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New Mexico’s stretch of Route 66 provides travellers with a variety of landscapes, from beautiful mountain ranges to sandstone mesas, desert sagebrush, ponderosa pines, and ghost towns. Along the vintage pavement, you will also see ancient pueblo cities, abandoned motels, neon signs and an eclectic mix of ancient and contemporary cultures. Dating back thousands of years, you are sure to enjoy New Mexico’s rich history, beginning with the Native Americans, continuing through the Wild West days, into the era of the Mother Road, and beyond.
New Mexico is also where we crossed the continental divide. If you’re not up to speed with geography, this is where the rainwater makes its decision as to where to flow – to the east, into the Atlantic Ocean or the west, into the Pacific.
Be sure to stay for a night at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumari, this pink, L-shaped hotel was one of the inspirations for the Cozy Cone Motel in Pixar’s Cars. The property is hard to miss – its blue and pink neon sign is a real stunner.
Tee Pee Curios? It’s not a trip without some souvenirs to take home, and Tee Pee Curios in Tucumcari has the best around – from Route 66 wall decals to t-shirts (“New Mexico is a state, not a country!”) to baseball caps to those “grow-a-cowboy” doohickeys that you put in water and the tiny figurine puffs up. But the exterior is part of the attraction too, with its eye-catching cactus-and-teepee neon sign and front entrance that’s in the shape of – you guessed it – a teepee.
Enjoy your journey through the Land of Enchantment.
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