2024 WB Day 13 - Descending into Arizona

A quick run down the i25 to east of Albuquerque would ensure we saw some of the historic down town…

… full of old and refurbished neons, marking motels and other businesses associated with the original route.

On the outskirts of Albuquerque is the Rio Puerco Bridge decommissioned years ago, but remaining as a monument to the days when all travel east and west was funneled through this Parker Through Truss bridge.

These days it’s cacti that have found their way on to the bridge.

Laguna Pueblo is home to Owl Rock…

…and Dead Man’s Curve…

…the 270 degree bend straightened by the interstate to speed up the journey. For us it’s the experience of what it once was like.

There’s lava at Acura Pueblo, a form that pushes it’s way up through the earth’s crust rather than flowing from a formed volcano.

Dropping under the freeway…

…we maintained the old route which led to Grants for a photo op…

…and a look around the local farmers’ market.

Junkyard 66 on Brewery was lunch and Henry cooked up brisket and pulled pork…

…devoured in an unusual mechanical workshop setting.

Swap Meet 66 near Prewitt gave time to chat about the way the road is changing…

It’s hard to believe less than a decade ago this place was intact and Sunshine lived here looking after it for the elderly owner.

78 year old Charlie still lives just down the road…

He’s not building engines like he used to but his surroundings provide evidence of a past soaked in motorsport.

His political persuasion is flying high for everyone to see!

Closer to Gallup is Thoreau… there’s still a bit happening but not much compared to the past, one suspects.

El Rancho Hotel in Gallup was home to all the big name stars from the western movie days…

and that heritage is proudly displayed throughout the iconic Route 66 landmark.

The i40 was a parking lot…

…a wayward caravan, the culprit. Despite the huge numbers of cars and trucks, ‘wrecks’ are few and far between.

Further west on the free flowing Mother Road is Lupton.

Then the Painted Desert which wound around to cross the i40.

A R66 marker in the form of an old Olds is the point where the original road cut through the desert.

On the other side of the interstate is the Petrified Forest.

Twice today trains returned our pitiful toots with booming air horn blasts… that made us feel special!

‘Twas a long day on the road for our thirteenth day out of Chicago and we were into Indian territory, so appropriately, we were in wigwams!