Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas to Tucumcari, New Mexico    463 Miles (463 Miles Total)     Sunny - 97F

 Tucumcari, New Mexico

Departing Fort Worth at 10AM, this year with co-pilot Amy, we headed North on US 287 to Amarillo. The route parallels the BNSF former FW&D line and it happened to be busy today.

After stopping for a brief lunch in Wichita Falls, we had an uneventful drive to Amarillo, where we were surprised to discover that it was Redneck Adventure Day... no kidding...

Which of these pictures is tackier?

Amarillo is also home to the Cadillac Ranch...

Heading west from Amarillo on I-40, we paralleled the remnants of Route 66 to Tucumcari, New Mexico. This small town became famous during the glory days of Route 66 for it's 1500 hotel rooms and is still a somewhat legendary stopover for travelers retracing the old road.

To spend the night in Tucumcari, we checked into the Blue Swallow Motel. The Blue Swallow has a grand total of 12 rooms and was opened in 1939. It is said to be the oldest hotel in continuous operation on Route 66. The rooms truly are like stepping back in time... and even come complete with a garage!

As the sun was setting, we got some great pictures of the neon Blue Swallow marquee and Quark.

Some of the other hotels have interesting neon as well..

Putting the bug away for the night... note the neon blue swallow for every room. Cool!

posted May 29, 2004 by Tyler