Even though video can never quite do it justice, this 360-degree clip from the summit of La Bajada Hill gives you an inkling of what this primitive alignment of Route 66 is like.
For a more Route 66-oriented viewpoint, go here.
The road on La Bajada was Route 66 from 1926 to 1932. It contains more than a dozen hellish switchbacks, and was so steep in spots that automobiles going uphill had to take it in reverse because gravity-feed tanks couldn’t get fuel to the engine.
Here’s a photo of La Bajada Hill from 1928:
Unless you have a high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle, it’s not advisable to drive La Bajada Hill. But it’s walkable, and it makes for a great day trip in the New Mexico high desert.
I have a friend who met a “Jimmy Bajada” back in 1973. According to my friend, Jimmy was a legendary thunderbird, capable of transforming himself from human form into a large bird. While my friend was with Jimmy, strange things would happen. For example, when they would look out a window together, my friend said it would be like looking into a different world, or another dimension. Jimmy even appeared in a picture another friend of his took even though he wasn’t visible to either one of them. My friend still has this picture of Jimmy. Strange, but apparently, true, according to my friend who would never lie about anything like this and has stuck to his story for almost 40 years now. I find it interesting that La Bajada hill has this thunderbird connection even though Jimmy claimed to be from BC.