Route 66 with Our Grandson – Amarillo to Tucumcari:  September 16, 2015

After finishing our visit at the Jack Sisemore RV Museum, we headed west from Amarillo along historic Route 66 toward Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Our first stop was the Midpoint Café in Adrian, Texas, where we enjoyed a simple Route 66 lunch of burgers and fries. Adrian is home to the Midpoint of Route 66, marking the exact halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles. Of course, we had to stop for photos at the famous Midpoint of Route 66 sign.

Next door we visited the Sunflower Station, owned by Fran Houser, who previously owned the Midpoint Café for many years. It was a nice stop to browse souvenirs and chat for a bit.

Continuing west, we crossed into the small and mostly abandoned town of Glenrio, which sits directly on the Texas–New Mexico border. Once a busy stop along Route 66, Glenrio is now a ghost town with several abandoned buildings still standing. One of the most recognizable structures is the old Little Juarez Diner, which reportedly inspired one of the buildings seen in the Pixar film Cars.

From there we continued into Tucumcari, New Mexico, a town well known for its classic Route 66 neon.

One of our favorite stops there was Tee Pee Curios, a longtime Route 66 souvenir shop that’s always worth visiting. Besides picking up a few souvenirs, we enjoyed spending some time talking with the folks there about Route 66 history and travel stories.

We also stopped at the historic Blue Swallow Motel, one of the most iconic Route 66 motels still operating today. We took several photos and had a chance to talk with the owners before picking up a few souvenirs.

While in Tucumcari we made another stop that turned out to be a big hit with our grandson. We visited the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, located at the local community college. Jameson absolutely loved it. The museum features a large collection of dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and petrified wood, along with an interactive area where kids can dig for bones and fossils themselves.

After a full afternoon of exploring Route 66 landmarks and dinosaur exhibits, we made our way back to Amarillo to finish out the day.

Links

• Our full September 2015 Route 66 RV trip overview
• Shasta Trailer Adventure: September 12–14, 2015
• Western Oklahoma to Amarillo:  September 15, 2015
• Jack Sisemore RV Museum (Amarillo, Texas):  September 16, 2015
• Amarillo to Tucumcari:  September 16, 2015
• Amarillo, Texas to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma:  September 17, 2015
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Joplin, Missouri:  September 18, 2015
• Final Days on Route 66 – St. Louis KOA and Heading Home (September 19–20, 2015)
• Tips for RV travel on Route 66

Photo Gallery

Route 66 with Our Grandson – Shasta Trailer Adventure: September 16, 2015