Get Your Kitsch
Photo by Johnnie V
Sun 'N' Sand neon sign in Santa Rosa, restored by the NM Route 66 Association
Most of the legendary Route 66 followed a straightforward trajectory—diagonal across the West from Chicago to Los Angeles—but that’s not the case in New Mexico, where the Mother Road splits apart for nearly half its length. Drivers on the original (pre-1937) route snaked through Santa Fe then sputtered off toward Albuquerque. But in 1937 the highway was re-routed between Santa Rosa and Albuquerque, shaving 90 miles—and the state capital—from the original path. Why? Accounts differ, with motivations ranging from increased efficiency to political retribution. Whatever the reason, one unexpected benefit is that now you can get your kicks on both versions of Route 66 by driving a 300-mile loop: from the Plaza, wind east, then west, through the neon of Albuquerque’s Central Avenue and back to Santa Fe, with stops for everything from enchiladas to classic cars along the way. And while it’s impossible to keep the rubber on the original road—some segments don’t exist anymore—the spirit of 66 is everywhere.
Santa Fe to US 84
Start by heading out Old Pecos Trail, a main Route 66 artery in Santa Fe, from downtown’s iconic buildings, like the one occupied by La Fonda hotel, which served as a regular stop in the road’s glory days. Drive south on Old Las Vegas Highway to Pecos, where you’ll walk into the year 1919 at Adelo’s Town and Country store (505-757-8565), which still sells everything from hardware to hard liquor. Past Pecos, Route 66 runs between I-25 to the north and Glorieta Mesa to the south. Stop for a photo op at the First Bar West of Pecos, a liquor store with a boarded up drive-through window, a Route 66 sign painted on the stucco, and an old Perea Brewing Co. truck out back. A half-hour farther, turn south at the intersection of I-25 and US 84, marked by a behemoth 21st-century Phillips 66 gas station.
US 84 to Santa Rosa
The new pavement on the 55-mile stretch of US 84 offers a chance to fulfill your need for speed, and to appreciate the bigness of New Mexico. Then, right before the intersection with I-40, this Southwest Serengeti of brown landscape and blue sky becomes Mars: Far off on the horizon, a pod of massive PNM windmills sticks out in a surreal juxtaposition with the old-fashioned version that still spins in the front yard of a tin-roofed ranch house.
Not far beyond lies the unofficial state headquarters for Route 66 kitsch: Santa Rosa. You’ll have to backtrack east on I-40 about 15 miles, but the detour is worth it. At the first Santa Rosa exit, take a right turn straight into literary history: The Pecos River railroad bridge is the site of a scene in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. In town, the slightly run-down main drag evokes the fabulous ’50s, with signs like the Sun ’n Sand Motel’s restored neon masterpiece. Nearby, Bozo Cordova’s Route 66 Auto Museum (route66automuseum.com) holds more than $1 million in perfectly preserved cars—just imagine the cherry-red convertible ’57 Chevy.
For lunch, stop at Comet II Drive In & Restaurant (505-472-3663), where regulars have been jawing away in the same pleather booths for decades, and get a complete Mexican dinner: enchilada, tamale, beans, rice, choice of four chiles, guac, tortillas, and handmade natillas for dessert.
Santa Rosa to Albuquerque
As the nostalgia of Santa Rosa gets lost in the semi-trailer insanity of I-40, put the car on cruise until you reach Clines Corners (clinescorners .com), a motherlode of knicknacks. Inside, you enter the promised land of useless souvenirs: grow-a-girlfriend kits, rattlesnake eggs, New Mexico– shaped pillboxes, ceramic bullfrogs, and thousands of other gawk-worthy items. When I-40 pushes on through Moriarity, turn onto NM 333 (the old Route 66). Be sure to check out the spinning neon rotosphere at Moriarty’s El Comedor, and the shoe-box-size Red Top Diner east of Tijeras, before the road spills onto Albuquerque’s Central Avenue.
Albuquerque to Santa Fe
On Central, the farther west you drive, the cooler the kitsch becomes (rt66central.com). At its peak in 1955, there were 98 motels along this 15-mile neon strip. Today, fewer than 40 pre-1955 motels still exist and some, like the famous El Vado, are in serious disrepair. But packed between the McDonald’s and Econo Lodge, you’ll still find the best signage this side of Vegas, starting with La Puerta Motor Lodge (9710 Central SE) and reaching its zenith with the double neon sign at the Premiere Motel (3820 Central SE).
In some spots along Central, the art deco comes at you so fast that it’s best to park the car and walk. The two top hubs are ’40s-era Nob Hill— Hiland Theater, Nob Hill Business Center, and Johnson Standard Station (4804–3500 Central SE)—and west of I-25 near the KiMo Theater (423 Central NW). That’s a few blocks beyond where the old road turned north toward Santa Fe, but its pueblo deco architecture and Von Hassler murals are must-sees. One block farther, peruse the Southwest’s largest selection of Native baubles at Skip Maisel Indian Jewelry (510 Central SW), its turquoise storefront visible from a mile away.
At Fourth Street, pre-1937 Route 66 turns north, meandering through Barelas, a traditional Hispanic barrio on the National Register of Historic Places, and Bernalillo, where funky buildings give way to massive oak trees in the bosque along the Rio Grande. Braver souls might drive through Algodones onto the original dirt roads through the pueblos of San Felipe and Santo Domingo. But after more than 250 miles, it’s OK to give in to Route 66 fatigue and hop on I-25 to bomb back to Cerrillos Road, for one last stop at the El Rey Inn (1862 Cerrillos, elreyinnsantafe.com). At this most classic Route 66 icon in the City Different, the whitewashed adobe, meticulous grounds, and cozy rooms prove that the romance and hospitality of the Mother Road still rings true.
