Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 14b, San Jon, New Mexico (2019)

On my 2016 Route 66 trip, I completely missed San Jon, a small town (village) in Quay County, New Mexico. According to Wikipedia, "The village was founded in 1902 and grew after the arrival of the railroad in 1904. It was once an important local commercial center and stop on U.S. Route 66 and home to numerous tourist-oriented businesses, such as gasoline service stations, cafes and motels. However, when Interstate 40 bypassed the village in 1981, the local economy went into a decline, leading most of those businesses to shut down. Today, only one motel is still in operation and all of the gas stations and dining establishments are centered around the I-40 interchange on the north side of town."

Today, San Jon is a superb dump - the quintessential fading Route 66 small rural American town.

The Route 66 handbook claimed that the Western Motel was open for business. Not any more....

San Jon was definitely a "buy gas here" type of town in the old days. We saw at least three now-defunct filling stations on the main drag.

These are all post-WWII nondescript cinder block construction, and I cannot tell what brands were once sold at these stations.

Another station of unknown branding.

The mural on this building looked fresh and was a memorial to some townsman who, I assume, died. I love the curved glass brick at the corner. Note how the curb curves to match the building. I wonder if this was once a car dealership?

Ceramics shoppe, San Jon, New Mexico (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera)

There were a few stores in town - once.

The temperature that morning was skirting freezing and the wind was howling. We left San Jon and headed east at high speed to zip through Amarillo to beat an impending ice storm. 

Room with a view: approaching winter storm, Childress, Texas (Moto G5 digital image)

We stayed in Childress, Texas. I passed through Childress and other Panhandle towns in October on my way west (click the link). The following night, we stayed in Texarcana. I described the abandoned Union Station in an earlier post (click the link).

Finally, home. Unload, clean and sort the junk, unpack, do laundry, wash the car, develop film, pay bills, etc., etc., etc. Prepare for the next trip.

Look what awaited us from the garden: a treat!

This ends my 2019 Route 66 expedition. If you want to read previous posts, please type "Route 66" in the search box. Some day, I want to explore the section from Oklahoma eastward to Chicago. Standby for more adventures.....

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 7c, Jack Rabbit and Holbrook, Arizona (2019)

Jackrabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, Sep. 4, 2019 (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera, polarizing filter)

 We will continue our drive east through Arizona. Near Joseph City, not much remains of Route 66, just the frontage road to I-40. West of town proper was the famous Jackrabbit Trading Post. A billboard with the logo "HERE IT IS" may be one of the best known Route 66 sights. Hundreds of tourists pose in front of the sign or sit on a big jackrabbit on the other side of the interstate. For the photograph above, I waited for some people to take their pictures and leave, and caught a BNSF train thundering through.

Room with a view, Joseph City (Fuji X-E1 digital file)

The terrain around Joseph City is a bit severe. I stopped in Joseph City during my 2016 trip but totally missed the Jackrabbit sign. The town has some urban decay material.

Dinosaur, 2214 Navajo Blvd., Holbrook, AZ (Kodak TMax 400 film, Hasselblad 501CM, 80mm planar lens, polarizing filter)

Holbrook was another old-time Route 66 town. There was not much of interest on Business 40, and I completely missed the Wigwam Village Motel. Fortunately, I visited a sister Wigwam Motel on Foothills Blvd. in Rialto, California, in 2016 (see Mother Road article 1). Here in Holbrook, I was pleased to see dinosaurs in town. The truck was sort of interesting, as well.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 7b, Twin Arrows, Arizona (2019)

Dear readers, we are back to Route 66, the Mother Road. On my 2019 western trip, I revisited some Route 66 towns that I passed through in 2017 and checked out some spots that I totally missed before. I will continue the trek from west to east as before, and will number the locations in the same pattern as before, for example, with Part 7 being Arizona.

Twin Arrows is an abandoned rest stop, trading post and gas station just east of Flagstaff. It is distinguished by a pair of steel arrows sticking out of the ground. As noted in the Route 66 Adventure Handbook (fourth ed.) "This is the type of feature which so distinguishes the old highway's attractions from today's cookie-cutter copies." It is a pity no one has tried to revive this rest stop, but possibly Flagstaff is too short a distance to the west, and travelers would just head into town if they needed gasoline or snacks.

