Historic Highways
RVing America's Historic Highways - Passed by
By Jerry (RiverGuy) Brown

Rt66/I40 - red, our trek - green

After exploring the "lost" miles of Route 66 between Santa Fe and Santa Rosa, New Mexico, I felt compelled to see how a mainstreet section of the Mother Road has fared since being relegated to history by Interstate 40.

The segment from Santa Rosa east to Texas was part of the original 1926 route, although it wasn't paved until the thirties. Tucumcari was the only other town of significance in this section and being about midway from Amarillo to Albuquerque, it prospered as a stopover for weary travelers. Billboards proclaiming "Tucumcari Tonight!" beckoned for hundred of miles. A handful of smaller towns also benefited from the traffic, enough to support a gas station, diner and motel or two.

Tucumcari Tonite postcard

We picked up the old Route 66 roadbed just west of Santa Rosa and followed it into and through town. This ranching town on the Pecos River seems to be faring pretty well, with a some notable survivors from the pre-interstate years and some landmark buildings housing newer enterprises. Nostalgia buffs will enjoy the collection of vintage cars from the highway's glory days at the Route 66 Auto Museum. But the town has its share of abandoned and boarded motels and gas stations as well.

The original 2 lane highway between Santa Rosa and Tucumcari and on to the state line is still mostly intact, generally as old frontage roads. As we had along the Santa Fe Trail, I intended to drive some of them, though with the fifth wheel in tow, I wasn't planning to be too adventurous.

East bound from Santa Rosa, the old road looks just as it must have 60 years ago climbing up and across the rocky desert terrain. I missed the turn to Cuervo and ended up 12 miles down State Highway 156. This is one lonesome stretch of road, just an occasional moldering ranch dotting the prairie. There were no historic 66 signs and I wasn't all that sure that we were on 156 either. I returned to Santa Rosa to start over.

Wilkerson's, Newkirk, NM, by jkbrown

We took the Cuervo exit from I40 and drove the bumpy 66 roadbed east to Newkirk, a ghost town with some recognizable relics from its heyday as a Route 66 road stop. Its motel, garage and gas station look like they've been abandoned for a very long time. The I40 on ramp was closed, so we bumped our way east another 11 miles to Montoya, yet another place that time has passed by.

From there we took the interstate into Tucumcari. Much like Santa Rosa, some recognizable landmarks, such as Tee Pee Curios and the Blue Swallow Motel, still survive. But others have been boarded up or converted to pawn shops and the like. We stayed at the Cactus RV Park,

Formerly Cactus Motel, Tucumcari, NM, by jkbrown

within the court of the classic forties era Cactus Motel. The motel structure is intact, but in sad condition and no longer used. Its hacienda-style doors, once gaily painted red or yellow, are now faded and flaking. I'm guessing the swimming pool once offered relief from the summer heat just about where my trailer was parked.

I'm sure that Tucumcari will continue to provide travel services to the I40 traffic, but primarily in the form of fast food and chain motels clustered near the interstate exits. I doubt that the dinosaur museum and Route 66 memorabilia are going to bring in enough tourists to sustain the town as it once was.

Next day we moved on to the farming town of San Jon. I parked the trailer temporarily and set out to explore some of the old route. Between there and Glenrio at the Texas border the Route 66 motorist has 2 options: an early and still unpaved section on the south side of I40 and a later 2-lane section on the north side. You can even make a loop, driving both in a couple of hours. We took the dirt route about 8 or 10 miles to a couple of twenties era timber bridges. They still stand, though with 8-ton weight limits.

Never paved section of Route 66, by jkbrown

That ended our Route 66 odyssey for a while. We picked up the trailer and headed for our next historic highway, but we'll revisit the Mother Road again in our travels.

Highway 66 was formally decommissioned in 1985, truly marking the end of an era. It holds a unique place among America's highways, symbolizing an earlier time when the allure of the open road first entered our national consciousness. It's also the only major highway to be completely eliminated from the system, but that only enhances its mystique.

Road Trip America For those who love roadside kitsch, the bizarre monuments, the intriguing shrines and the nostalgia of the two-lane American highways, here’s just the book for you, presented in state by state format, and illustrated with the postcards of yesteryear.	Route 66: Lonely Planet Road Trip Get your RV kicks on Route 66. Most of it is easily negotiated by RVs of all sizes. This pocket-sized book is crammed full of useful information plus maps and more. This book is small, but the information is high-powered, useful and fun to read.	All American Roads: America's Byways Point your RV down an American Byway and experience the heart and soul of our vast and varied country. Mobil Travel Guide and the National Scenic Byways Program join together to detail America's most famous routes.