2019 EB Day 9 - R66 High Point

Santa Fe rated as a high for almost everyone in our eastbound tour group, be it the architecture, art work or just the mood within a city that almost could be in another country.

It was a rewarding morning wandering arounds the CBD, exploring the oldest house, the staircase with no nails and a little (read, a lot for some) shopping.

We moved off south toward Romeoville on one of the two alignments which leads back to the i40 and Route 66. At Glorieta Pass we climbed to the highest point on our trip (7,500ft), nearly two thirds the height of Mt Cook.

Ken struggled with the fact we were passed by a Kenworth tow truck but that's the reality of taking in all the old road has to offer.

Rejoining the i40 we stopped in at the Santa Rosa R66 Car Museum which also rated as a high for the day by many.

A small private but eclectic collection of cars that met with approval all around.

Outside the hot rod that marks the location stood tall against the dark threatening clouds that would eventually envelope us before the end of the day.

The road to Tucumcari also rated up there too, the way it ran alongside the i40 and one or either side and the narrow tunnels that connected the two beneath the interstate.

The small town of Cuervo was literally divided by the i40 and brought about it's almost complete demise on one side and severally affected the other.

Still plenty of remnants of what this settlement was once like.

Our relatively short day ended at the Mesaland Museum for Dinosaurs where curator, Dr Axel Hungerbuehler waxed enthusiastically about his prehistoric bones that he and his university students are pawing over to gain insights into our past.

Their museum is quite extensive including full scale replicas and several full sized original displays.

Home for the night was in the famous Blue Swallow Motel where hosts Nancy and Kevin welcomed our travellers warmly as they always do.

It's such an iconic place to stay and is always beautifully presented. The inside of the motel garages, (a feature designed to attract early travellers to stay) was a great place for our dine in pizza, complete with 'Cars' themes on the walls.

Despite the rain, we still got a shot of our cars under their own iconic neon light.