Larry. Riding along the interstate. Texas.
Bob. Riding along the interstate. Texas.
Palo Duro Canyon. South of Amarillo, Texas.
Cadillac Ranch.
Sometimes the road of Route 66 is not paved.
No comment (See below).
Day Five. Overnight in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Headed west.
When we departed Shamrock, Texas this morning it was 71 degrees. It quickly became 68 degrees and that temperature held until near noon when the temperature began to rise, finally reaching 84 degrees. Last year I saw temperatures well into the triple digits while riding across south Texas. So this was a wonderful surprise.
The most interesting sights near 66 in Texas included Palo Duro Canyon, which is the second largest canyon in the USA, and is located about 20 miles south of Amarillo. It is roughly 70 miles long and has an average width of 6 miles. After lunch we made the ride to Palo Duro and spent over two hours there. It was a good side trip.
No trip along the Route 66 Byway is complete without a stop at Cadillac Ranch. Cadillac Ranch was recent addition (1974) to the "unusual" sights along the way, and is located along side I-40, west of Amarillo. I-40 has replaced Route 66 in this area. Much of the old road in Texas has been replaced by I-40,
Just prior to reaching the New Mexico border we found another opportunity to get on Route 66. But before long the surfaced road ended and the gravel road began. Just like in life, the road is not always paved (Sorry for that analogy...but it seemed appropriate)....so as in life, when the road is more difficult we traveled on with the knowledge and hope that there were better times ahead. And, sure enough after a little less than ten miles we found pavement once more. Whew. Relief. No spills. I hate riding on gravel.
When we left the rough road it became pavement again near I-40. At this location there were twenty or more other Route 66 travelers (all on motorcycles) stopped for a rest, something cool to drink, and of course fuel. This group was part of an organized tour, originating in Chicago. I spoke to several. All were friendly.
The "staged" photo of Larry leaving a "Modern Restroom" (above) was made at a long abandoned way station in Endee, New Mexico. This building and several others set along side the gravel road portion of Route 66 referenced earlier. The caption of a another photo from this location in a book titled Route 66 Adventure Handbook had the caption "There aren't many motorist passing through Endees, New Mexico these days." I concur.
We bypassed Tucumcari, New Mexico this time. It has a few remnants of the glory days of the route.
We arrived in Santa Rosa after a long day. No rain today. New Mexico is generally an arid place, but Santa Rosa is the exception, thanks to a collection of artesian springs in the area. The most famous of these springs is the Blue Hole, which attacks scuba divers from far and wide. The Blue Hole is more than 80 feet deep and 60 feet wide with water temperatures around 64 degrees.
Another good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment