I-40 parallels much of old Route 66. I have special maps and a book to follow the old road as completely as possible. But time does not permit doing the whole thing this trip. However, we did travel three sections, two of them on purpose.
First, through Santa Rosa, NM. There was not a lot to see until we were stopped to allow wind turbine blades to pass through.
The second segment, through Tucumcari: as a kid a remember stopping in Tucumcari on Route 66, before there were interstates. On this trip, the best I can say is that not all of the buildings were boarded up or burned down.
The third segment was before we got to Tucumcari. Kay had been driving, but it was time to switch. So, I looked at Google maps and saw that the next exit had easy off and on. Sometimes maps lie. Actually, it looked like the on part had washed out. After we switched drivers at the end of the ramp, Google showed us 15 miles on Route 66 before getting back on the interstate. Two-lane, not-so-smooth road through several washes where the water had receded but the mud remained. And through a narrow culvert-like underpass to get back on the eastbound side of I-40. The van’s underside is now protected by a layer of red mud.
Speaking of wind turbines, through New Mexico and Texas we saw a lot. If I had a dollar for every one we saw I could retire… oh, wait a minute. If we saw one, we saw ten thousand.
We had stopped for a DQ at a one-building gas station, souvenir shop, and DQ. We did not buy any souvenirs here, although this one was an “almost.”
