Cross Country from New York to Arizona – New Mexico to New Mexico

When we got up this morning, we knew we would not get out of New Mexico today. Route 66 in this part of New Mexico is spotty and requires time, patience and some travel on the Interstate. We took our time, we are still adjusting to the second time zone change we had! We were awake before 6am, at least it gave us an opportunity to see a great sun rise! 

We also enjoyed a couple of visitors, I think it was a momma and a baby. They seems to be a bit tame, but did move away the closer you got! We even fed one of them!

We departed Tucumcari KOA onto Route 66 and headed for downtown Tucumcari. 

It boasts a variety of neon, even though some have gone dim. The Blue Swallow Motel has been well maintained and is a great example of the neon on the old Route 66!

There are tons of murals in this town too and many are very well maintained! 

There was also a big sombrero on the roof of a Mexican restaurant. 

On your way out of town, there was and Edsel that Charlie really liked! They only made them for one or two years. I am sure that we could not tow that car for wheels down behind the RV!

Also there is the Tucumcari Trading Post … I am sure it holds tons of treasures! 

After Tucumcari … I just really like to say that name … Tucumcari … the road and railroad start to travel into a wide open valley, surrounded with steep bluffs in so many varying hues. We had to get onto I-40, as portions of Route 66 around Montoya are not recommended for RV travel.

The town of Cuervo was devastated by Interstate 40, as the interstate cut the town in half. There is many ruins on one side of the interstate and the other side has an active stone chapel. 

After Cuervo, we started to lose our red and orange hues on the bluffs; the colors have turned to browns, yellows and greens.

After Santa Rosa, you are forced to get back onto the Interstate, as Route 66 from here to Moriarty is buried deep under Interstate 40.

You go for miles and miles and miles without seeing much, then the billboards start to pop up and they keep coming. The first set is for the Flying C Ranch, a tourist trap along Interstate 40. However, don’t stop! There is a more famous stop along I-40. The famous Clines Corners has been assisting travelers since 1934, long before Route 66 came this way.

On the west side of Moriarty, the National DWI Memorial of Perpetual Tears is visible from I-40. The Field of Markers represents the total number of New Mexico alcohol related traffic fatalities on record for the last five years. Each marker signifies a death. They are more than numbers, they are our loved ones, families, and friends. Each marker, surrounded by the protective arms of the wall, symbolizes a loss of life that was completely preventable. These actions left behind tremendous pain and grief. 

The hope is to stop DWI and someday have an empty field! Everyone traveling through New Mexico on I-40 will witness this visual reality of the devastation caused by DWI!

Following Route 66 through Albequerque is not recommended for an RV, so we took in a few select sights and went on our way! 

The El Don Motel has a newly restored neon sign. If we did not hate to travel at night … some of these neon signs would be spectacular when it is really dark out! Heading out of town, the climb up the foothills of the Sandia Mountains was a tough pull … Charlie said Jack & Diana would have been really sloooooow! Here is where the cross winds got really stiff too!

At Rio Puerco, across the Interstate from the Route 66 Casino, is the well preserved 1933 “Parker Through-Truss” bridge. You can get out and walk the bridge, but in the 100 degree heat … that is not for me! From Mesita to Laguna, Route 66 traverses through Laguna Pueblo Land, and takes you on narrow winding roads, including a spot called “dead man’s curve” … that is nowhere we need to take an RV!

As we got closer to Grants, the rocks changed from a familiar looking rock, to a more volcanic rock. We are very close to the Bandera Volcano and Ice Caves.

We are spending the night at a KOA in Grants New Mexico. It is a gravel KOA, with a few trees and very level sites. The couple that owns it is very friendly and accommodating! Our rate for a 30 Amp pull through site with some shade was $45.00 with our KOA Value Card. It is a bit more than we normally pay, but the Good Sam Park, we were going to stay at was only $19.00 and by the look of it … you get what you pay for! The rate includes a continental breakfast and the café makes dinners, they even deliver to your site! Tonight’s pies were apple, peach and mixed berry … can you guess which one Charlie had?