We had planned our trip earlier in the spring because Bev's grandchild was due the end of May, and she wanted to be present for the birth. Then with the strange weather this spring, departure on the motorcycle became less and less doable. We waited until the last few days, and since we already had the race tickets, we headed south in a shiny new rented red Camry (we tho't we would save mileage on our vehicles) instead of motorcycle.
Our original intent was to do all of Route 66 by motorcycle, but "the best laid plans" can always change.
The Tee Pee Curio Shop (left) was built in 1940s as a gas station, grocery store, and curio shop. It has continued to be operational as a curio shop. Tucumcari is also known for its many murals on buildings scattered throughout town. The one to the right is on the side of the local grocery store. 
From here we headed east on I-40 towards Amarillo. Although there are sections of Route 66 still available, many are unpaved and deadends occur often. We did pull off at the border to see what remained of the town of Glenrio. This town was located on the border between New Mexico and advertised "First/Last Motel in Texas". Like other small towns/businesses, the area closed down when the interstate came through.
The next morning while we were having breakfast, another couple on a Honda trike (w/trailer) were there. They were traveling from LA to Louisiana for a conference. They were decked out in the raingear. As we headed south and the rain became heavier, we were thankful that we had decided not to bring the motorcycle on this trip. There were times when the windshield wipers didn't keep up with the rain.
We detoured away from Route 66 as we headed south to Fort Worth. Like all other areas around the country, each city/town has something unique to display.
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| Quanah Rocket |
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| Chishom Trail |
The town of Quanah had a meteorological rocket named after them. The town of Bowie has the Chisholm Trail Memorial Park which pays tribute to the cattle drives along the Chisholm Trail.
Remember going to the movie theatre on Saturday mornings and seeing the old cowboy movies!! Before we reached Wichita Falls, TX, Bev talked Ed into taking a detour through Oklahoma so she could see the Red River Valley. It seemed that most of the cowboy movies she had seen had taken place on the Red River. |
| "wee-chi-tah" |
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| Littlest Skyscraper |
Wichita Falls has two interesting sites: 1) "wee-chi-tah" statue, which is a life-size replica of a Comanche woman and her companions as she tested the river's depth and 2) "the littlest skyscraper" -- which was used in a financial scam in 1919 to gain investors -- plans were drawn in feet, but the building was built in inches.
We arrived in Fort Worth on Friday, and although we didn't have tickets for the Saturday Nationwide race, we headed out to the Speedway. Here are some tidbits regarding the track:- It is a 1.5 mile track
- Non-asphalt parking places are free
- 660 acres of parking
- Approximately 60 to 70,000 vehicles for each race; 20,000 on the ashalt parking
- 6,800 camping sites; 1,000 on the infield
- 138,122 permanent seating; approximately 53,000 in the infield; 191,122 capacity
- 4 football stadiums will fit into the infield
From Billy Bob's we ventured into the Fort Worth Stockyards area. This is definitely a "blast from the past". We had just missed the cattle drive that is done twice a day.The next day we headed back out to the track thinking that the weather might clear and we would have a race that day (Saturday's race was cancelled). We wandered again through the souvenir midway, and then later in the afternoon the race was called. Remember me telling you that only 20,000 parking places were on asphalt -- well, this was the first time that it had rained for a race here at this stadium. Needless to say, the remainder of the parking spaces were covered in mud. The track was nice enough to provide porta-potties, but they were located in some of the gullies -- so you were walking through a swamp to get to them.
After visiting the Fort, we stopped in Graham, Texas for a late breakfast. This statue of the lone cowboy at his campfire is in the town square. Ed was quite impressed with the size of the town square. Along with the regular driving lanes, there was access and large parking spaces in the same area. According to a mural on the courthouse depicting the arrival of the Graham brothers, the town square is physically the largest of any in the country. Ed said it reminded him of the town square in Bethany, MO where he spent time as a young lad.
Lubbock, located in the heart of West Texas, is the hometown for Buddy Holly. The musician hit the charts in the 1950s and recorded over 100 songs in his short career with hits such as "Peggy Sue", "Maybe Baby," "and "True Love Ways." He is honored by the town with a full size statue, a park bearing his name and a Buddy Holly Walk of Fame. Other inductees on the Walk include Waylon Jennings, Mac Davis, Jimmy Dean, Tanya Tucker and Roy Orbison. We also made a stop at the Buddy Holly Center. http://www.buddyhollycenter.org/ We took a tour of Texas Tech University and then had dinner that night at the local microbrewery, which is located on "Crickett Avenue".
The next morning we left for Clovis, NM. Muleshoe -- National Mule Memorial -- Mules pulled the covered wagons west, plowed the first sod for pioneers, hauled freight, and built the first railroads and highways. The memorial known as "Ole Pete" was unveiled on July 4, 1965. We passed by Littlefield, which is the hometown for Waylon Jennings. It's amazing how close so many of the musicians grew up. Waylon joined Buddy when the Cricketts decided to go on their own. He was playing with Buddy the night before he was killed. A coin was tossed between him and the Big Bopper as to who would get the seat in the plane -- Waylon won.
Farwell, TX is the last stop on the Texas border. We had to stop for a train, and as soon as it passed, we were in NM and a new time zone. Clovis is a town of about 32,000 located a mere stone's throw from the Texas border. It is surrounded by rural communities, many cattle ranches, and it is about 110 miles from the nearest urban area.
However, it was brought to the attention of the world when Norman Petty opened a recording studio and discovered Buddy Holly and the Crickets. In addition to the studio, a museum has opened displaying an operational recording studio from the 1950s. Other artists came here to get the "Clovis Sound" and there are displays showing information about these other artists (Bobby Vee, Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Gilmer and the Firballs, Chita Rivera, and LeeAnn Rhimes). http://www.clovisnm.org/visitors/attractions.htm The museum has regular operating hours, but you do need to have an appointment to see the studio. (We weren't certain when we would be here, so this will need to be put on our list of what to do next time.)
Before arriving back on Route 66, we stopped at the Fort Sumner State Mounment & Museum. Fort Sumner worked with the Navajo and Apache people on the Bosque Redondo reservation as they tried to keep their traditions and cultures in the wake of westward expansion. The cemetary holds the grave of Billy the Kid. 
We reconnected with Route 66 (I-40) at Santa Rosa, NM. Here the "Club Cafe" was established in 1935 as the first restaurant along the route. "Fat Man's" smiling face was always a welcoming sign to travelers. When the cafe closed, the "Fat Man" logo was moved to Joseph's restaurant. Here we stopped for Mexican food. This town also houses New Mexico's Route 66 auto museum. There are other historic buildings and symbols of the past era.
From Santa Rosa we took I-40 to the Hwy 84 bypass to I-25. We followed I-25 to Colorado Springs where we had dinner with Ed's daughter and children. Although looking cloudy, we had the urge to get home. We ran into heavy rain all the way home; but it was nice sleeping in our own bed.
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