After the pleasures of Route 66 memorabilia and architecture in Tucumcari, we continue our trip on the Mother Road. Much of Route 66 in eastern New Mexico has been subsumed by Interstate 40, so you are forced to take the high speed route. I did not check out the small towns of Endee or San Jon, so I cannot comment on what is left there. But once you enter Texas, the ghost town of Glenrio is worth the short diversion south of the interstate. In the 1940s, this was a thriving place, but now the old pavement is dusty, dogs bark, and all the shops are closed. The hot wind (it was about 100° F. that day) blows the sweat away.
 |
| Last Motel in Texas, Glenrio, TX |
This was the last motel in Texas if you were heading west, but it was the first motel in Texas if you were heading east. The road to the west is sandy and subject to water, so the guidebook warns to not continue west in a 2 wheel drive car.
Glenrio was formed in 1903, when the railroad came through the area. Supposedly, a film crew spent a few weeks here in 1938 filming portions of
The Grapes of Wrath. I can see some possibilities for a modern movie, maybe one where dinosaurs or giant spiders eat people.
The last three square photographs are from Tri-X film, exposed with a Hasselblad 501CM camera and a polarizer filter to darken the skies.
No comments:
Post a Comment