“TRAVEL MY WAY, TAKE THE HIGHWAY THAT’S THE BEST”

August – September, 2019

Across New Mexico, the original routing of Main Street USA followed the Pecos Trail 125 miles northwest from Santa Rosa to Santa Fe then dipped southwest 64 miles to Albuquerque (name another town with 2 q’s or 3 u’s in the name?) before resuming its due west amble through Gallup, Flagstaff, Winona, Kingman, Barstow and San Bernadino (shout out to Frank, Dwezel and Moon Unit) before ending…

Formally founded by Spanish colonists in 1706, Albuquerque (ABQ) has deep roots and a long history with the culture of Native American peoples.  Sandia Man lived in the area 25,000 years ago, and the Anasazi contributed their expertise in adobe construction to buildings whose remnants are over 3,000 years old and can be visited today.

Some of the original adobe walls remain standing in Old Town…

…including the first structure built in Albuquerque, the San Felipe de Neri Church.

There’s lots to do and see in a city as large as ABQ, but staying true to our philosophy of “seeking out the unusual”, we found ourselves drawn to the “auto” hawk sculpture, a meatloaf dinner and green chili cheeseburger at the Owl Café, and to the truly cool New Mexico chic, right on Route 66:  KiMo Theater.  We limited our time downtown to be able to visit the Petroglyph National Monument.

Constructed of 30 colorful car doors stacked atop each other and standing 24-feet tall, the auto hawk sculpture was created by Albuquerquean Christopher Fennell (who now lives in Alabama??).  He loved to hike in the surrounding Sandia Mountains to watch the birds soaring on the thermals, and he created the piece as a representation of what Albuquerque meant to him.  The scrapped car doors are transformed into the feathers of a mighty hawk.

The Owl Café is an Albuquerque landmark, and prides itself on helping to keep the spirit of Old Route 66 alive since 1986.  An upscale dive, it has been serving their now world famous Owl Burger – green chili cheeseburger – since 1948.  In Brian’s opinion this is the best of the best of the best green chili cheeseburgers, and a must stop if in the neighborhood.  And, oh yeah, check out the building!

The KiMo Theater opened in 1927.  Designed in the short-lived Pueblo-Deco style, the architecture fused the spirit of the southwest Native American cultures with art moderne (bigger, bolder, and brassier) elements.  The theater fell into disrepair in the 1960s, was bought by the City and renovated.  Today the theater is a multi-use venue for live theater, music, film festival viewing, stand up comedy and other performance art.

Hey Jaimee – According to local legend, the KiMo Theatre is haunted by the ghost of Bobby Darnall, a six-year-old boy killed in 1951 when a water heater in the theater’s lobby exploded.

The box office/gift shop is right on the corner so in we wandered and asked if it was possible to tour the interior of the theater…”well sure” said the young woman behind the counter, “just go down that hallway and turn right.”  So in we went and wandered about, mesmerized by the detail in the design.

On the way out we shared a greeting with a gentleman, about our age, who turned out to be the artistic director of the theater.  After a half hour listening to an insider’s view about the theater, and swapping a story or 2 (yeah Elyssa, Dad bragged about your theater work in White River Junction!), we appreciated even more the art, architecture and current vision for this 92-year-old gem!

Petroglyph National Monument is actually inside ABQ city limits, and it is close to being surrounded by urban sprawl.  Hiking within each of the 3 distinct viewing areas within the monument brings visitors in touch with over 800 petroglyphs made by the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples between 400 and 700 years ago. Curiously most of the petroglyphs are carved on east and south facing slopes.

The National Park Service has determined that 200,000 years ago the volcanic eruptions and lava flow created the basalt rock mesa top and canyon walls onto which the petroglyphs were carved.  The areas of greatest concentration are Piedras Marcadas Canyon, Boca Negra Canyon and Rinconada, the distinct areas of the Monument that are approximately 6.5 miles apart.

We found these  carvings to be much more sophisticated than other petroglyphs we had viewed previously; the highlight…well, see for yourself.

The City of Gallup, New Mexico was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and it was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the railroad.  It is a mere 30 or so miles from the Arizona Border, and it was a perfectly situated stop for travelers on Route 66 between Albuquerque and Flagstaff.  37% of the City’s residents are members of Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes.

The title of “Most Patriotic Small Town in America” is a contest held by Rand McNally.  Nominations can be made by anyone, the folks at Rand McNally choosing the semi-finalists at which point a voting period is set.  The 5 towns that receive the most votes are the finalists.  Each town then writes an essay as to its merits and reason to be chosen, and folks at Rand McNally choose the winner.  Gallup won in 2014.

Gallup is known for its fine collection of outdoor murals…wouldn’t you know we had to check that out!

Gallup is 70 miles east of the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.  This NP is actually a 2’fer; following the roadway we had the chance to view and/or hike, and certainly to experience both the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert.

225 million years ago this was a tropical landscape with abundant vegetation – dinosaurs and reptiles roamed the land and fish, mollusks, and gastropods moved through the rivers; (estimated) 180-foot conifers reached for the sky.  The rapid and oft-times extreme change in climate, and unsettled topographical change due to the movement of tectonic plates and volcanic activity of the late Triassic Period entombed flora and fauna under layers of sediment.  Fossils from the late Triassic Period, and the remnants of prehistoric forests, now petrified wood, are richly represented in the Park.

With certain vagueness Brian remembered (?) visiting the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert during the Block family move to California.  A fond memory for him was remembering his father talking about his enjoyment of the visit to this NP.

The north entrance to the Park is easy enough to find as the visitors center is maybe a half mile north of exit 311 from Interstate 40.  The Painted Desert is concentrated near the north entrance.  As we drove through this section of the Park we stopped at the 6-7 viewing points, and we were treated with spectacular panoramas.

The south entrance is 26 miles down the road, and it the greatest concentration of petrified wood in the Park (in the world?).  We were inclined to rush past several of the Park’s highlights, but we caught ourselves and slowed down.

The roadway crosses over  the Mother Road before ducking under Interstate 40 and continuing south.

We enjoyed hiking about the remains of Puerco Pueblo and seeing the petroglyph (yeah, more petroglyphs!) evidence of the Native Peoples who lived there so long ago…

…and looking down on Newspaper Rock – named for 650 petroglyphs carved along its base…

…and viewing the beauty of Blue Mesa…

…and a hike in the Jasper Forest…

So much of what we saw was really associated with the Painted Desert.  Certainly the petrified wood found in the Jasper Forest was beautiful; however, the fossilized wood we found as we hiked through the crystal forest, the giant logs, and long logs in the park were incredible.  Yes…these are all petrified wood…

Leaving Petrified Wood National Park we headed northwest and into Holbrook, Arizona in order to pick up Interstate 40 and make our way back to our campsite in Gallup.  After our long day we needed to grab a bite to eat – Joe and Aggie’s Café was perfect.

Not only is the restaurant on Route 66, it was given a shout-out by “Roadfood,” and it served up a mighty fine green chili cheeseburger (!) for Brian and some decent Mexican food for Barbara.

Our time camping on Route 66 in New Mexico has been a gas, and oh, the things we have seen!  One more campground on Route 66 before we head to Mesa for a long winter’s nap.

Barbara and Brian