Above Photo: Vintage Postcard of Tucumcari
Day 5 Miles: None
Tucumcari, New Mexico
Tucumcari was so quiet and relaxing, I thought I’d stay an additional night. That’s when my bubble began to burst. Romanticizing the idea of owning a vintage motel or perhaps a vintage trailer park a la The Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona, I began looking at real estate listings and speaking to locals.
One shop owner really gave me an earfull about Tucumcari. “The local hospital just diagnoses and sends you somewhere else,” she said. “And forget about getting fresh produce. We have one grocery store in town, and it is terrible. I drive once a month to Albuquerque to do my shopping.” She had a few choice words about the Chamber of Commerce too, and the locals who would rather drive to Albuquerque to buy something than buy it from her.
Having noticed the “American Owned” signs on the motels around town, I was curious about a handwritten sign taped to the wall at the front desk of the RV Park: “This is a business. No personal questions.” The proprietors are of East Indian descent.
During my Sunday of sleuthing I discovered that many motels in Tucumcari are owned by East Indians, many of them related to one another. “Their motel signs may say “American Owned” but they’re not Americans. Well, they may have their papers, but they’re not Americans.” (That comment was so mean and hateful I am not going to attribute it to any particular individual.) I was beginning to understand the “No Personal Questions” sign.
And then there was the matter of the neon. My first night in town I watched the Disney movie, “Cars.” Paul Newman voiced one of the characters, which gives you an idea of how old the movie is now. For the uninitiated, the movie is about the fictitious town of Radiator Springs, somewhere along Route 66. The town was left behind when the interstate was built. The residents no longer bothered to turn on their neon signs at night anymore, that is, until a little racecar voiced by Owen Wilson got lost and came to town.
On my first night in Tucumcari, I was too bushed to go out and see all the fabulous neon at night. By staying an additional day, I would get that opportunity. What a disappointment.
Except for Tepee Curios and the Blue Swallow Motel, most of the signs are not even lit. The Cactus RV park sign, restored with grant money in 2008, only lights up in part, on both sides. The owners of Tepee Curios, Iowa transplants who fell in love with Route 66 and were even married on the route before relocating to Tucumcari, noted that many owners do not light their neon at night. I got the distinct impression that Tucumcari is a town full of great ideas and no capital; who has the money for neon repairs, or the electricity to light them with no appreciative audience?
Dreams sufficiently dashed, I decided I would detour to Santa Fe instead of going straight to Albuquerque the following day. Santa Fe would be my Route 66 palate cleanser. I needed a little break from The Mother Road.
This Post Has 6 Comments
Thanks for keeping it real. I don’t know how you usually stay so upbeat, cause I know the road can be rough. I am going on ninety days out here myself and I have been discovering why my friend Robbie refers to Florida as “America’s wang”. Expectations…ain’t they a bitch! Safe travels and tell Santa Fe I still love her, even though she is the only oasis for miles.
Heather, wow, 90 days! I have been living in the RV for four months, and I have been on the road for a little over a month. I bet I’ll be happy to spend a couple of months sitting still in Palm Springs by the time I get there.
I’ve lost track of how many places we’ve visited & seriously considered moving there. One time, we even made an offer on 5 beautiful acres in Goldendale, WA. Someone bet us to it by less than 5 minutes. Another time we were ready to buy a piece of property in the Methow Valley in Washington…until we found out just how many rattlesnakes were in the valley. We all Indiana Jones when it comes to snakes. Another time–Placitas, NM. A pretty little place north of ABQ. Right after I returned home after going there to look at houses, the housing bubble burst. Silver City, NM was on our list too. Nothing to put us off–looked for & found beautiful property there too. But it was soon far away from a major city. We’re SO fortunate none of these moves has worked out. We found that the more time we spent in a potential place, the more we found it just didn’t suit us for a variety of reasons. Give yourself time & enjoy the process.
Dawn, your statement about the snakes had me rolling! As for me and my flights of fancy, what a difference a day makes, as the old song says.
You are SO right! What a great old song! NPR had a great segment this morning on the 110th anniversary of Harold Arlen. He wrote Over the Rainbow & Stormy Weather. Here’s a link–hope you have strong wi-fi or enough data to watch it. Happy trails! http://www.npr.org/2015/11/07/455017504/remembering-harold-arlen-the-mystery-man-behind-over-the-rainbow
…Harold Arlen’s birth…