Sun. Aug. 14 – Day 5 – Santa Fe NM to Tumcumcari NM

This was another slow start day.  We made the last seating for the hotel’s “Healthy Start” breakfast which is a fancy way of saying cereal and stale bagels.  Both Anne and Jerilyn forgot their camera battery chargers so job one for Bob Sunday morning was to find chargers.  As we were packing up the room and almost forgetting our cell phone chargers, Bob got the brilliant idea to see if the hotel had a collection of chargers which they did.  Joswaldo, one of the maintenance guys, produced a large laundry basket that must have had 100 chargers in it.  We were able to find one for Anne’s camera but not for Jerilyn’s so Bob spent the morning running all over Santa Fe looking for a Canon charger and  trying to get a spare key made for the Buick while Jerilyn and Anne shopped.  We reconnected at the Burrito Company in down town Santa Fe for lunch and toured the Loretto Chapel before hitting the road at 2:30 for the short drive to Tucumcari.

Seemingly unsupported spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel.

The Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa MN.

Once inside the Route 66 Auto Museum five bucks gets you behind the wall to see 30 or so cars, most of which wouldn't make the cut at the dumbest car show in California.

One of literally thousands of abandoned businesses along old Route 66. If you look real close under the window to the left of the door it says "Cold Drinks".

We arrived in Tucumcari at dusk and were greeted by Nancy and Kevin, owners of the Blue Swallow, a beautifully restored circa 1939 motor inn with grand neon signs, a couple of old Pontiacs parked out front and garages between the rooms.  Because we are such sweet folks, Nancy upgraded us to the “Blue Swallow Suite” with two adjoining rooms each having a queen size bed which was a very sweet gesture on her part.

Kevin went nuts over the Buick and was up up early the next morning taking pictures of his 51 Pontiac parked next to the RUS-T 51 in the warm colors of dawn.

Arriving at the Blue Swallow at dusk.