Seconds With Steff

Hunter and I both woke early this morning. Because we came in from the Santa Fe loop yesterday and Albuquerque is where old and older Route 66 meet, I decided to backtrack a bit. I specifically wanted to see The Musical Highway. The National Geographic Channel funded this attraction for a program called “Crowd Control.” The show tests ways to improve society’s behavior. You can only hear the song America The Beautiful play if you drive at 45 mph. According to my app it was about 15 east of Albuquerque in Tijeras. We got to where the marker was on the app, but there was nothing and although I had cruise control on 45…nada. So moving on…

We drove through an early morning Albuquerque to find where the two Route 66es cross at Central and 4th Street.

Then onward to the most amazing thing we have seen so far, The El Mapias National Park. I know we were there to see lava flows, but the views were ridiculous. And then the rain clouds. I can’t begin and the pictures do not do what we saw any justice.

Onto Grants with a drive-thru 66 sign and the Mining Museum.

We finally ended the day in Gallup where we are staying at the historic El Rancho Hotel. Leroy, the hotel’s greeter and all-around historian, told me stories of movie stars and hotel history for over an hour… including the fact that every room is named for a star who stayed in it.

We are in the Tyrone Power room, between May West and James Cagney (MY FAVOURITE) and across from Katherine Hepburn who is next to Spencer Tracy. Coincidence? I think not! I even asked if there was a door to make their rooms are joining and I was told there is not. But the young woman behind a desk also didn’t know who the they were. We also spoke to a lovely man named Leroy who has been working at the hotel since his teens. Now semi-retired, he greets guests and shares the history of the hotel. He told us stories for over two hours.