Route 66 - The Blue Swallow Experience (Day 4 - Elk City to Tucumcari)

Late last summer, Alan and I spent 22 nights on the road in a dedicated effort to travel Historic Route 66 from start to finish, Chicago to Santa Monica.  Eight states, three time zones and 2,448 miles.  The journey continues.

While planning our Route 66 journey the previous year, I had mapped out a three-week trip to fit in between a couple of other items on our calendar.  Alan and I had decided early on that there were two iconic motels along the Mother Road that we really, really wanted to sleep in.  One was the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona.  The other was the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico.  (Knowing now what I didn’t know then, I also would have booked nights at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri, and/or Boots Court in Carthage, Missouri.)  When I attempted to book a date at the Blue Swallow, there was no room at the inn.  We were so disappointed that we actually changed the dates of our trip to coincide with a vacancy.  That turned out to be a fortuitous decision – the Blue Swallow was one of THE BEST highlights of the trip!  More about the Blue Swallow later.  First, several memorable stops along the way between checking out of our hotel in Elk City, Oklahoma, and checking in to the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari.

DAY 4 Scavenger Hunt Highlights:

First stop of the day - even before leaving Elk City

Conoco Tower Station & U-Drop Inn Café in Shamrock, TX

Impressive architecture . . .

. . . and the pride and joy of Shamrock

The booth where Elvis Presley ate at the U-Drop Inn Café

Note the Grand Opening date - May 18, 1929

Gravity-fed gas pump at the Magnolia Gas Station in Shamrock

Phillips Gas Station in McLean, TX

This truck was parked next to the station.

The Leaning Tower near Groom, TX

VW Slug Bugs in Conway, TX

Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo

You're halfway there!

The MidPoint Café in Adrian, TX

Back to the 50's!

Yes, it was as good as it looks!

The sad, sorry state of affairs in Glenrio, TX

The glorious Blue Swallow Motel - with "100% Refrigerated Air!"

Room #3

A phone just like my Aunt Jennie's!

Bathroom fixtures like hers, too!

Remember chenille bedspreads?

Picture perfect!

Alan's Camaro in Room #3's carport

An amazing experience!

Random Comments, Observations and Bits of Info

We checked off a stop on our Route 66 scavenger hunt even before we left Elk City, Oklahoma, on the morning of Day #4.  The Parker Drilling Co. Rig #114 is allegedly the world’s tallest non-operating oil rig – an oil rig that had originally been built in the 1960’s to test-detonate atomic bombs underground.

Our first stop after crossing the border into Texas from Oklahoma was the Conoco Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café in Shamrock, Texas.  Despite having visited the Tower Station twice before, Alan and I couldn’t pass up another stop.  Built in 1936, it was the first commercial business to open in Shamrock when Route 66 came through town.  At the time, the U-Drop Inn was the only café within 100 miles.  It’s considered by some to be one of the most architecturally significant buildings of its kind, and one of the few surviving art deco restaurants like this.  I can’t really speak to those comments, but I can tell you that the station and café are outstandingly impressive and extremely well cared for.  The U-Drop Inn Café is now Shamrock’s Chamber of Commerce and Route 66 Visitor Center.  If you step inside, you’ll find a booth where Elvis Presley once dined.

The gravity fed gas pumps at the Magnolia Gas Station (another stop in Shamrock) are also called visible gas pumps due to their clear glass cylinders.  Customers would hand pump gasoline into the cylinder, then release the gas into their vehicle’s gas tank.

The 1929 Phillips Petroleum station in McLean, Texas, is one of those sweet little cottage-style buildings.  It was the first Phillips station in Texas, and it operated for more than 50 years.  A round of applause to the good people in McLean who have lovingly maintained the Phillips station to the delight of Route 66 travelers throughout the years.

The Leaning Tower near Groom, Texas, can be found on the north side of Interstate 40 near Exit 114.  If, after seeing the photo, you’re thinking that you’d better hurry on over to Groom to see the tower before it falls down, you can relax.  The Leaning Tower was purchased by Army Air Corps engineer Ralph Britten, moved to its current location and situated at a 10 degree angle to attract attention.  If you look closely, you’ll see that it has three legs in standard tripod form that anchor it securely.

The VW Slug Bug Ranch in Conway, Texas, buried 5 Volkswagen Beetles nose-down as a tribute to Cadillac Ranch which is a little farther down the Mother Road.  Next to the Bugs are an abandoned gas station and a wide Texas horizon.  It doesn’t get much more Route 66 than that.

The Ranchotel in Amarillo, Texas, was one of the U-shaped motor courts that were popular in Amarillo between the late 1920’s and the early 1950’s.  We did stop, and I do have photos of it – but I just couldn’t post them.  The Ranchotel is closed, abandoned and in a terrible state of disrepair.  Basically, it’s falling apart and overgrown with weeds.  Just. So. Sad.  Aside from the entire town of Glenrio, Texas, the Ranchotel was most depressing casualty we saw along Historic Route 66.  If you want to see the Ranchotel, go online and search for archived images of this classic Route 66 Motor Court in its heyday.  And, if you ever do take a Route 66 trip, do yourself a favor – don’t stop.

