Day four of our Route 66 road trip included a drive through historic Tucumcari and dinner at a 1950s-style diner.
Route 66 Road Trip Day Four: Long Drive, Historical Neon Lights Of Tucumcari
We just could not pull ourselves away from the Hyatt Regency Tamaya, even though we had an eight-hour drive ahead of us, the longest of the trip. I worked in the morning, got a haircut, and worked out as well. The kids went swimming.
We again enjoyed a late breakfast at 1:00 pm. Since it was New Year’s Day, the hotel was fairly crowded and there was a buffet breakfast, which was quite good.
Tanked with a full stomach and two double-shot cappuccinos, we finally departed…at 3:27 pm. Oh well…
The first part of the drive was fairly flat and boring, though I was thankful for the 75 mph speed limit, which allowed us to make good progress during the final daylight hours. We stopped near Moriarty, New Mexico for gasoline.
Road signs along the way indicated that we were tracing old Route 66, but would need to get off the interstate in order to be on the actual road.
We finally did that in Tucumcari, near the Texas border. Tucumcari is a town of about 5,000 and old U.S. Route 66 runs through the heart of Tucumcari via Route 66 Boulevard. Here, you can find hotels, restaurants, and gas stations dating back to the 1930s, 40, and 50s, many of which have managed to stay in business for decades.
Not only did we enjoy seeing the neon lights, but we stopped at a classic coffee shop called Kix on 66. It was Heid’s first time at a “real” American diner and also for the kids…
I was still full from our late breakfast and only had coffee, but Heidi had liver and the kids had chicken and French Fries…and everyone seemed to like it!
While we were waiting for the food, Augustine drew up three New Year’s resolutions. I love him so much.
We continued our drive through the Texas panhandle, stopping in Amarillo for more gasoline and so Heidi could get some Starbucks since she was driving the next leg. I suppose I could have tried the 72-ounce steak contest at The Big Texan Steak Ranch had I skipped breakfast, but I was still not hungry…and I’m sure my body thanks me for avoiding 4.5 ounces of cow meat along with shrimp, salad, and baked potato…
Soon we hit the Texas-Oklahoma border, and were greeted by a mile-high cross…
Heidi only lasted an hour behind the wheel and then I took over for the remainder of the drive to Oklahoma City, arriving at just after 1:00 am. The Fordson Hotel, a Hyatt Unbound property, was located in a quiet part of town and I had no trouble finding street parking. Soon we were in the room and fast asleep.
This trip report covers my road trip along the old Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Great weather : Low of -20 F to High of 110 F .
It was near there that a Western Airlines Ford Tri-Motor landed in a field during a blizzard in 1929 , and then took off the following day . headed for Texas . Two passengers and crew stayed the night in an abandoned building . No one else knew where they were . Ford Tri-Motors could do what modern aircraft cannot .
Oklahoma Turnpike? I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have driven on a toll road on this stretch. I-40 isn’t tolled anywhere in Oklahoma. I-44 is between OKC and the Missouri line (Turner Turnpike to Tulsa, Will Rogers Turnpike from Tulsa to Missouri). Maybe you’re thinking of that, or maybe you drove on the tolled section of I-344 around OKC? Anyway, if you did drive on one of the turnpikes, you’ll get a bill in the mail in a couple of weeks.
Curious coincidence – we stayed in the Blue Swallow Motel pictured at the top about a week and a half before you drove through. I’m surprised you didn’t stop for Mexican food anywhere in New Mexico. There’s actually a few good ones right in Tucumcari (though the owner of the Blue Swallow also did recommend Kix on 66, so you made a good choice).
So I got mixed up. That leg of the trip was actually the following day, from Oklahoma City to Rogers, Arkansas on I-35. Looking more closely, I see I easily could have avoided it. Darn, wasted $15 to save 10 minutes…
If you do have any charges for Oklahoma, it’s pretty easy… go to the Platepass website and you can search by license plate number and pay (or they’ll send you a bill in the mail usually within a month).
One thing I’ve found useful a number of states have (and helps insulate against ridiculous rental car toll fees) is the ability to temporarily register a license plate. The NY state toll system will do this… put in a license plate number and a start/end time and note it as a rental car and you can set a payment directly. A rental car company at BUF got mad at me for telling everyone in line how to go on their phone and register the bridge to Niagara Falls to avoid all those fees.
I also travel with a FL Sunpass (the physical brick one) that’s pretty easy to add rental cars.
You were so close to Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium. Best French bakery in Midwest is in OKC.
It’s a shame you got a late start, you missed some good stuff. Green chili in NM, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. At least you went to a cheesy diner in Tucumcari. And if you think 75 is fast, look up the speeds on SH-130 in Central Texas.
Let’s just say that 85 was no problem. 😉
Caught up on your trip report so far. Traveling with little kids on long road trips like this can be a challenge at times. Were your late start times based on their needs? As an overplanner, when we took this leg of the trip in 2012 we saw so much, but the kiddos were falling out. When they get older, try Old Town Albuquerque, Blue Hole-Santa Rosa, the dirt road linking Son Jon and Glenrio for some ghost town vibes. We always stop for lunch at Midpoint Cafe in Adrian and get pictures at the sign. Of course the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock makes for nice pictures as well.
The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton is a must stop at least once along this section of Route 66.
It saddens me to see Tucumcari fading away the way it is. As a kid in the early 80’s, we stopped by and the entire business rt. had hotels, stores and restaurants from one end to the other. In 2009 it still had lot’s of neon and a bit of a renaissance had come about after Cars brought back some awareness. In 2019 though, many buildings in old downtown near the train station had begun to collapse due to neglect. I walked the boulevard at night and took as many pictures of the neon I could knowing it wasn’t going to last.
Rip Apache and Pow Wow Inns – and the original Del’s.
We left late because I had to work each morning and my wife and I both like to workout (and the kids loved swimming).
Stop by and say hello. I’m in Edmond, OK, just off 35
Wow, 4 days in and the only little travel on the real route 66 is a few miles into one town in New Mexico. A trip across the southwest on Interstate 40 in the dark doesn’t seem worth reporting as the mother road, no matter how nice the Hyatt hotels are. When we finally make this trip, we will avoid every inch of Interstate 40 that we can, and only stay in original motels when they have rooms. Now that’s going to be a trip “ON” Route 66. billooltewah
Different strokes, different folks. That doesn’t appeal to me, but live and let live…
I did this trip last year, spent New Year’s Eve in Tucumcari at the Blue Swallow! However, I went the other way, from Chicago to Santa Monica. Godspeed, and have a safe and fun filled journey! Don’t forget about the Jackrabbit Trading Post!
You got into Tucumcari at a good time. Sunset and night time is the best view of those signs.
I like Tucumcari but am sad to always see it so empty. It deserves more.
I opened the link to the article as seeing Route 66, Scottsdale, and middle eastern food in the headline seemed, well, “no matches found”. But then after reading the next three I realized that the Route 66 reference was to get one to open the link to a Hyatt commercial. And I fell for it.
The Route 66 reference represents the route, generally not precisely, we took from LA to Chicago. Come on, now.