Today
we traveled from Tucumcari to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We started to see the
traditional southwest scenery. I love to see the layers of color on the rock
faces and the greens. As we move further west, we will see less and less of the
greens.
Santa Rosa is
known as "The Scuba Diving Capital of the Southwest" and the
"City of Natural Lakes". But for fans of Route 66 it is best known
for its vintage Route 66 motels, gas stations, and diners.
It is home to
the Blue Hole. Nestled within the New Mexico semi-arid landscape is a
geological anomaly perfect for photographers and scuba divers alike. It's a
relatively small in diameter, circular, dark blue pool.
The 81-foot-deep
artesian spring fed from an underwater aquifer is very popular with scuba
divers thanks to its incredible clarity. It's a pleasant 62 degrees year-round and
constant inflow of 3000 gallons per minute. It's quite a popular destination,
but you must visit in your car, no room to park an RV!
We saw an exit sign for Las Vegas .... I did not think Route 66 was in NEvada? Located on
the edge of the eastern plains of New Mexico, at the foot of the Sangre de
Cristo Mountains, is Las Vegas, New Mexico. Though not as well-known as other
Wild West towns, such as Dodge City, Deadwood, or Tombstone; Las Vegas, is said
to have been the worst of the worst of the Old West. Las Vegas was established
by a Mexican land grant in 1835. Originally called Nuestra Senora de Los
Dolores de Las Vegas Grandes (our Lady of Sorrows of the Great Meadows) by
settlers whose roots in the area went back to the early 1600s, in the
beginning, the settlement doubled as a fort, designed to be battened down for
attacks by the Apache Indians. One-story adobe houses circled a large, central
plaza where stock could be driven to safety.
One of the
colonists’ first large construction projects was the Acequia Madre (Mother
Ditch), which was used to channel water from the Gallinas River. After more
than 150 years, this ancient Mother Ditch still winds behind the buildings on
the Plaza and waters the gardens of the western portion of the town.
Our rest and refuel stop was at Clines Corners. In 1934, Roy Cline had an idea, give road weary travelers a place to stop, shop and eat. His vision came to life with the
opening of a filling station and café at the intersection of New Mexico State
Highways 6 and 2. This placed his new business in between Santa Rosa and Moriarty New Mexico. At that time Route 66 had a totally
different alignment: it ran north towards Las Vegas and Santa Fe, in a wide
arch between Santa Rosa and Albuquerque. But due to New Mexico politics, Route
66 would have a new, shorter path, bypassing the state capital. The sixty-nine
miles of new road named NM Highway 6 would shave ninety miles off of Route 66. This new road was the
opportunity that Roy needed. In 1937, the Santa Rosa
Cutoff that shortened Route 66 was approved. New Mexico Highway 6 moved slightly north and
was renamed Route 66/U.S. 285. He purchased the land northwest of the
intersecting Highway and convinced map makers to place Clines Corners on the
map. Today, eighty-one years later, travelers can find Clines Corners in the
same spot that Roy Cline purchased in 1937. In the 81 years that Clines Corners has
been serving the travelers along I-40, the facility has grown to match the
demands of our customers. Clines is no longer a little building and cafe, but
has grown to 30,000 square feet of retail space, two convenience filling
station, RV park, and restaurants.
We passed the exit for Moriarty, New Mexico. It is
located at the junction of I-40 and NM 41. These two major roads are crucial to
the City's economy, bringing truckers and travelers to Moriarty. Another road
of great significance to Moriarty is Historic Route 66. The original
"Mother Road" is designated as a national scenic byway and
also serves as Moriarty's "Main Street" and primary location for
businesses and services. The City benefits
from the two designated scenic and historic byways that pass through Moriarty:
Route 66 and the Salt Missions Trail. The Salt Missions Trail leads to the
extensive mission ruins of Abo, Gran Quivira, and Quarai. I found this place Lewis Antique Auto & Toy Museum, as we drove by. I bet it would be a great place to explore!
We arrived in
Albuquerque, at the Route 66 RV Resort at the Casino. Albuquerque is the
largest city in New Mexico and boasts over 18 miles worth of diners and motels
along Route 66, which is also known locally as Central Avenue. The jewel of the
city is Old Town, which is home to a church two centuries old (San Felipe de
Neri). There is no shortage of diners and shops, complete with neon signs, on
Central Avenue. We will talk more about these places later.
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