Day 14 - Santa Fe, NM to Tucumcari, NM

Leaving Santa Fe feels like another transition. Through accident more than planning, the trip is in segments about a week long. The first was Seattle to Santa Monica, then Santa Monica to Santa Fe, and now Santa Fe to Saint Louis. (The sainted cities are also unplanned.) The first two have been somewhat familiar, although we haven't traveled the exact route or stopped at all the same places. But Santa Fe east is a new driving experience.

Just across from the Old Santa Fe Inn where we stayed is the Saveur Bistro. It isn't open evenings or weekends, so we hadn't been able to try it out. Dee and Bernie Rousenouwski served up croissants that Dee made that morning (she's 85), an omelet with eggs from organic chickens (R - what's an organic chicken; D - they get to run around and scratch in the yard) and steaming hot cappuccinos. They moved to Santa Fe in the early 70's from California and found they couldn't get a decent donut in the area. Dee started making them by hand in her kitchen a few dozen at a time, them bought a Mixmaster, then a bigger one, then a shoulder-high model. Bernie was starting the process at 11 PM to have fresh donuts in the morning. They also served breakfast sandwiches, but noticed that the locals like tortillas and chiles, so Dee came up with the idea of the breakfast burrito and the idea took off. Asked if she thought of patenting the idea, she shrugged and said it didn't seem like such a big deal at the time. At 70 they retired but grew bored so set up a bistro with short hours and a menu that suits their interest. At 85 she still rolls out the croissants by hand and they are as fine as we've had anywhere.

But the road beckons. Just south of Santa Fe is the Glorieta Pass through the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains where two significant battles took place. The first was in 1846 when the American Army routed the Mexican Army and led to a declaration of New Mexico as an American Territory. The second was in 1862 as part of the Civil War, when the Union Army, primarily Coloradans, halted the westward advance of the Confederates, primarily Texans, who were intending to take New Mexico as the first step in expanding the Confederacy to the Pacific.

On the advice of a local in Winslow, we extended the first leg along I-25 past the Santa Rosa turnoff to Las Vegas, New Mexico style. The community have kept the old part of town old, with early 1900 storefronts and gracious old buildings, some of which are unfortunately empty. A worthwhile work in progress. 

South from Las Vegas, we passed through some more big, beautiful country - gentle rolling hills spotted with low bushy pines against a backdrop of red bluffs and snowy mountains. A few cattle were grazing but the name of the spread, Starvation Peak Ranch, chilled a bit of the romantic air. 

Near Santa Rosa we rejoined I-40 and found a jewel of a spot - the Blue Hole. Literally a hole in the rock, it is 60 feet in diameter, 80 feet deep and filled with tropical blue-green water. It is fed by an underground spring at 3000 gallons per minute that is a chilly 61 degrees. It was near 90 degrees and the dip felt wonderful.

And then to Tucumcari.  We dropped down about 3000 feet from Santa Fe but were still at elevation 4100 feet. There were still a few bluffs and mesas, which is what drew the film crews to Tucumcari in the late 50s for a few episodes of the TV show, Rawhide. But mostly it is flat around here, which is a stark change from our trip so far. Even crossing the Mojave Desert, there were shapes in the land to capture our imaginations. What sights will Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri bring?

The Blue Swallow Motel put us up for the night in Tucumcari. On the side of Route 66, the owners (and past owners) have kept the 40's and 50's theme - the longest continuous operating auto court in the country. There are good reasons why auto court motels have died out, but one night here is a kick. Working rotary phones on a party line, original Kelvinator refrigerators, chenille bedspreads, an advertised feature, and a funky neon sign make this place wonderfully over the top.

License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. And from Mexico - Sonora.

No new states today - first time!

On our way to Tucumcari, we drove through the Guadalupe country. It seems like a good opportunity to introduce you to one of the great New Mexico writers, Rudolfo Anaya. His book Bless Me, Ultima is the story of a young boy growing up in New Mexico in the 1940's. 

How could the song of the day not be R A W H I D E Opening Theme - YouTube!