On October 9, 2021, we left Colorado and headed south to explore U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico.
Brian and I have always wanted to drive down Historic Route 66, also known as the “Mother Road”. This highway existed from 1926 to 1985 and ran from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. The historic road spans across eight states and is still a major tourist attraction today, with over 250 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Our journey to Route 66 meant we needed to travel south on U.S Route 491, nicknamed the “Devil’s Highway”. The road received its nickname because prior to 2003, this was known as U.S. Route 666. As soon as we crossed the New Mexico state line, the road conditions suddenly deteriorated. Even though it was a very bumpy, loud ride, it was interesting to see the changes in the landscape. The Colorado-New Mexico state line splits the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Lands from Navajo Nation. We passed through several small tribal communities along the way.
We arrived at the USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. The site cost $40, was easy to access, and allowed us to fill our water tank and charge our devices. The park was clean and provided numerous amenities. However, this was a one-night planned stop for us, so we just explored the area and took several photos to capture our adventure.
The following morning, we were excited to drive the Big Tan Turtle east on Historic Route 66. Brian and I were a little nervous as we had one big city we had to go through. After securing Sailor in his crate, we headed toward Hidden Valley RV Park in Tijeras. Once we made it through Albuquerque, we were able to drive on the “Musical Highway”. Even though we didn’t hear “America the Beautiful”, it was fun to learn about the road and try it out.
After climbing a big hill behind a gas station, we arrived at the park. The motorhome made it up the hill, but it died while sitting on an incline during check-in. It was a team effort, but Brian and I got our home parked in a very narrow spot. We needed to figure out what was wrong, but this was not the location to do it. Brian pulled off the doghouse, checked out what he could, and made sure we could continue the journey. That afternoon, we took a walk along a trail nearby and saw a variety of cacti.
The next day, we prepared the motorhome for a very short trip. There was a balloon festival in Tijeras, so the nightly rates were higher than other locations along Route 66. Plus, we needed to see how the Big Tan Turtle would act after breaking down the previous day. After a 19 mile drive, we parked at Happy Trails RV Park in Moriarty for the night. We were able to take a walk down Historic Route 66 and explore the town.
We left Happy Trails RV Park the following morning and headed to JR’s Tire in Moriarty. After our problem in Provo, Utah, we didn’t want to take any chances. They took care of the Big Tan Turtle, while we grabbed a few supplies we needed from a nearby store. Early that afternoon, we arrived at our destination, Blaze-in-Saddle RV Park in Tucumcari. The park was in a great location to explore Route 66 and had views of Tucumcari Mountain.
After taking a short walk around the area, we decided this would be a two-night stay. We knew we needed to get to our families on the east coast. However, we also knew we needed to make sure the motorhome was running properly in order for us to continue the journey. Brian and I needed to rest, explore, and prepare to continue our adventure. The facilities were clean, the water pressure was good, the spots were spacious, and it cost us less than $40 a day. So, that evening, we reserved our spot for the following night.
Brian and I woke up the next morning relieved that it wasn’t a travel day. We needed time to rest, explore nature, and prepare our home to hit the road again. We spent part of the day exploring Tucumcari on Historic Route 66. It was interesting to see so many old hotels, gas stations, and movie theaters still standing. Some buildings had beautiful murals painted on them. After we grabbed some lunch, we went back to the park and asked the owner if we could do a little work on the motorhome. With his permission, Brian made sure the Big Tan Turtle was ready to continue the journey.
Touring Route 66 in New Mexico was a lot of fun and educational. Get your kicks on Route 66!