NEW MEXICO TO HOME NOV 13 - 18

 

DOWNTOWN TUCUMCARI,  NEW MEXICO

EVEN IMAGINATIVE MURALS DON'T SEEM TO HELP

TUCUMCARI, NM
ONCE AN IMPORTANT PIT STOP ON ROUTE 66, TUCUMCARI HAS
DROPPED FROM 21,000 PEOPLE TO LESS THAN 5000 IN THE PAST FEW DECADES. TRAFFIC NOW SPEEDS BY ON I-40 STOPPING ONLY FOR FAST FOOD AND GAS STATIONS AT THE INTERCHANGES.
SEEMS LIKE NOWADAYS EVERYBODY IS AT LEAST "TEN MILES FROM TUCUMCARI".

A ROUTE 66 RELIC IN SHAMROCK, TEXAS IS A WELL TAKEN CARE OF BELOVED GAS STATION LANDMARK ON ROUTE 66 FROM THE MID 20TH CENTURY.

A LOCAL SAID THAT THIS TEXAS TOWER WILL LIKELY FALL OVER IN A MATTER OF WEEKS, BUT ISN'T THAT WHAT THEY WERE SAYING IN PISA IN 1320? (This one is for Georgia's great collection of funky watertowers)

REMNANT FROM YHE PAST

THE TEXAS PANHANDLE WITH SPRAWLING AMARILLO IS ONE OF THE LEAST ATTRACTIVE AREAS IN TEXAS, SO IT IS ONE PLACE WHERE THE INTERSTATE COMES IN HANDY AS AN OPTION TO SPEND AS LITTLE TIME AS POSSIBLE.  I GOT INTO AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY STUPOR STARTING HERE AND TOOK VERY FEW PHOTOS AS I SPED FROM TEXAS TO OKLAHOMA CITY.

THESE GRAFFITIED CARS IN A FIELD NEAR AMARILLO, OBVIOUSLY INSPIRED BY NEBRASKA'S CARHENGE ARE THE MOST INTERESTING OBJECTS IN THE ENTIRE AREA OF URBAN SPRAWL AND GROSS FEED LOTS,

THE LATE DAY SKY IN OKLAHOMA CITY FORESHADOWED SOME WET WEATHER IN THE FUTURE.







   TENNESSEE

    MEMPHIS LOOMS AS WE CROSS THE MISSISSIPPI

EVERY TIME I SEE THIS ON THE MEMPHIS WATERFRONT I THINK I'M BACK IN VEGAS AT THE LUXOR. THIS PYRAMID WAS BUILT AS A SPORTS VENUE IN 1991, BUT ITS FUTURE BECAME SHAKY SHORTLY AFTER WHEN A NEW SPORTS FACILITY TOOK AWAY THE TEAMS. IT IS SUPPOSED TO REOPEN AS A BASS PRO STORE NEXT YEAR.

 LEONARDS BAR B Q IN MEMPHIS HAS AN UNLIMITED BUFFET OF RIBS, CHICKEN, BRISKET AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS PLUS AN OLD TRUCK AND ELVIS .

THE BLUE PLATE CAFE IS A POPULAR STOP IN WEST MEMPHIS FOR GREAT WAFFLES  AND BREAKFAST ALL DAY.

BUNGEE DIDN'T WANT TO GET OUT OF BED THIS MORNING, I THINK HE HAS JUST ABOUT HAD ENOUGH OF BEING COOPED UP IN A CAR.

TWO DAYS OF PRIMARILY BORING INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TRAVEL WAS TOO MUCH, SO WE PULLED OFF ONTO THE OLD BLUE HIGHWAYS TO GET TO NASHVILLE AND WERE REWARDED BY INTERESTING SMALL TOWNS LIKE HUMBOLDT, TN.

ELEVEN YEAR OLD AUREILIO SUDDENLY APPEARED AT A PARK  IN DICKSON, WEST OF NASHVILLE AND GAVE BUNGEE SOME NEEDED EXERCISE.  HE FILLED ME IN ON WHAT WAS UP IN THE TOWN AND GAVE ME HIS EMAIL SO I COULD SEND HIM THIS PHOTO,

EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK IN BACKCOUNTRY TENNESSEE PEOPLE HAVE OPENED UP
BAR-B-Q  JOINTS, SOME IN CONVERTED CHICKEN COOPS.

