Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Morning update: addendum to the Big Texan Steak Ranch saga. We got a couple of souvenir cups with our drinks the other night; I did not bother to read one until this morning. It was enlightening. Despite the fact that trying to eat a 72oz steak in an hour is obviously a challenge geared to those bearing excess testosterone, the speed record holder is actually a 120-lb housewife, who ate the whole dinner (according to the cup) in 4 minutes 58 seconds (and then ate another one in 9 minutes). I know! That doesn't even sound possible! How can anyone cut and chew that fast? But, the cup claims, you can watch the whole thing on video I have not been intrepid enough to watch, but if you are, you can find the video here.
Today was a long drivin' 66 day. We moved from Amarillo to Albequerque, just about 300 miles, mostly on Route 66, with numerous stops to gawk at vintage or iconic buildings and signs along the way. Most of the explanation I've put in the comments about the various photos, but the short version is that some of the most interesting spots along the drive were:
1) Cadillac Ranch is nowhere near as interesting as it is hyped up to be.
In fact, it's a bit depressing, because it obviously brings out the worst in people. We watched one man paint his grafitti, and then just toss the can aside, right in front of his small children. Way to teach 'em how to be, dude. David had warned us to bring some trash bags, which we did, and we picked up two small bags' worth of the trash to dispose of in the dumpsters that are right on the spot. We drew the attention of two Australians who are here on a Route 66 tour in Texas, and we had a brief conversation in which we commiserated with each other about how this site makes a poor impression on visitors about Americans. (Of course, it's not just Americans throwing their trash on the ground, but this is an American landmark, and it only gets cleaned up at all if people like us, two tourists from Virginia, pick up a few cans--making virtually no dent in the problem.)
I did not get a picture of the most entertaining thing near the Cadillac Ranch: a hand-painted sign for Bates Motel: "Each room with a shower; knives sharpened.
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2) There is an 18-mile stretch of dirt road between Glenrio and San Jon. The road is in pretty good shape (gravel covered, no deep ruts), and it was interesting to be away from the Interstate and out in the back country--more like what it must have been like in the early days of Route 66. We saw a Red-Headed Woodpecker and a herd of Pronghorn Antelope. Possibly my favorite part of the drive.
3) We stopped for lunch in Tucumcari, New Mexico, which is a Route 66 hotspot, with lots of vintage features. See photos for commentary.
We got into Albequerque about 11 hours after we started, checked in to the hotel, and went to dinner at a nearby New Mexican restaurant. Long day, but a good one! Tomorrow, we have a much shorter drive to Grants, NM, but we will visit two more national park sites just outside of Grants.
MAS
2018-07-10
Hey, you could renew your wedding vows, then drive off in that Edsel!