New Mexico Route 66 - Tucumcari

TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO. A classic Pontiac parked at the Blue Swallow Motel. Just when did this guy check in?

New Mexico Route 66 - Tucumcari

TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO. One of the units at the Blue Swallow Motel was recently repainted, and now has a 1940's era tourist court look to it.

New Mexico Route 66 - Tucumcari

TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO. The ultimate in Route 66 neon, at the Blue Swallow Motel. New owners just recently returned the sign to its original colors.

New Mexico Route 66 - Tucumcari

TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO. The simple and elegant neon of the Apache Motel.

New Mexico Route 66 - Tucumcari

TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO. The Lasso Motel on Route 66 is also just a neon sign and a memory.

New Mexico Route 66 - Tucumcari

TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO. Tucumcari Tonight! So said the billboards along old Route 66, advertising the town's abundance of motels and motel rooms. 66 travelers were tempted with a good night's sleep about one day's drive away to both the east and west, all the way up to the city limits. Some of those billboards remain today, but they are pointed at the interstate. The Pony Soldier Motel once figured in the local room supply, but now only the sign remains.

New Mexico Route 66 - San Jon

SAN JON, NEW MEXICO. The Western Motel on Route 66, with cabins (and rust) that date back to the 1930's. According to Jack Rittenhouse, San Jon in the 1940's was "still a center where cowboys can come for Saturday night relaxation." The town today may be a little too quiet for cowpokes letting off steam.

New Mexico Route 66 - San Jon

SAN JON, NEW MEXICO. An overgrown auto repair shop on Route 66. The tree blocking the main garage entrance has probably been growing since the arrival of the interstate that bypassed the town.

New Mexico Route 66

The first buttes of a Route 66 trip appear almost immediately upon entering New Mexico. The eastern portion of the state is quite remote, and needless to say, I had the old road pretty much to myself.

Texas Route 66

The Road to Glenrio, Sepia.

Texas Route 66 - Glenrio

GLENRIO, TEXAS. The old diner in Glenrio, which probably specialized in Mexican cuisine as a little painted sombrero can be seen on top if you look closely. It is guarded by a (probably huge) dog that one never actually sees. This was my third stop in this 66 ghost town, where the only sounds ever heard are the Texas winds and that damn dog barking.

Texas Route 66 - Glenrio

GLENRIO, TEXAS. The Texas Longhorn Motel, Cafe and Service Station, referred to by modern day 66ers as the "First and Last Motel in Texas" because of its signature, if decaying, sign. This run down portion of the complex was once the cafe, and the old motel section is not faring much better, left to the weeds out back. It's hard to believe that this ghost town was once a busy 66 thoroughfare, but Homer Ehresman and his family ran a successful business here in the 1950's and 60's. In the 1970's, the new interstate killed the business and Glenrio, so much so that Route 66 has been reduced to dirt roads leading into and out of town. It is most easily accessed by the mysterious sounding Exit 0 on I-40, for those of us traveling in little rental cars.

Texas Route 66 - Glenrio

GLENRIO, TEXAS. From old postcards, we know that this was the cafe portion of the First Motel/Last Motel complex. A chair remains out front for the ghost of the final chef that worked there, still on his last ever cigarette break.

Texas Route 66 - Glenrio

GLENRIO, TEXAS. The First Motel/Last Motel in Texas, depending on your direction. That's what the sign used to read, anyway.

Texas Route 66 - ???

What will we find at the mysterious Exit 0 in Texas?

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

ADRIAN, TEXAS. Signs for cold beer and a modern interstate tempt drivers on old Route 66 in Adrian. Don't be fooled - stay on the two-lane!

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

ADRIAN, TEXAS. A cafe sign plenty tall enough to pull diners off a two-lane highway.

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

Fran Houser, 2010

ADRIAN, TEXAS. Let's not forget Fran Houser, former owner of the MidPoint Cafe, who always had time for a Route 66 visitor even though she was the busiest person in the room. Fran had a real business to run, an operating restaurant that also happened to be a Route 66 landmark, but she was also a top Route 66 ambassador and personality. I understand that Fran appears in the movie "Cars" as Flo, a 1950's auto (with tail fins) that owns Flo's V-8 Cafe in Radiator Springs. (To appear in the movie "Cars" is the ultimate tribute for a Route 66er.) Fran has retired from the restaurant business but not from Route 66, having stayed in town to open a gift shop called Sunflower Station, which is located in the old gas station next to the MidPoint. This is a shot of Fran (with my lunch) from 2010.

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

The MidPoint Cafe was open! "May I see the Ugly Crust pie menu, please?"

The MidPoint Cafe, still a classic 1950's diner.

Dennis Purschwitz, new owner of the MidPoint Cafe

The MidPoint Cafe in black and white, from 2010.

ADRIAN, TEXAS. The MidPoint Cafe changed ownership in 2011, when Fran Houser decided to retire from the restaurant business, but new owner Dennis Purschwitz was not hard to find when I stopped in for lunch. He was holding court at a table where the customers all had British accents, something that might be unusual for Texas had we not been on Route 66. That group of English 66ers left the cafe with a host of 66 recommendations for the road ahead, thanks to the hospitality of Mr. Purschwitz. Dennis, his wife Donna, and their daughter Danielle made the move from their Tennessee home to run this Panhandle business, and they enthusiastically understand just how classic a 66 site the MidPoint has become. Good luck, folks!

