October 8, 2018
We woke up in Gallup to Hilton luxury: a warm room, two queen beds, television, and our own bathroom…with a beautiful view of Home Depot!
Our first stop this morning was the Gallup Coffee Company where they roast their own beans and also offer a variety of bake goods. Our to-go order include scones, bagels, Ethiopian and Columbian coffees; all fabulous!
Before leaving Gallup we took a quick driving tour, checking out some of the famous neon signs and artwork that decorate this small city that we liked a lot.
Leaving Route 66 for a while, our next stop for the morning was the El Morro National Monument, 50 miles south of Gallup. This monument was created by Woodrow Wilson in recognition of its unique place in the history of the Puebloan Indians and in the discovery and migration of the Southwest beginning in 1606 with Spanish explorers and continuing into the late 1800’s. The main wagon train route from Arkansas to California also passed through this area, stopping at the base of the cliffs where a large oasis existed. Copying the petroglyphs of the Puebloans who lived at the top of the cliffs, the explorers and travelers inscribed their names and the often the phrase in Spanish “passo por aqui” (passed by here) to memorialize their journeys. There were over 2000 inscriptions on the rocks…an older variation of “Kilroy was here.”
Leaving El Morro we traveled across the El Malapais Lava Flow National Monument, much larger than El Morro and distinguished by its ancient lava domes and exposed petrified lava.
On the northern edge of El Malapais we rejoined Route 66 in the town of Grants where we stopped for lunch at El Cafecito. Stuffed sopapillas for our main dish and plain sopapillas with honey for dessert. Yummy!
Grants celebrates its Route 66 heritage, preserving the old neon signs, even for business and motels that have gone out of business. They also lined the route with old satellite television dishes beautifully painted in Navaho style designs.
Leaving Grants, we headed for Albuquerque, switching between Interstate 40 and Route 66 for a while before we decided that the pot-holes on the old route were just too deep. We had been to Albuquerque on our western trip in 1974, but all we remembered was eating in Old Town; we completely forgot how impressive its location is, right up against the mountains. We took a very brief, 5 minutes, walking tour of Old Town. There were just too many gift shops for us, and so we headed out of the city via Central Avenue which is lined with many beautiful art deco/Navaho designed buildings.
Our final stop for the day a campground in Bandelier National Monument which is located just outside Los Alamos. We arrived just as it got dark and thrillingly found a campsite next to another Sportsmobile Transit Van, from Maine! Using our headlamps, lanterns, and campfire, we dined on hotdogs, potato chips, and s-mores.
Two Sportsmobile Transits Side by Each
