DESTINATION: Tucumcari, New Mexico

The first cute thing I saw this morning was this obedient dog, waiting for his owner to come out of the gas station. They are quite the traveling duo.

Our first real stop was the Palo Duro Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Texas, south of Amarillo.  This is the second largest canyon in the US. The bright red cliffs were created by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River.  It’s truly amazing that such deep canyons can be formed hundreds of thousands years ago by small rivers and wind.  For sixteen miles we got to drive down to the bottom and back up.  It would have been a wonderful place to hike and the weather was perfect.   

We ended our day tripping by staying the night at one of the most iconic spots on Route 66, The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico.  It opened in 1939 and has been taking care guests from all over the world ever since it opened.  The current owners, Dawn and Rob, sold everything they owned and left their jobs up in Chicago just last year, 2020, to begin a new life here. They, and their big black lab, are the most hospitable motel owners you can meet and the rooms are a true step back to the 1940s and 1950s.  

                                                                            Dawn

                                    Marshall, the black lab, Dawn’s husband, Rob,  and Dawn’s father who is visiting 

Here is our room, the Lillian Redman room.  Lillian was the first owner who ran this motel well into her 80s.  

The grounds

Some nighttime photos