Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Tucumcari Tonight
We left Oklahoma City this morning about 8:00 am, after waiting out a severe thunderstorm. Harley got us through Oklahoma, across Texas, and on to Tucumcari, New Mexico – about 370 miles. (The title above refers to a billboard advertising campaign that placed countless signs within a day’s drive urging people to “sleep in Tucumcari tonight.”)
Along the way, we stopped at an interesting rest stop along Interstate 40 in Texas. The architecture is massive; the interior contains exhibits on wind power; and the rest rooms double as tornado shelters. Outside, there’s a kid’s playground and really nice picnic areas sheltered by over-engineered metal roofs. You could entertain the whole family, and grill hot dogs on the Texas-shaped barbecue grills!
This time, we took Route 66 through downtown Amarillo, Texas. Sadly, we found it a great place to drive through, but not compelling enough to explore.
We also stopped at the town of Glenrio on the Texas-New Mexico border. This is basically an abandoned ghost town on Route 66.
Today was uneventful, and we managed to stay dry all day. However, about an hour after we arrived in Tucumcari, another severe thunderstorm came in. If it clears tomorrow, we may take the “Santa Fe loop” of Route 66. If it’s still raining, we’ll make up our route as we go.
