Route 66 Road Trip Day 4 - Texas Panhandle & Reaching the Mid Point! Amarillo to Tucumcari, NM
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- Day 4 of our Route 66 Road Trip brings us to the Texas Panhandle, starting in the city of Amarillo. A city that exemplifies the spirit of the Mother Road. Here you can find all sorts of strange and bizarre folk art along the highways and streets. Most Iconic is Cadillac Ranch which is arguably the most famous roadside attraction in the USA.
A meal at the Big Texan Steak Ranch is also a quintessential part of the Amarillo Route 66 experience, where those brave enough can attempt to devour a 72 oz sirloin in under an hour.
All travelers must also pay a visit to the Amarillo Route 66 Historic District a beautiful Main Street full of vintage shops and art galleries. A stop at the 806 Coffee shop for a Schnozberry energy drink is highly recommended; as well as a visit to Game Quest, one of the largest collections of old school video games for sale I've ever seen.
The Historic District is full of legendary people that have grown up around the Mother Road or started a business and carved their own path in the concrete. People like Crocodile Lile, a Route 66 enthusiast and painter that owns the Lile Art Gallery, or Tamera a server at the historic Golden Light Cafe who makes weary travelers feel at home while sharing stories of past patrons whose painted images adorn the walls...if walls could talk.
Traveling west of Amarillo we reached a milestone - the Mid Point of Route 66! We're halfway to LA!, and crossed out of Texas and into New Mexico. I must say New Mexico was rough with a lot of abandoned gas stations, motels, and structures.
We ended Day 4 in Tucumcari, New Mexico, our final destination the alluring Blue Swallow Motel. Immediately I was hooked and under the charm of the neon light, the warm glow of the retro sign as it glimmered across the old motor court and into the night sky. The sound of crickets and good company as neighboring guests laughed and conversed on lawn chairs, telling tales with cold beer in hand of their journeys along the Mother Road. The Blue Swallow is a magical place.
I couldn't help but think of the magazine clipping I saw at Crocodile Lile's Art Gallery, where he is quoted as saying: "Friends don't let friends drive the Interstate. On the Interstate you never meet anybody and never see a thing. Life begins on the off ramp."
Route 66 Intro: 0:00
Slug Bug Ranch: 2:27
Big Texan Steak Ranch: 7:40
Amarillo Route 66 Historic District: 19:02
Golden Light Cafe: 26:01
2nd Amendment Cowboy Muffler Man: 29:24
Cadillac Ranch: 31:30
Magnolia Gas Station Vega, TX: 39:11
Dot's Mini Museum & Boot Tree: 41:24
The Mid Point of Route 66: 42:38
Abandoned Gas Station New Mexico Border: 48:38
The Blue Swallow Motel: 51:55
Outro Song: 57:51
Opening Song - Route 66 Theme written and performed by me on my Stratocaster guitar
Closing Song - Under the Neon Light written and performed by me on my Stratocaster guitar
LET'S GO!!!!
Interesting/informative/entertaining.
I commented the other day, and I am so happy to update that we will be approaching the midpoint in two days. Thank you for your video again.
Congrats on making it to the midpoint!
@@GetmeouttahereErik YES we did indeed! We are in Albuquerque, New Mexico now. We took a detour to Santa Fe via HWY 14 and the view was stunning.
We will leave NM tomorrow and continue the rest of our trip. Will say Hi to you (on UA-cam) in AZ. : )
We drove the gravel road from the NM/TX border to San Jon after three days of rain (west to east). About a third of the way in we hit mud, about 4” deep. Didn’t dare stop or try to turn around, just slowed down and kept going. The mud got in through the doors to the sills, thankfully it washed out in the car wash. A beautiful drive though.
This truly your magnum opus
That dude was hurting after that steak 🥩 😂
Note to self: take 40 when you get near the New Mexico border. That was some rough road!
Just drove past the slug bug ranch, and the bugs are gone. There's a couple other old cars there now