Monday morning we said goodbye to the Big Texan after meeting Becky for breakfast before hitting the road again.

Cadillac Ranch

Our first stop was just west of Amarillo at one of Route 66’s most famous roadside attractions: Cadillac Ranch. After walking a couple hundred yards into the field, we found the famous row of Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground.

Of course we couldn’t resist adding our own touch — we signed our names on one of the cars before continuing west across the flat Texas Panhandle.

Vega and Dot’s Mini-Museum

Our next stop was Vega, Texas, where we met another Route 66 e-group member, Linda Drake, who works with the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce.

Linda kindly took us to visit Dot’s Mini-Museum, an unforgettable little stop in town. Dot is an 85-year-old Vega resident who has collected all kinds of fascinating items over the years. Her children built several small buildings on her property to house her collection, creating a unique and charming roadside attraction.

The mini-museum is free and open during the day, so it’s definitely worth stopping if you’re traveling Route 66.

Adrian – The Midpoint of Route 66

From Vega we continued west to Adrian, Texas, home of the famous Midpoint Café, which marks the halfway point of Route 66 — 1,139 miles from Chicago and 1,139 miles from Santa Monica.

While there, we enjoyed what might be the best chocolate peanut butter pie in the world.

We also met another e-group member, Joann Harwell, who works at the café and is responsible for many of those incredible pies. After browsing the gift shop and buying a few souvenirs, Joann asked if we would be willing to deliver a slice of coconut pie to Hilda Bakke, who owns the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari with her husband Dale.

We were happy to help.

Glenrio – A Ghost Town on Route 66

Continuing west, we stopped in Glenrio, a ghost town that straddles the Texas–New Mexico border. Glenrio once had several cafes, gas stations, and motels serving Route 66 travelers.

However, when Interstate 40 bypassed the town in the 1960s and 1970s, Glenrio was effectively cut off from traffic. Today only a couple of homes remain, and the once-busy Route 66 businesses sit abandoned.

From Glenrio we followed a dusty unpaved alignment of Route 66, a reminder of what travel along the Mother Road once felt like.

Tucumcari and the Blue Swallow Motel

Our destination for the night was Tucumcari, New Mexico, where we stayed at the beautifully restored Blue Swallow Motel.

Built in 1939, the Blue Swallow is one of the most iconic Route 66 motels still operating today. It has only eleven rooms, each with its own private garage — something that was common for motor courts in the 1940s and 1950s.

When we arrived, we delivered the slice of coconut pie to Dale and Hilda Bakke, the owners. They have done a fantastic job restoring this Route 66 treasure, and we enjoyed spending some time talking with them.

Originally we thought we might make it as far as Gallup or Grants, New Mexico that day. But by this point in the trip we were completely in “wing it” mode, and stopping in Tucumcari turned out to be the perfect choice.

Another wonderful day on Route 66.

All Route 66 Honeymoon Photos