NASHVILLE

AMTRAK TRAIN UNDER THE SHELBY AVE. BRIDGE IN NASHVILLE

I EXPLORED DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE IN THE EARLY EVENING BEFORE HEADING A BIT SOUTH TO FRANKLIN TO MEET UP WITH LONG-TIME FRIEND DONNA O'NEIL.

RAN IN TO A PLEASANT COUPLE FROM WINNIPEG WHO WERE ALSO ON A TWO-MONTH ROADTRIP,  THEIRS THROUGH THE MARITIMES, NEW ENGLAND AND MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES. WE SHARED ROAD STORIES AND THEN RAN FOR COVER AS IT STARTED TO RAIN..... FORTUNATELY A RARITY ON MY TRIP!

THE AT&T BUILDING HOVERING OVER THE RAUCOUS MUSIC JOINTS ON BROADWAY WAS DUBBED "BATMAN" WHEN IT OPENED.

THE COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM OPENED THIS NEW $37 MILLION    BUILDING IN 2001 AND IT HAS BECOME A MAJOR "MUST SEE" IN NASHVILLE.

BUSTLING BROADWAY LIVE MUSIC VENUES

LUCKILY, NASHVILLE HASN'T TOTALLY BECOME A STERILE THEME PARK AND IT STILL HAS FUNKY ALLEYS AND DECADENT BARS DOWNTOWN FULL OF GARTH WANNABES.

IT WAS FUN TO CATCH UP WITH DONNA O'NEIL WHO IS A REPORTER FOR THE WILLIAMSON HERALD NEWSPAPER IN FRANKLIN, TN. SHE AND HER SIBLINGS LIVED UP THE STREET FROM US IN NEWBURYPORT AND GREW UP WITH MY THREE DAUGHTERS. DONNA SEEMS TO ENJOY THE NASHVILLE SCENE AND HER JOB ON THE PAPER.  RUNS IN THE FAMILY AS HER DAD WAS WITH THE NEWBURYPORT NEWS. I GOT TO SIT WITH HER AT A COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SHE WAS COVERING IN FRANKLIN AND GOT A FIRST HAND VIEW OF SOUTHERN POLITICS BEFORE WE WENT OUT FOR A BITE.

FRANKLIN IS A VERY UPSCALE, HISTORIC TOWN WITH A PLETHORA OF BOUTIQUES SIMILAR TO NEWBURYPORT. I FIRST GOT TO KNOW IT AT A DOWNTOWN PLANNER'S CONVENTION IN NASHVILLE FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. THE SHOPS WERE BUSILY GETTING SET UP FOR THE CHRISTMAS PUSH.

                                KNOXVILLE'S OLDTOWN AREA HAS BECOME A POPULAR  EATING AND DRINKING SPOT AND I ENJOYED A GOOD BLACKENED CHICKEN  SANDWICH AND SWEET TEA AFTER A HARROWING THREE HOURS IN TORRENTIAL RAIN ON I-40. BY THE TIME I FINISHED LUNCH THE SUN CAME OUT AND 40 -50 MPH WINDS WERE PUSHING THE STORM UP THE COAST TO NEW ENGLAND.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES AS SUNSHINE BLESSED US AS WE DROVE UP ALONG THE BLUERIDGE MOUNTAINS IN VIRGINIA.

CHARLOTTESVILLE IS A PRETTY COLLEGE TOWN DOMINATED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. THE DOWNTOWN MALL EVOKED MEMORIES OF CHURCH STREET IN BURLINGTON, VT,  ANOTHER
LIKABLE COLLEGE TOWN.

STAYED WITH JIM AND KATHLEEN IN WASHINGTON FOR THE NIGHT. I'VE KNOWN THEM FOR TWENTY FIVE YEARS AND IT ALWAYS FEELS GOOD TO CATCH UP WITH THEM.



THE LAST LEG OF THE TRIP, THE I-95 CORRIDOR  FROM WASHINGTON, DC TO MASSACHUSETTS WAS ON FAMILIAR ROADS THROUGH BALTIMORE, PHILADELPHIA, AND NEW YORK. ALWAYS STARTLES ME HOW THE TOLLS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE GAS NEEDED ALONG THIS ROUTE.

MASTORI'S HUGE FAMILY RESTAURANT NEAR TRENTON IS A REGULAR STOP FOR ME.  IF I LIVED CLOSER I'D WEIGH 300 LBS AS THEIR TAKE OUT BAKERY IS A KILLER.