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

ADRIAN, TEXAS. Halfway! This 66er had previously traveled the entire length of Route 66, from Chicago to L.A., several times, but never accomplished the journey all in one shot. That was my goal for this 2012 trip, so the halfway point had some meaning for me this time. I walked over to the midpoint sign, was thankful I was not sitting at a desk somewhere, looked out over miles and miles of Texas all around me, then went inside the MidPoint Cafe for some pie!

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

ADRIAN, TEXAS. A look down Route 66 in Adrian, starting with the Fabulous 40 Motel.

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

One of my newest Route 66 acquaintances - Perry from Texas

Inside the Bent Door Cafe

The new jukebox inside the Bent Door Cafe, a sign of good things to come

A view of Route 66 not seen since 1970 - from inside the Bent Door Cafe

The actual  bent door - from the inside!

ADRIAN, TEXAS. Perry, a local Texan and friend of the the Bent Door's current owners, happened by during my visit and made sure I got a shot of the Texas flag and directional pole out front. Then, to my surprise, he invited me inside for a look at the renovations in process. This old cafe has been closed down so long, I never imagined I would ever see the actual bent door from the inside!

Texas Route 66 - Adrian

Rusty pumps outside the Bent Door Cafe

Bent Door Cafe

ADRIAN, TEXAS. Built around a surplus Air Force control tower after World War II, this old eatery was originally called the Bent Door Cafe for the funny looking front door made necessary by the buildings angled walls. At some point it became Tommy's Cafe, and the restaurant operated on Route 66 through the 1950's and 60's, closing in 1970. New owners Roy and Ramona Kiewert acquired the property in 2006, and restorations are in progress. The plan is for a 1950's style diner and malt shop, and this 66er in particular can't wait to stop in for a burger and chocolate shake.

Texas Route 66 - Amarillo

Cadillac Ranch, one of the most colorful sites on Route 66

Cadillac #3 finally consents to an interview

Cadillac Ranch

AMARILLO, TEXAS. The Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas, consists of 10 old Cadillacs stuck in the ground, in the middle of a cow pasture. Make of it what you will. Visitors are encouraged to add their own spray paint graffiti.

Texas Route 66 - Amarillo

AMARILLO, TEXAS. A classic fading Route 66 motel sign, and I love that cowboy outfit. At the Cowboy Motel on Amarillo Boulevard (old Route 66).

Texas Route 66 - Amarillo

AMARILLO, TEXAS. The Cattleman's Club on Amarillo Boulevard is also a popular bar and dance hall, for some Route 66 honky tonkin.

CONWAY, TEXAS. 70 mph speed limit on a narrow portion of two-lane Route 66. Only in Texas!

Texas Route 66 - Groom

GROOM, TEXAS. The famous Britten water tower continues to lean out over the Texas Panhandle after all these years, despite the sign showing which way is up. Classic 66, the tower was purposely tilted by Ralph Britten to attract attention to his nearby truck stop. (Every 66 business owner looks for some kind of angle.) The water tower remains, though the truck stop is gone, victim of a fire some years ago. Seems they never thought to actually put water in that tower.

Texas Route 66 - McLean

McLEAN, TEXAS. The Cactus Inn and its sign date back to 1956, but weary 66ers traveling the Panhandle can still lodge there for the night in 2012. There's plenty of parking out by the cactus plants, but watch your step as you walk over to the motel. (Ouch! Ooch! Yipe!) If you want to talk politics with the mayor of McClean, just stop by the front desk. Mayor Peggy Baer also owns the motel. 

Texas Route 66 - McLean

Time for a fill up at Phillips 66. You can't miss that sign from a two lane highway

One of the pumps at the McLean Phillips 66 station

A veteran Ford pickup parked at the Phillips 66 filling station in McLean

McLEAN, TEXAS. Built in the 1920's on old 66 and restored in the 1990's, the Phillips 66 filling station in McLean is an example of "cottage style" gas station architecture. In those early days of auto travel, the station building was often disguised to look like any other modest house in the neighborhood, concealing the coming invasion of car travel and the oil companies. The Texas Route 66 Association now owns the property.

Texas Route 66 - McLean

Devil's Rope Museum Exhibit, 2007

McLEAN, TEXAS. While in McLean in 2007, I stopped in at the Devil's Rope Museum, which bills itself as a "tribute to barbed wire." I found the wire fencing exhibits fascinating. My brother later asked a logical question when told about my visit to the famous Route 66 "Barbed Wire" museum. "How did you get inside?" he asked.

Texas Route 66 - McLean

McLEAN, TEXAS. The Guyton Motor company used to provide car repairs in McLean, at least until Route 66 was bypassed through town. From what I hear, the Guyton brothers just gave away all their tools in 1975, locked the door, and walked away.

Texas Route 66 - Shamrock

SHAMROCK, TEXAS. The Art Deco Conoco Tower station first appeared on Route 66 in 1936, wonderfully constructed using brick with green and gold glazed tile accents, and with wooden towers covered with stucco. Over the years, it has housed a filling station, a restaurant, a ballroom, and a Greyhound bus station. It now serves Shamrock's Chamber of Commerce as a tourist office.

Texas Route 66 - Shamrock

SHAMROCK, TEXAS. U Drop Inn at the Conoco Tower Station, named supposedly by a 10 year old who won $5 in a name the place contest back in the 1930's.

Texas Route 66 - Shamrock

SHAMROCK, TEXAS. Art Deco in the Texas Panhandle, at the Conoco Tower Station on Route 66.

Texas Route 66 - Shamrock

SHAMROCK, TEXAS. A wee bit of Ireland in the Texas Panhandle.

Texas Route 66 - Shamrock

SHAMROCK, TEXAS. Another interstate casualty: an auto repair shop in the center of town, but long closed down.