is a small town but they have a lot of Route 66 stuff still there. These pictures are the Vega Motel, Roark Hardware (doing business since before Route 66 was established), Magnolia station, the courthouse, and Dot’s Mini Museum-mini is right.

    

I know I’ve titled this Day 26 but you probably realize by now I am only counting travel days. The days we stay parked to visit family or friends or do laundry and research are not included in that count. So we’ve actually been on this trip for five and a half weeks. Today we reached Adrian, Texas, the halfway point. 

We saw the Bent Door Trading Post but it is closed. The rumor is this structure was taken from a military observation tower which is why the door and windows on the left side are bent. Unfortunately, the angle of our photo doesn’t show that bend as well as I would have liked. It’s pretty dramatic in person.

And we had lunch at the Midpoint Cafe, a route 66 tradition.  

 

That white car belongs to Herb. Herb has been traveling parts of Route 66 for six years with his postcard sized travel guide, collecting signatures of business owners at the stops along the way. He’s still working at gathering signatures between Los Angeles and Springfield, Missouri. He hasn’t even started on the section between Springfield and Chicago. So, those of you who think we are traveling slowly, think about Herb. He was happy to have us confirm that places he plans to stop someday are still there, though.

Dave said Route 66 would end six miles west of Adrian. And he was right. But it wasn’t long after that that it came back. So all that work I did to get my mind ready for freeway travel was wasted.

The town of Glenrio straddles the Texas/New Mexico border. That caused a lot of confusion over the years. I don’t think it does any more because I don’t think anyone lives there now. Glenrio’s claim to fame is a motel. On one side the sign said, “Last Motel in Texas.” On the other side it said, “First Motel in Texas.” The owners wanted you to think their place was your only choice and I think it worked for a long time.

The two lane through San Jon, New Mexico, was so freshly oiled it was still black. It was old enough to not still be throwing up oily rocks, though. Still, Dave slowed down for each of the three vehicles we met on that road so that, if they were throwing rocks, we wouldn’t hit them so fast.

We are now in Tucumcari, New Mexico, at the Kiva Aok RV Park. The current owner only bought this place a couple of months ago and he promptly installed a wireless network. I’m glad he did because his network is a lot faster than our Sprint aircard. And I have no bars on my T-Mobile phone. So if you don’t hear from me for a couple of days, it’s because we may not get any signal between here and Albuquerque.

TTYL,

Linda

Day 25 Route 66

We started the day at a Flying J in Amarillo, Texas, but the lines were long and other places were selling diesel cheaper so we backed out of line and headed back up to Route 66.

Rumor has it people are trying to preserve the Triangle Motel. They aren’t yet doing a good job of it.

The Triangle is doing better than the Natatorium, though. The Nat started as a place to swim then converted to a ballroom. There’s now so much stuff built around it that we couldn’t get a decent picture.

Next we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond. I’ve been having trouble sleeping on the jack-knife style sofa bed. On the View/Navion discussion group someone suggested getting a king bed bridge from BB&B. That turns out to be a t-shaped piece of foam that’s designed to go between two twin beds to turn them into a king bed. It was only $15 so it seemed worth trying. It turned out to be worth a lot more than that for me.

Then we went to WalMart to get new caps for my prescriptions and to stock up on groceries again. The pharmacy clerk who originally filled the prescriptions left something to be desired; she never did get our address right even though she copied it off the prescriptions. After watching her struggle with that I forgot to ask for easy off caps.  So, Dave took the caps into this WalMart with him and asked them for some non adult proof caps. That got him a double take but he did come back with caps I can remove without his help.

By the time we got through there all we wanted to do was veg out. So we went next door to Burger King for lunch. We don’t do that often but, for me, BK burgers are comfort food.

That helped enough to let us continue. Next stop: Cadillac Ranch. This place is a hoot! Ten Cadillacs buried nose down in the dirt. The owner, Stanley Marsh, encourages people to walk through the gate in the fence and add their graffiti to the cars. We took pictures instead. I especially got a chuckle out of the sign posted along the fence. The dumpster was on the road side of the fence.

  

We were too tired to head on down the road but not thrilled about going back to the campground we’d stayed at the night before either. So we were pleased when we found another campground right at the corner by Cadillac Ranch. The Amarillo West RV Park only wanted $20 for full hookups so we stayed there. It wasn’t fancy but it offered everything we needed and then some. Dave even used their shower facility before we settled down to sleep.

TTYL,

Linda