HOME, SWEET HOME


11,670 MILES
55 DAYS
27 STATES
GREAT TIMES
GOOD FRIENDS,
  OLD AND NEW
TOO MUCH FOOD

AND AFTER A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP, I WILL BE READY TO HIT THE ROAD!

ARIZONA and NEW MEXICO NOV 9 - 12

ARIZONA

 A LOT OF CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE AT BOULDER DAM SINCE 9/11.  THE NEW BY-PASS BRIDGE JUST DOWNSTREAM WITH HIGH BARRIERS SO YOU DON'T GET A GLIMPSE OF THE DAM,  DIVERTS TRAFFIC FROM THE OLD ROAD ON TOP OF THE DAM.  THE SECURITY CHECKPOINTS TO APPROACH AND VISIT THE DAM ARE MORE STRINGENT THAN AT THE MEXICAN BORDER. 

OLD ART DECO DETAIL

WHAT USED TO BE A THRILLING EXPERIENCE, WINDING THROUGH THE RED ROCK CANYON AND SUDDENLY SEEING THE HUGE DAM, THEN CROSSING ALONG THE RIM WITH ALL THE SPLENDID ART DECO DETAILS IS NOW REDUCED TO AN OUT-SIZED AIRPORT SECURITY ANNOYANCE.

VISUALLY THE NEW FACILITIES, ACCORDIAN WIRE TOPPED FENCES, CRUDELY CARVED OUT PARKING LOTS, UGLY THREATENING SIGNS, PILES OF CONSTRUCTION RUBBLE AND THE MASSIVE VISITORS GARAGE MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE VISITING A HUGE PRISON IN THE DESERT.

BOULDER DAM TODAY





OH WELL, I GUESS THAT'S PROGRESS. I TRIED TO SUPPLANT THE FRUSTRATING HOUR OF  SITTING IN TRAFFIC JAMS, SEEING THE DEFACING NEW CONSTRUCTION AND AVOIDING SWARMS OF TOURISTS RACING FOR THE NEW GIFT SHOP TO BUY DAM TOKENS MADE IN CHINA, WITH PLEASANT MEMORIES FROM EARLIER VISITS TO THE MASSIVE STRUCTURE.

ANYWAY, WITHIN MINUTES I WAS IN ARIZONA CRUISING DOWN A "ROAD TO INFINITY" AND GETTING FURTHER AWAY FROM BOULDER DAM, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY  AS FAST AS I COULD.     AHHHH! THE OPEN ROAD!

JUST PAST KINGMAN, AZ WE TURNED OFF THE INTERSTATE ONTO BACK ROADS THROUGH THE HAVASUPAI RESERVATION AT GRAND CANYON AND FOUND OURSELVES ON THE REMNANTS OF OLD ROUTE 66.

 

THE TWO-LANE ROAD WAS DESERTED, BUT OCCASIONALLY WE RAN INTO NOSTALGIC SCENES FROM THE PAST LIKE THIS GAS STAION AND GENERAL STORE.

AS THE SUN SET BEHIND US WITH NEW SNOW ON THE MOUNTAIN TOPS, WE CRUISED INTO FLAGSTAFF FOR THE NIGHT.

I REMEMBERED THE TOURIST CENTER AND INN AT THE PAINTED DESERT FROM A TRIP OVER 50 YEARS AGO WHEN I DROVE MY FATHER-IN-LAW, JOE KENNEDY FROM CLEVELAND TO LAS VEGAS. HE WAS BLIND AND WE STOPPED OFTEN ALONG RTE 66 (PRE-INTERSTATE DAYS). HE'D GET OUT WITH HIS CANE, STRAIGHTEN OUT HIS HAT, STARE BLANKLY AHEAD LOOKING QUITE DAPPER AND ASK, "SO, WHAT ARE WE SEEING?", AND I WOULD DESCRIBE THE SCENE.  IT MADE THINGS MORE VIVID FOR ME AND HE SEEMED TO ENJOY IT.

PAINTED DESERT OVERVIEW

PETRIFIED TREES

DEEP WASH IN THE DESERT

wood replaced by minerals and crystals showing growth rings

THE PETRIFIED REMAINS OF A PREHISTORIC FOREST IN THE MIDST OF A VAST DESERT IS FACINATING AND FUN TO EXPLORE.

