Day 7, Amarillo TX to Moriarty NM

Table of Contents

	Previous 40 to Phoenix Rides
	What Happened to the Wind?
	Video
	Dot's Mini Museum, Vega TX
	Route 66 Mid Point, Tucumcari NM and The Blue Hole
	Glenrio Historic District TX
	Elevation Changes During the Day
	Google Map Track Log
	Comments
	Other Blogs About This Trip

Previous 40 to Phoenix Rides

This is my 3rd 40 to Phoenix ride. I have visited just about all the Route 66 sites I want to see and have written about them in previous years. To read about this day and see photos from previous years, please see Day 7, 2017 and Day 7, 2018.

What Happened to the Wind?

But surprise! No cross winds today. It was a beautiful day. The temperatures were in the 40's but that is no big deal with our heated gear. At Clines Corners, NM with an elevation of 7,000 feet the temperature dropped to 37 and there was some light snow in the air.

At the motel in Moriarty we were told that the NM State Police escort had been cancelled because of the weather and the local GWRRA chapter would shuttle us in vehicles from the motel to our evening meal. The reason? They expect 2-5 inches of snow tonight and our Gold Wing was covered in snow when we returned from our meal. We may have another late start in the morning.

The photos below are from our evening meal. After those, scroll down for more photos and descriptions.

Video

Dot's Mini Museum, Vega TX

Dot's Mini Museum is an informal collection of Mother Road odds and ends accumulated by Dot Leavitt over the course of many years of living and working alongside Route 66.

As a child, Dot's family operated Vega Zero Lockers. Among other things, the business offered weary travelers "Jugs Iced Free."

In 2006, Dot passed away, but members of her family have honored her memory by continuing Dot's "museum."

Route 66 Mid Point, Tucumcari NM and The Blue Hole

The first photo below is a restored gas station in Vega, TX, followed by the Route 66 mid point in Adrian, TX, Tucumcari, NM and finally the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, NM.

Glenrio Historic District TX

During the 1940s and 1950s, Glenrio sat very much alone in the open scrub desert of the high plains straddling the Texas-New Mexico border. Amarillo was 73 miles to the east and Tucumcari 41 miles west. Travelers driving Route 66 across the desert could see a world of stars at night, with Glenrio providing some of the only light pollution around with its diners, bars, western-themed motels, a dance hall, and gas stations. Glenrio was a flash of neon in the desert, an overnight Mecca, and a spot of evening cool in the days before cars had air conditioning.

Glenrio's boom times ended in 1975 when Interstate 40 bypassed the town. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Today, the Glenrio Historic District includes the old Route 66 roadbed and 17 abandoned buildings.

It's well worth the detour to get off Interstate 40 and cruise Route 66 through Glenrio. Crossing the State border in one of the country's best preserved mid-century ghost towns evokes some of the adventure motorists from decades ago felt when the traveled long stretches of two-lane blacktop through the American West.

I really like this place. I can park in the middle of the street and no one cares because there is no traffic. Just west of Glenrio, Route 66 turns to gravel going into New Mexico. I got a little drone footage so watch the video near the beginning of this blog if that interests you.

Elevation Changes During the Day

Google Map Track Log