The photo of Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo, was taken from Interstate 40 in a “drive-by shooting.”  Alan and I share an opinion of Cadillac Ranch that’s probably 180 degrees from that of most Route 66 fans.  Is it eye-catching?  Yes.  Is it worth pulling over to take pics of old graffiti-covered cars?  Not in our book.  In yours, maybe, and to each his own.  I’ll take the Conoco Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café over Cadillac Ranch ANY day.  That being said, it is an iconic installation, so be sure to include it in your Route 66 pilgrimage.

It was on Day #4 that we reached the “midpoint” of our Route 66 journey.  The town of Adrian, Texas, is situated at the geographical midpoint of Route 66 – 1,139 miles west of Chicago and 1,139 miles east of Los Angeles.  The MidPoint Café was a WONDERFUL lunch stop.  The staff and the locals here were warm, friendly, welcoming and funny.  The pie, my friends, was excellent.  When Alan ordered a double burger, our server smiled at him and asked if he was hungry.  When Alan said he had skipped breakfast and, yes, he was hungry, she said oooo-kay – like he didn’t know what he was in for.   He didn’t know what he was in for.  The burger was huge!  And delicious.  Before we ate, we asked what kinds of pie they had (so we could pace ourselves accordingly).  When our server said, “and one slice of coconut cream,” I couldn’t say, “Can you please save it for me?!” fast enough.  When one of the locals later found I that I had commandeered the last slice of coconut cream, I thought there were going to be fisticuffs.  As it turned out, he was quite friendly and gracious about the whole thing.  I figured HE could always come back another day; I couldn’t, so I didn’t feel guilty at all.  Alan got at least one hug from the owner while we were there, but I was too busy eating my pie to intervene.

Glenrio, Texas, sits at the border with New Mexico, and it is truly a place that time forgot.  When we had come through on Route 66 a number of years ago, there was a loop off of I-40 that allowed us to drive through what was left of the town.  It was depressing back then, and I believe we’re talking 15 years ago.  Alan and I decided to drive that loop through town again on this trip, wondering if there was anything at all left by this point in time.  Imagine our surprise when we saw a number of cars exiting I-40 at Glenrio.  What’s with THAT?  Cannabis, that’s what.  Every vehicle drove past the dilapidated homes and businesses in Glenrio, Texas, and turned in at what appeared to be the newly renovated Glenrio Smoke Shop in Glenrio, New Mexico.  Just past the Smoke Shop, the old loop road back to I-40 was overgrown and closed off, so we retraced our steps to the Glenrio, Texas, exit, crossed the border into New Mexico and set our GPS for the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari.

The Blue Swallow was absolutely one of the best highlights of our Route 66 trip! Alan and I were so smitten with it on a prior trip through Tucumcari, that it became a “must do!” for this trip.  It opened in 1940 and is a classic example of the old motor courts of yesteryear.  This one is L-shaped with 14 lovingly renovated and impeccably maintained rooms.  Current owners Rob and Dawn purchased the property in 2020, and have maintained its stellar reputation.  The effusive Rob handles guest duties while the quieter Dawn tackles the administrative end.  When Rob checked us in, he came with us into our room to point out original furnishings including Tiffany lamps, a chenille bedspread and the still working (very old) rotary phone.  His love and enthusiasm for the Blue Swallow was incredibly heartwarming.  He even insisted on moving bikes and chairs out of the carport so that Alan could pull his Camaro in.  (Due to the support pole between the two carport bays, if Alan had pulled in all the way he wouldn't have been able to open his door enough to get out.)  Before he left us, Rob invited us to have coffee with him in the office the following morning before we left.  He grinds his own beans, brews his own special blend and enjoys sharing a cup o’ joe with his guests.  If you’re a coffee drinker don’t miss the opportunity.  Not only was the coffee excellent, but it gave us yet another chance to learn more about the Blue Swallow and its history from Rob.  Souvenir room tags were available in the office - a perfect reminder of our stay in Room #3!  Was it worth changing our dates of travel so that we could sleep under a chenille bedspread in the Blue Swallow Motel?  Definitely!

After a restful night at the Blue Swallow, Day #5 found us motoring through New Mexico and on into Arizona.  I’ve said it before and I'll say it again: Having allowed only one week to travel Route 66 from start to finish, we missed a LOT.  If you decide to make this trip, but have limited time, a good guide book will be your best friend, helping you to determine your priorities.  If you have unlimited time and the financial resources to allow two, three or four weeks for the trip, go for it.  This great American road trip is one you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

A housekeeping note . . . I just reviewed and updated my list of Favorite Blogs and Favorite Places (both of which can be found in the column at the right).  Although Can I Retire Yet has been on my blog list for years, for some reason it stopped updating a while back.  I’ve done everything I can think of from my end, but Blogger tells me it can’t find the feed for that URL.  Please know that I still consider Can I Retire Yet a valuable resource.  Despite the fact that it’s not updating, it will remain on my list of favorites.  You’ll just have to click the “Show All” link to see it.  You’ll notice that a number of my favorite bloggers are no longer posting.  I’ve left the links to their blogs active, though, because every one of them is still a great place to go for trip stories and travel ideas.