Day 6: Amarillo to Tucumcari, AZ

Day 6 and half of my Bluetooth keyboard died. Needless to say, I'm typing this with my iPad's touch screen...forgive my mistakes, I'll go back through to edit later.

Today was an amazing day! We left Witchita Falls and picked up the Route in Amarillo. We were on Route 66 from Amarillo to Tucumcari, New Mexico. This stretch of highway has many iconic points, including several abandoned structures whose signs and buildings are falling apart, but still story and picture worthy. This section of 66 also includes many thriving stops that are alive and well today, like the Big Texan steakhouse, where we stopped for a reasonably priced lunch, that also carried over into a cheap dinner!

From Amarillo to Tucumcari, there are several places where Interstate 40 is paved directly over the original Route 66 roadbed, but there are still some points where you can (and should) stray from the freeway to see old hotels, gas stations and even the once thriving Glenrio, which is now considered a ghost town. Glenrio has a stretch of 66 that is 4 lanes with a concrete divider in the middle and the road now heads to nowhere...it was kind of creepy. It brought back memories of my family road-tripping to the earthquake area of Yellowstone National Park, where in 1959 "Earthquake Lake" was formed and the old highway mysteriously disappears into the water. CREEPY! My boys were certain they saw things moving in the empty structures, and one of our books had rumors of wild dogs roaming the streets of Glenrio, so we stayed close to the car! I'm glad that we traveled there in the daytime, I would have been a chicken trying to check it out at night.

This part of our trip led us through the mid point of our journey! We stopped for a brief celebration and a moment of giving thanks to God for traveling mercies and an awesome adventure to this point! The Mid-point Cafe was close, though, so no snacks or meals were to be had. The iconic "Bent Door" is also here at the mid-point, but it has been closed for many years. There are rumors that it will be re-opening...here's to hoping!

Tucumcari is home to several iconic hotels, including the Blue Swallow which, along with the Wigwam in Holbrook, inspired the fabled "Cozy Cone" from "Cars." We stopped to get a room, but they were booked up, so we had to settle for pictures. We ended up at the Buckaroo, which is vintage 60s and clean, so we are happy. 

Tomorrow, our travels will lead us through Albuquerque, Gallup and on toward Flagstaff, Arizona. We are getting excited to blaze toward the pacific and dip our toes in the ocean at Santa Monica! But there's still much to see and experience, and MORE adventure awaits! Enjoy pictures from our awesome day!