"Is this the way to Amarillo?"

Sunday, May 17, 2015
Amarillo, Texas, United States
I forgot to mention yesterday that last night's motel was on the old Route 66 (as per our theme).

We didn't have a good night's sleep at Santa Fe; the people in the room next door were very loud and were still talking at 2 .30 a.m. (when we asked them to keep the noise down). Luckily they had been out for a couple of hours before 12 and then went away again between 1 and 2. Despite that, we were ready to go by 7.30 (no breakfast at this motel, just coffee from the reception area).

It was a beautiful clear morning, 4C (10C at Amarillo) and the snow glistened on the mountain tops. It was pleasant driving, and we weren't hungry after the big meal last night. We traveled south along an "ordinary" road, before meeting the I-40 at Cline's Corner. Still not hungry. The first stop we made was at The Blue Pool at Santa Rosa. We didn't get in for a swim! Here is a description.

"Located just off of the famous Route 66 in New Mexico's arid climes is the Santa Rosa Blue Hole, a natural swimming hole that hides a system of underwater caves which were unexplored until 2013. Like many natural pools of its kind, the Santa Rosa Blue Hole is a small body of water that seems to fill a surprisingly deep hole in the ground with shockingly clear waters . During the heyday of road-tripping families cruising down Route 66, the swimming hole was a popular oasis in the unbroken desert. The deep hole was also a favored spot for scuba
divers until two young divers became trapped in the pool's tight underwater caves. After their deaths in 1976, the entrance to the caves was covered with a metal grate and all but forgotten.

However in 2013 a group of adventurous divers wit ADM Exploration Foundation were allowed past the grate with the intention of mapping the system of unexplored caves. Their initial probing was stymied by decades of debris and too tight passages but the excavation continues with a careful eye towards safety lest further deaths close off the mysterious caverns for decades to come. It's still unclear how far back the caves go."

We trundled along eastwards - mile upon mile of nothing, with the highway disappearing into the distance. I was imagining the wagon trains - every hill they crossed they would see the same view stretching out before them, for days on end . We passed several ghost towns, like Cuervo and Montoya, before taking the turnoff to Tucumcari. This was a real eye opener. About 5 kms of the old Route 66 was lined with buildings or ruins. I'd say only 30% maximum were still operating. It must've been heart breaking for the town when it was by passed and slowly 'died' - and to have new motels (Motel 6, Motel 8 & Rodeway) open up near the entry to the I-40 would rub salt into the wound. We had brunch at "Kix on 66" - great food and really good vibes. Apparently the current population is between 5 and 6,000, so we went for a drive around the 'business centre' and the housing areas. In the housing, there was a mixture once again of bran new/restored, ruins, and run down. The land is starting to have cattle grazing (and maybe crops - I can't remember!)

Then we tried to find the ghost town of Glen Rio -another Route 66 casualty. I'd made a note that it was just over the border, but I'd also noted to turn off to Bard . Missed the Bard turnoff, so had to take the next exit 13km on and come back - sure enough there was a sign post to Glen Rio (and Dora our satnav voice agreed). Then Dora was telling us to turn around. There was a perfectly good dirt road to follow - but we took Dora's advice and got back on the I-40. There was another turn off to Glen Rio over the border so we found it (and there was a dirt road coming in from the other side ... grrr!)Next was the Midway mark (at Adrian) between Chicago and Los Angeles (which is Route 66). Lots of wind generating machines in this area. And this was the start of the enormous cultivated fields as I recall.Then we had to see "Cadillac Ranch" just off the I-40 coming in to Amarillo. There was a lot of water near the cars, but the approach paths had dried out. There really were people in barefeet and others in their wellies getting in the mud to get to the cars and spray them or have their photo taken. There were a lot of cans on the ground - probably still with paint, so we could have tried our hand at a bit of art . This is an interesting read about the place - http://www.legendsofamerica.com/tx-cadillacranch.html

All good, and arriving in Amarillo at 2.30. Oops, wrong Baymont Inn. We reset the 'satnav' - oops, that can't be right, the guy said exit 71. Wrong again. We got there in the end. Clocks forward another hour. It's 4pm. I really wanted to see the cattle at the Livestock Auction. There is an auction at 11am tomorrow, so I figured there would be a lot of cattle there by now. But I was wrong - saw a couple of cowboys on horses, no cattle. So glad we drove though as I would have been a bit annoyed after walking for 40 minutes! However, we got lost on the way back to the motel (the wrong Baymont Inn again). Amarillo is quite busy on a Sunday afternoon!

Back at the motel, 6pm - time for a beer. Walked for an hour (first we headed for a Mexican bar and restaurant but it was closed on a Sunday). We passed about 20 (or more) fast food places, but not a bar or restaurant in sight. So we bought a 6 pack at a service station and walked back to the motel. Got some ice from the ice machine and put them in the rubbish bin. Three consumed - better go get something to eat (it's 8.15).

Denny's is just next door, so we went there. The service was terrible (and there were over 8 tables that didn't get cleaned in the hour we were there); my salmon was overcooked and Bryan's chips were soggy.

I guess you need a few things to go wrong occasionally - or else you wouldn't appreciate all the good things!

Well this is as far east as we go on Rote 66 - East Amarillo. Tomorrow we head north west and into Colorado.



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Comments

greghills
2015-05-18

There are quite few now sad, lonely almost ghost towns along the way. We stayed at Santa Rosa one night. Had a few beers and dinner at a great little Pub opposite our Motel - right on the original Route 66 in that town.

anne.nathan
2015-05-20

There were a lot of old discarded houses going up from Amarillo to Clayton too, Greg. I guess they were part of the exodus westwards when the "dustbowl" happened. But just surmising

Greg Hills
2015-05-20

Yes. Such a shame, but I guess they had to have work. The dust bowl put a lot of people out of work.

2025-02-11

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