The original Twin Arrows, near Flagstaff, Arizona (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera, polarizer)

As you can see, there is not much left to the place. Fortunately, in this dry climate, the arrows will not corrode for years. Maybe one day they can find a new home in front of a museum or similar attraction.

Most of these views are digital files from a Moto G5 mobile phone.

Standby for more 2019 Route 66 updates. For a quick stop in Seligman, Arizona, during this 2019 trip, click this link.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 6b, Seligman, Arizona (2019)

Dear Readers, on my recent trip to the US southwest, my friends and I stopped in Seligman, Arizona. It is a small town in Yavapai County at 1600 m elevation on the historic Route 66. During my 2016 Route 66 trip, I drove by and totally skipped the town. Poor choice; it is full of Route 66 kitsch. It is hard to tell how much is authentic, but the current residents are certainly capitalizing on nostalgia. Mid-day on October 21, 2019, the town was bustling with tourists from many countries.

At least 2 or 3 stores feature ice cream. A hot day in the desert under the blazing sun: why not indulge in an ice-cream-cold cone or cup of sugary and calorific goodness?

Eddie and Spencer checked out the old Chevrolet police car.

OK, it is not authentic Route 66, but who cares? J&R's Minimart sells Haagen Daz ice cream.

You can stay in Seligman, if you want. The motel (or motor court) may be authentic Route 66.

After rafting on the Colorado River for 16 days and using a groover, the device in the last photograph looked quite luxurious.

Stay tuned for more Route 66 updates soon. For older Route 66 articles, type "Route 66" in the search box.

All digital images were from my Fuji X-E1 digital camera.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 15, Glenrio, Texas

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.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 9, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Dear readers, it is time to complete the story of my 2016 west-to-east excursion on the Mother Road. 

Albuquerque, New Mexico, was always a major stopping point for travelers on Route 66. It was the "big city," with motels, movies, entertainment, groceries, and repair services. Coming in from the west from the Pecos River crossing, Route 66 merged with or became Central Avenue, a major east-west corridor through town. The western outskirts were lined with motels to serve the weary 66 traveler. 

Entering town on Central Avenue, the El Vado was ready to welcome visitors with a comfortable room and a place to park their car. Open since 1936, it had recently closed when I drove by in April of 2016. Had millions really stayed there as per the sign? Regardless, the units looked to be in good condition, so I do not know why they closed. Many of these Route 66 motels were built in Mission Style with tile roofs, protruding timbers, and white painted stucco walls. They were clearly meant to evoke the the "old west" as well as emulate the popular Alamo Plazas, which were America's first motel chain, founded by a Waco, Texas hotelier, Mr. Edgar Lee Torrance. The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement which was inspired by the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California.

Other lodgings, like this 21 Motel at 2411 Central Avenue, were still in business, but had a distinctly dive ambience (I passed). 

 

Route 66 continued east into downtown, In my short stopover, it looked like much of the inner core of the city is pretty dumpy, but Central Avenue has been partly revived and gentrified. The merchants were certainly capitalizing on the Route 66 theme.

Some of the stores have spectacular examples of western art (OK, western kitsch) in their architecture.

The famous KiMo Theatre at 423 Central Ave. NW is restored and operational. It was built in 1927 in an extravagant "Art Deco-Pueblo Revival Style" (I did not know such a style existed). As an example of the decorative elements, look at the handsome door handles. The KiMo is a popular site for paranormal investigators. The KiMo is reputed to have a ghost.

Near the KiMo, you see traditional 1920s office blocks interspersed with newer construction. Along Central Ave., they have been cheerfully painted and adorned with plenty of Route 66 signs.

Dear Readers, we will have one more article, and then that will be it for my 2016 trip on the Mother Road. Thank you for reading along. Next road trip: the Mother Road in the Great Plains. And next time, I will use black and white film.