NEW MEXICO

IN ALBUQUERQUE, ANNIE POWDRELL RUNS THE SMOKEHOUSE BAR B Q THAT HER GRANDADDY  STARTED IN THE 60's.  TENDER, TASTY BRISKET AND RIBS. SHE WAS QUITE CORDIAL AND SAT DOWN TO CHAT. WHEN SHE LEARNED ABOUT BUNGEE OUT IN MY CAR SHE WENT INTO THE KITCHEN AND BAGGED SOME CLEANED RIB BONES FOR HIM WHICH HE WAS OVERJOYED TO GET.

THE HIGHWAY RAMPS IN ALBUQUERQUE PICK UP THE NEW MEXICO LANDSCAPE COLORS.  THAT SHADOW IS MY SUBARU.

FRONT PORCH OF A SHOP ON THE ROAD OUT OF SANTA FE TOWARD GEORGIA O'KEEFE'S GHOST RANCH.

COOL LOGO FOR AN UPSCALE SOUTHWEST ART AND ANTIQUE SHOP IN SANTA FE.

 ON THE BACK ROAD TO LOS ALAMOS THE LOS OJOS RESTAURANT HAS GREAT FOOD AND LOTS OF CHARACTER.

THE BURRITOS ARE BIG ENOUGH TO SERVE A WHOLE FAMILY AND THE ROARING FIRE FELT GOOD ON A NIPPY LATE FALL DAY.











BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT HAS FASCINATING CLIFF DWELLINGS AND RUINS IN A PICTURESQUE CANYON.

REMAINS OF PUEBLO IN BANDELIER

I WENT OUT TO CHRIST IN THE DESERT, A REMOTE AND BREATHTAKING MONASTERY  23 MILES DOWN A ONE -LANE GRAVEL ROAD THAT RICHARD AUSTIN INTRODUCED ME TO SEVERAL YEARS AGO. WHEN I ARRIVED THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF LIFE, NO VEHICLES AND ALL THE DOORS SHUT TIGHTLY. WHILE BUNGEE AND I WERE EXPLORING THE GROUNDS, SOMEONE CAME OUT OF THE MONASTERY DOOR SUDDENLY AND I WAS VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO SEE FATHER BARTOLOME WHO I MET IN HIS HOME TOWN OF QUERETARO, MEXICO LAST APRIL. WE HAD A WONDERFUL REUNION AND HE ASKED ME TO COME BACK AND STAY WITH THEM IN THE FUTURE AS HE SAID HE WILL NEVER LEAVE THIS SPOT AGAIN.

I CAN'T BLAME HIM AS IT IS THE MOST SERENE AND BEAUTIFUL SPOT I HAVE EVER SEEN, EVEN IN IT'S WINTER FORM.

AS I SAID GOODBYE TO FATHER BARTOLOME, I PROMISED TO RETURN AS WELL AS SAY HELLO TO SOME OF HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHEN I GET DOWN TO MEXICO IN JANUARY.

IN FRONT OF THE MONASTERY
THE CHAMA RIVER WINDS THROUGN THE VALLEY TO MEET THE RIO GRANDE NEAR TAOS AND HAS GREAT CAMPING, RAFTING AND HIKING TRAILS.

THIS IS GEORGIA O'KEEFE COUNTRY AND YOU CAN EASILY SEE WHAT INSPIRED HER ALMOST SURREAL PAINTINGS.

THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE COLONNADE IN SANTA FE IS JAMMED WITH JEWELERS

NATIVE AMERICANS SELLING THEIR WARES

TURQOUIS SELLER

"Q-TIP" CLUSTER, COMMON TO SANTA FE AS IT IS ONE OF THE MOST VISITED CITIES IN THE SW AND HAS A LARGE NUMBER OF RETIRED FOLKS

SANTA FE HAS BECOME A TOURIST MECCA, BUT RETAINS CHARM AND SMALL-TOWN CHARACTER.

I CAN EASILY SEE WHY PEOPLE GET HOOKED ON NEW MEXICO, IT CERTAINLY IS A "LAND OF ENCHANTMENT" AND ONCE YOU EXPLORE THE STATE, IT HAUNTS YOU TO RETURN. TOMORROW WE HEAD OUT THROUGH TUCUMCARI ON OUR TRIP BACK TO THE BERKSHIRES.