Day 7, Amarillo to Moriarty, NM
Miles: | 283 |
Start Point: | Amarillo, TX |
Sun Rise: | 7:14 AM CDT |
Start Weather: | At 6:00 AM CDT the temperature was 45.4 ° with 33% humidity. The conditions were clear with a wind speed of 5.9 MPH and wind gusts of 16.1 MPH. |
End Point: | Moriarty, NM |
Sun Set: | 7:38 PM MDT |
End Weather: | At 6:00 PM MDT the temperature was 72.2 ° with 5% humidity. The conditions were clear with a wind speed of 7.8 MPH and wind gusts of 16.9 MPH. |
Table of Contents
Route 66 Midpoint, Adrian TX
View a list of places like this or a map.theroute-66.com
Midpoint Cafe and Cars - Pixar was inspired by the Midpoint Cafe to create Flo's V8 Cafe in the animated film Cars (2006).
The characters Flo, Mia and Tia were based on Fran Houser and two of her restaurant's employees, the sisters Christina and Mary Lou Mendez.
The movie's credits acknowledges the cafe and Fran Houser.
Slow day today. One segment of Old Route 66 I had planned to ride had a "Dead End" sign. And my drone did not cooperate to get footage of the gravel road out of Glenrio. But I hit some favorite spots. I always stop at Adrian, TX at the Route 66 Midpoint.
To see photos and details about these places from last year's ride please read my blog from 2017.
Glenrio Historic District TX
View a list of places like this or a map.nps.gov
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.
Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari NM
View a list of places like this or a map.nps.gov
Carpenter W.A. Huggins began construction on the Blue Swallow Motel prior to the outbreak of World War II, and Ted Jones, a prominent eastern New Mexico rancher, opened the motel in 1942.
Interstate 40 bypassed the town in the late 1960's and business drastically changed but the hotel is still open. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, the motel continues to operate as a popular overnight destination.
Richardson Store, Montoya NM
View a list of places like this or a map.nps.gov
Located in the heart of Montoya, New Mexico, Richardsons Store initially provisioned railroad workers and ranchers and later expanded to serve highway crews and tourists on Route 66. Like many southwestern towns, Montoya began as a stopping point along a major railway. In this case, the stop was along the Rock Island Railroad. During construction of the line in 1901, Montoya became a settlement for a crew of workers. The town is roughly halfway between Tucumcari and Santa Rosa and was about a day's ride from both at the time of its formation.
During the 1930s and 1940s, travelers found a cool oasis and something to drink under the tall elms that shaded Richardson Store. Designed to be as cool as possible, with a big portico out front shading the windows and the gas pumps, the store has a recessed front door and high windows designed to let in light and a breeze but not sunlight. The store adjoined a picnic grove and carried groceries and auto supplies for tourists and residents and also stocked saddle blankets, work gloves, feed buckets, and windmill parts for local ranchers. Like other local stores of the period, Richardson's place was also a community meeting spot, complete with post office boxes and a postal service window. The portico is painted white to reflect the sunlight, as is the west side of the building, where bold, if faded stenciled letters read "Richardson Store."
Elevation Changes During the Day
The day started at 3,672 feet and ended at 6,247 feet. The highest altitude was 7,026 feet and the lowest altitude was 3,672 feet.