Red Fork Hippie, posting for Ron this evening:
This USA Today article lists New Mexico as one of the top 10 great road trips. The author is a little too enamored of the interstates for my taste, but the article itself, which focuses on some of Gallup’s Route 66 attractions — including the beautiful and historic El Rancho Hotel, which is a must-stop.
I particularly liked this description of Route 66 in western New Mexico:
The authentic hogans lie scattered amid red rock monoliths that litter the desert like abandoned castles. At Exit 36, hand-painted signs promising Navajo tacos lead to a home in tiny Iyanbito on the Navajo Reservation. Grazing horses disregard a trio of Navajo boys practicing their golf swings on a makeshift 16-hole course. It’s the sort of off-kilter encounter that makes veering off the interstate a detour into serendipity.
And this description of Gallup matches my own experiences:
The town is rough around the edges, but nonetheless a gem. At its heart, historic Route 66 splits vintage storefronts on one side from railroad tracks on the other. The town was forged by the railroad in 1881 (160 trains still pass through daily), but it’s now a major Indian crafts center. The selection of native jewelry rivals Santa Fe’s, but the prices don’t. …
The author concludes the piece with a description of the landscape and the billboards touting “Chief Yellowhorse and the Teepee Trading Post and Ortega’s Indian Jewelry Wholesale Outlet” on the way into Arizona:
The faded billboards may look as if they’ve been here since I-40 was but a gleam in President Eisenhower’s eye, but still they promise 20%, 30%, 50% off.
And you can’t help but think: Is this a great country or what?
HI this Don, I live in the tiny community where you saw those hand painted signs. My mom and I sell Navajo Tacos regularly so I figure these signs lead to my house. Those three men you saw playing golf play on a daily basis. They are my brothers, I think they might be as good as Tiger Woods by now. Anyhow, it’s great that you wrote about the Iyanbito scene on the internet, it’s great. This community is a great place to live too. Thanks!!!