DAY 5-- TUCUMCARI TONIGHT!!!

Well, we survived the night at the Trade Winds but I would not recommend staying there to anyone.   The TripAdvisor warned us not to stay there and I should have listened but Elvis was a strong draw. If I owned a hotel that had the potential that does with the location and Elvis draw, I would really make it a nice place but it's not American owned so there isn't that sense of history, I guess.

The search for breakfast took us to Sayre, OK to the West Main Street Grill.  Best $10 we ever spent! This was an old bed and breakfast that had the dining room restored. We talked to the waitress and locals and found out the biker babe local had stayed at the Trade Winds 23 years ago one her honeymoon in Elvis's room.  We told the waitress we had been driving 4 days and she thought that was awful fast.  We have driven straight past things because we want to have enough time in the southwest states. 

We found the Texas border shortly after Texola.  Texas is 178 miles across the panhandle.  There is a definate change in scenery.  More hilly with lots of cattle, windmills, and more original 1930's portland concrete. 

This is a section of highway that used to be 4 lanes but I 40 came and the traffic disappeared so they decommisioned 2 lanes of it but you can still see it running next to the road.

I have been a bad navigator!!  I finally pulled out the IPhone and got my GPS open.  We have had to do a few Uturns and backtracks but Sonny has been very patient.  We decided not to take the dirt road section but I missed a turn and we ended up there anyway.  It was a really nice view along the narrow ridgeline. Without an IPhone, GPS, guidebook, internet there is no way you can follow this road. The GPS helps a lot if I remember to look at it and follow the map in my guide. ( NOTE: In Illinois I bought a second guidebook that has saved us. It's called the EZ66 Guide for Travelors. It has little maps of each section and details of where to turn and I could usually follow but the GPS was essential. Even Sonny agrees that the I Phone is an essential piece of equipment. Never thought I'd hear him say that!

We wanted to go to the Bug Ranch at Conway.  This is a parady of the Cadillac ranch in Amarillo. The guide didn't explain that you had no access to exit 96 so we had to get on I40 and backtrack.  It's a row of VW bugs with their noses in the ground at an abandoned site. 

Took off down the road to Amarillo, Texas and followed route through town and ended up finding the  famous cadillac ranch after getting a little lost again. 

The Cadillac Ranch is a row of old Cadillac's out in the middle of a hay field.  You walk through a gate back to the cars and there were cans of spray paint we used to put our initials on a car.  the guy who created this had many quirky ideas including signs around town such as "the Bates Motel" sign.  

The cars are way back in that field.

Sonny didn't paint that but DID take the pix

We continued on to Adrian Texas which is the offical midpoint of Route 66. this was inspiration for Flo's V8 Cafe in the movie "Cars". There was a couple from Belgium there that were doing the Route over 3 weeks. The owner said they had had visitors from 30 countries come through.  It's REQUIRED that you stop there to eat a piece of their ugly crust pie.  We chose their signature pie which was warm chocoate chip pie with 2 dips of ice cream and whipped cream with cherries on top.  OMG!!!  Amazing!  This signature pie and coffee was around $10 a piece but well worth it!

The owner, Dennis had just bought the Cafe this year after doing a Route 66 trip a year ago.  Really nice guy!!  He took some pictures for us and called his friend at the Blue Swallow motel in Tucumcari, NM and told her to give us the Midpoint Cafe discount.  We made the reservation and agreed to be his courier to take his new flyers to the Blue Swallow.

We crossed the New Mexico border and gained an hour on Mountain time so it was only 4pm when we got to Tucumcari (Two Come Carrie) .  We checked into the Blue Swallow!  It was $67 and it is fabulous.  So different from last night.  Our room had a chenille bedspread with a blue swallow on it that a visitor had bought for every room after visiting her last year.   Instantly reminded me of my childhood with my grandmother's chenille spread with a peacock on it.  I have it and will now have to repair it. 

We walked around Tucumcari , also known as "the mural city".  There were 20 or so and they were really well done.

Then we sat in the chairs in front of our little room drinking wine waiting for the neon to come on at dusk.  It's beautiful!! I'm really happy here and could stay a while.

We went to PowWow Restaurant and Lizard Lounge for Mexican food with green chili sauce (for Emily and Joe!) and a  Blue Swallow Margaurita/beer which was really good and reasonable at $30.

We are now back in our room and plan to get a good nights rest to really see New Mexico tomorrow.  We have 7 days to see 3 states so I think we are good.  I took lots of pictures and I'm trying to give you a good overview without boring you.

                                                                    BEAUTIFUL!!!