As with most days, I wake up early. My fifth day was no exception. I had to travel all the way across New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona. So I got up early and grabbed some breakfast at the Kix on 66 restaurant across the street. With a name like Kix (rock on!), I had to grab some food there.
However, before departing Tucumcari, I went to their local Route 66 museum. It's mostly cars and some artifacts from the town. It looks like everything that is on display in there was donated from locals.
What really struck me in the museum is how Interstate 40 bypassing the town really turned it into a ghost town. There are so many closed businesses there. So many buildings were left to decay. There was a picture of Tucumcari during its heyday and it looked like it could have been a picture of downtown New York City. I couldn't believe how many people and businesses were there that are now gone. Very sad.
As I departed to come carry and headed to Albuquerque, I saw a bunch of signs for the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. The signs were interesting and I decided that would be a nice place to stop and break up my trip to Holbrook. Boy was I happy.
The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque is fantastic. It's broken up into several parts, the more interesting being the war uses of nuclear science. However they also have sections on the medical use and energy use of nuclear science.
I think the part that I liked the best was the Minuteman missiles. My grandfather worked on this project back in the '60s and '70s. So it is something that has always interested me. They had some great artifacts from back in that time that I enjoyed looking at.
After gassing up at Costco, I headed to Enchanted Trails RV Park on the west side of town. They had an offer to tour some vintage travel trailers from the 60's and 70's and how could I pass this up? It was hot as hell, but so much fun.
Next up, I was off to Grants, New Mexico. They have a brewery there in town I wanted to visit, but it was closed. So I looked at a sculpture in the local park and then got my car's picture taken in the drive thru Grants, NM sign.
My final stop before Holbrook, Arizona was Gallup, New Mexico. I'd never been there before and it seemed like a cool town to stop in. As I arrived in town, I immediately went to Jerry's Cafe as I knew it was closing at 6:00 p.m. I had not eaten lunch yet, so I wanted to grab something there. I got a pork plate (Tu Gusto) that was absolutely excellent.
After walking around the town for a little bit after my late afternoon meal, I decided to head over to the Hotel El Rancho.
This is a historic hotel that many movie stars starring in Western films stayed up. The upstairs was full of autographed pictures of movie stars. The inside décor was a total throwback to the fifties.
After touring the hotel, I decided to stop for a drink at the 49er Lounge, which was attached to the hotel. It was a neat bar with really cool stained glass windows and exposed wooden beam ceilings. It was a great place to grab a drink.
After leaving Gallup it was a short trip over to Holbrook. As I arrived in town, I immediately checked into the Wigwam Motel. It was pretty much everything that I expected. Nothing too special, a motel room within a concrete Wigwam. There were some fun cars parked around the parking lot from days past.
I did a video tour of the Wigwam and the surrounding grounds for those who are interested.
It was still early and I was thirsty, so I decided to go check out a local watering hole. On my way to a saloon, I saw some children dancing in a local park and decided to stop. There were some young, native American children dancing, as well as some adults. I watched them for a while and it was very enjoyable.
After leaving the park, I went to the Empty Pockets Saloon in Holbrook. It is a local place and it was a Monday night, so apparently because of that, it closes rather early. However, I had enough time to grab two $2.50 Budweisers, chatted with some locals and headed back to the Wigwam for the night. I always enjoy checking out local bars and talking with people there. Unfortunately it was real dark so getting a picture of this place was not going to happen.
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