We left the hotel at 7:48 this morning and the temperature was 69 degrees. We had been on the about an hour when we came to Clines Corner. My friend, Millie, had told me we needed to stop there and check it out. Clines Corner community was established in 1937 by Roy Cline, who built a rest stop at what was then the intersection of Route 66 and Highway 285. The rest stop, now known as Clines Corners Retail Center, is now over 30,000 square feet in size. I think they had just about anything you would want there.
Clines Corner
Next on our list was Tucumcari. It is a ranching and farming town sandwiched between the mesas and the plains. Tucumcari is home to one of the best-preserved sections of Route 66 in the country. It's a great place to drive through at night, when dozens of neon sins - relics of the town's Route 66 heyday - cast a crazy rainbow-colored glow. Again, I wish we could have scheduled this to be an overnight stop but it just didn't work out that way. Tucumcari once trumpeted its "thousands of motel rooms" on ubiquitous "Tucumcari Tonight" signs. With the decline in traffic, that is no longer the case, but the town is home to a famous motel veteran of the highway, the historic Blue Swallow, famous for its bright neon sign and old-style garages.
Blue Swallow Motel
Every room here had a garage next to it.
A closer look
They had quite a few rooms
We also visited Tee Pee Curios. The sign, decor and building (with its concrete teepee out front) ooze an authentic 1950s aesthetic. Inside you'll find find a collection of souvenirs that range from kitschy to certified American Indian crafts.
Tee Pee Curios Building
Tee Pee Curios
Tee Pee Curios
Outside Tee Pee Curios
Part of a wall mural
More of the mural
A motel where Clint Eastwood stayed
Route 66 monument
The New Mexico Route 66 Museum is in Tucumcari so we had to go there. They didn't have too much here, mostly pictures and some cars. It was still worth the time though.
1956 Mercury
Inside the car
A Coke machine like my dad brought
home from Hardy Supply.
We ate lunch at Golden Dragon Chinese Buffet. It was pretty good and we got some good fortunes!
Not bad!
Leaving New Mexico
Texas - State #13
Beyond the towns, the great wide open of the the Texas Panhandle is punctuated only by the occasional windmill and the distinct odor of cattle feedlots in the distance. this emptiness for 178 miles, and the entire route has been replaced by I-40. We weren't looking forward to much more on this trip. Texas and Oklahoma are boring but we did have a couple stops planned.
We didn't have any other stops planned until Adrian, Texas at the Midpoint Cafe. Adrian's claim to fame is that it sits at the exact halfway point of the Mother Road. It is 1,139 miles to Chicago and 1,139 miles to Santa Monica. Midpoint Cafe has been operating on Route 66 since its earliest days. It is famous for its homemade pies. I had a piece of coconut cream pie and Conrad had a piece of pecan pie and we had a glass of water. It certainly wasn't cheap - $15 including tip!
Midpoint Cafe sign
Across from the cafe
Coconut cream pie
A real old-fashion cafe
I've never seen a Coke bottle like this one.
The jukebox
Lots of pie
This little place was just outside Adrian, TX.
We saw lots of these windmills in the
Texas panhandle.
Another reason not to like Texas - 106 degrees!
Feed lot near Amarillo
Feed lot near Amarillo
Soon we were in Amarillo, looking for a hotel. Road construction was in full force on this part of I-40 and on the frontage roads. We thought we had a reservation at one hotel but when we got there they told us we didn't. We sat in the parking lot trying to find another one and we ended up staying at a Quality Inn. It was almost impossible to get to with all the closed streets and detours. The price was $86.94 but at this point we really didn't care how much it was. We only walked 2,098 steps and drove 294 miles. It sure seemed like a lot more!
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