A note to readers: Stories here might be sparse in the next few days because, as of this writing, I’m moving west to the classic Route 66 town of Tucumcari, New Mexico.
I’ll approve comments periodically through my phone, but story-writing probably will take a back seat for a while. Cross-country moves tend to eat up a lot of time.
My wife, Emily, unexpectedly landed a teaching job near Tucumcari in October and moved there within a week. I stayed behind in Missouri — my home for the last 4 1/2 years — to tie up as many loose ends as I could, and now I’m going to join her in the Land of Enchantment.
After our first long Route 66 trip in 2001, we knew in the back of our minds we eventually would move to this little eastern New Mexico town. We first were seduced by the Blue Swallow Motel (owned at the time by Dale and Hilda Bakke) and the sight of Tucumcari Mountain.
Although Tucumcari struggles with a variety of issues like many small communities in the Great Plains and rural New Mexico do, we grew to love its other aspects. Living in Tulsa for about a decade, we ventured to Tucumcari two to three times a year. Later on, when we resided 900 miles from it in Missouri, we generally managed to get there annually.
Even when we weren’t there, we’d follow Tucumcari from afar. We subscribed to the local newspaper, we followed a slew of Tucumcari businesses and organizations on Facebook, and we periodically checked the weather there online. They all were part of a 16-year daydream.
We’d tentatively planned to move to that Quay County community in the 2020s, but an opportunity presented itself early. And here we are.
I don’t have anything lined up job-wise, but residents assured me that shouldn’t be a big problem once I get there. My wife has a good job with economical health benefits for spouses, so there’s that to fall back on.
Regardless, I look forward to the new challenges that arise. And Route 66 News will continue as long as I have a decent internet connection. But this time, I’ll be very close to the Route 66 I’ve loved for almost two decades.
(Image of Tucumcari Mountain by Jamie James Crooke Powell via Flickr)
Welcome to New Mexico. I moved to Albuquerque in 1998 and met the woman who became my wife in 2003. I have been interested in Route 66 as a highway because I’m a retired civil engineer and as history because I’ve taken up history as a hobby in retirement.
I got the opportunity to stay at the Blue Swallow last June and consider it to be one of the best preserved Route 66 era motels still serving customers today.
I have been following your daily emails since this summer and enjoy all that you share. I hope that we might have an opportunity to meet this coming year now that we are neighbors.
Welcome to New Mexico! Tucumcari is certainly a magical place.
Best of luck Ron!!
My congratulations with your move to Tucumcari. I hope your move goes smoothly.
Once you are settled, i hope you can pick up, where you left. Your site has a lot of fans in The Netherlands. Thanks for everything you have done so far.
Fred (three times Route 66 traveler).
Welcome to the Land of Enchantment from one transplant to another. I moved here 24 years ago (to Rio Rancho), having lived in Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland, and California on the way to Paradise. I will NEVER live elsewhere. Although Tucumcari is not a “thriving metropolis” in the way that one would like, it is nevertheless a lovely small town and near many of the eastern NM attractions that draw so many. Welcome Home!!!
Sounds like a great move Ron. Speedy and safe travels and thanks for your writing. We all really enjoy it.
Congrats on your move! Where are you at in Missouri?
Congratulations Ron! Like you, I love Tucumcari as well. We wish you well on your move!
Congratulations! Enjoy living the dream.
Congratulations! We used to live in Tucumcari and enjoyed it very much. We had to move to Clovis for job reasons, but on the whole, I’d rather be in Tucumcari.
Welcome to New Mexico. Sounds like we have had a similar migration path. We moved to Santa Fe from Tulsa. Let me know when you are up for exploring the old alignment via Santa Fe. We should go and take a gander at La Bajada Hill together.
Ron,
Glad you’re finally able to join Emily in Tucumcari. I’m sure she’ll be glad to have some more furniture in the house. As we pass through Tucumcari at least 2-3 times a year we’ll get to see the two of you more often.
This is awesome news. I can see the two of you owning or managing a motel. Great way to start the new year.
Congrats on the move! I led Adventure Cycling’s first ever guided tour of Route 66 in spring 2016, and was captured by Tucumcari, and New Mexico in general. My group camped, but I was impressed by the Blue Swallow and vowed that next time through, I’m staying there! Cheers!
Welcome, Ron. You’ll be an asset to Tucumcari.
Hi Ron, Wish you all the best in Tucumcari. While larger towns like Joplin have precious little to offer regarding the Mother Road, you will find just the opposite in this town, and the location is full of excitement! Have a Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Thanks for all your articiles, enjoy then every day, have a safe trip and a Very Blessed and Prosperous New Year, GOD Bless
Best wishes on your new adventure, Ron. I imagine it will be very exciting to experience Route 66 as a resident of one of its best-known towns.
I love New Mexico and wish you ever success in your move. I use the site on my regular trips down 66 and sometimes stay at the Blew Swallow in Tucumcari..
Best of luck!!
Hi Ron, I always look forward to your e-letters in Route 66 news and congratulate you on moving west to one of my favorite 66 towns… Tucumcari is filled with Route 66 memories and I understand why you love it…. I have lived in the immediate area of the Pony Bridge in Oklahoma all my life so know how 66 grows within you…. But I do travel west a couple of times a year and always spend some time in Tucumcari… I look forward to hearing more of your new life adventure… Happy New Year ! Jim
Good move Ron. Enjoy the adventure.
Congratulations. What a great way to start 2018
Enjoy this new phase of your life’s journey. Hope to take a group of Ford Thunderbirds out your way this fall.
Congratulations on your move … and the realization of your 16-year daydream. Enjoy!!
Congratulations to you and Emily!
Bon démenagement et surtout bonne année 2018
Continuez à nous informer
Un fidèle lecteur de France (4 fois la Route 66)
Good moving and especially happy new year 2018
Keep informing us
A faithful reader of France (4 times Route 66)
Dear Ron & Emily: Congratulations upon the attainment of a 16-year-long dream. Most people I know don’t hold onto dreams that long. The best of luck to you as you make a new home for yourselves in your new Route 66 hometown. I hope you’ll be able to enjoy Route 66 even more in Tucumcari. (I’m planning to travel the road in June & July 2018, so perhaps I’ll see you there.)
Welcome to the town of my birth. There’s a primal, spiritual vortex with Tucumcari Mountain at its center that captures the entire town and surrounding area. I now live in Newport Beach, CA but always feel it’s soothing tug at my soul. You’ll be well taken care of. Thank you for accepting Tucumcari’s call to become your abode. PeaceLoveJoy to you and your bride always.
Welcome to Quay County! Thank you for your kind comments and your positive evaluation of this beautiful area. You will find some of the best people anywhere right here. I am so glad this will be your home too.