Iam sleepy, so if this doesn't make much sense, try to make allowances.
In spite of the long day yesterday, I got up early. This may have had something to do with the fact that Robin's two dogs and cat were up and seemed to enjoy going between her room and the guest room to see if anyone was awake. Or maybe it was just my bad habit of waking up early.
Robin took me to see the Zuni Pueblo. It isn't really a pueblo, she said, but this is one of the remaining cities of gold. The houses are built from sandstone or cinder blocks or adobe bricks, connected to each other in traditional pueblo fashion.
We went to the Zuni mission, which had been built in the 1620s by the Spanish and had survived the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. While it had not been destroyed by the Zuni, it had been damaged severely by time. Around 1900 the roof collapsed, and by the 1960s it was in horrible shape.
It was then restored by the Zuni, the National Park Service, and private contributors. Others probably helped, too. Don't use me as a reference for this. I'm just reporting what I can remember.
Robin took me inside. The side walls of the chapel were covered with gorgeous, brightly colored paintings. The north side showed the characters in the Zuni's big ceremony. The south side had characters from seasonal celebrations.
While we were looking, someone spoke to us from the balcony. He was the person, along with his father, who was doing the painting.
I won't try to tell the stories and details he told us, since I will just get it wrong, but I will give an overview of what happened.
He came downstairs to show us around. He explained that there had been Zuni artwork on the walls before: archaeologists had found several layers of paint on the walls when they were digging the dirt out.
Beginning after the restoration of the mission until the present, when funding allowed, work on the inside adornment was continuing. None of them had formal art training, but that didn't show.
He told us the name and function of each of the dozen or so characters painted on the walls, and what the people selected to wear costumes and portray these characters had to do during the ceremony.
He talked about how long the Zuni had been on this land while his son, possibly two or three, hid behind his leg.
We must have listened to him for almost an hour. His Zuni accent was almost musical, and his enthusiasm for the project was obvious.
He took us upstairs to show us what he was working on currently, and walked with us out onto the balcony.
This was one of the highlights of my trip. I can't explain how fascinating it was to listen to him talk about his people, his history, and his project.
I have found an article that I am sure was written by this man. It also has some pictures of the murals.
Robin and I went to the Route 53 Cafe for lunch (one of three restaurants in Zuni). I had an Indian Taco with green chiles. Robin assured me that this was proper Southwestern cuisine. It was hot.
We went to the Zuni Museum, an adorable place showing modern traditional work, including that of children, along with displays about the Zuni way of life.
After saying goodbye to Robin, I drove due north to U.S. 666 in search of a sign to photograph. I saw a few signs directing me to the highway, but I drove north on 666 over 15 miles without seeing a plain shield marker. I gave up and turned west, then south back toward I-40.
This was the best driving day I have had so far. The air temperature was perfect, neither hot nor cold, and the sky was a clear, deep blue with just a few scattered white clouds.
I crossed the Continental Divide for what will probably be the last time this trip at 7890 feet, among high desert and mesas. I also saw some black lava flows.
Back in Albuquerque I went to Old Town, a concentrated adobe tourist area, to visit the International Rattlesnake Museum. There were over 60 live rattlers on display here. I posed for a picture, which cost $5 and came out badly, but I got to hold a snake for five minutes, which made it worthwhile. It was a constrictor, not a rattler.
Back on the road again I passed another "TUCUMCARI TONIGHT! 1500 ROOMS" sign. My first had been between Flagstaff and Holbrook last Friday in Arizona.
Here, as in Arizona, some Route 66 attractions had their own exits. I expected to find something at the Wagon Wheel exit, but just saw a closed motel and a truck stop.
I saw signs for yet another Bowlin's stop.
New Mexico rest stops all seem to consist of a big loop with several individual adobe shelters for travelers.
In Santa Rosa I checked the Club Cafe, but it was still closed. I had dinner at the Comet Drive In. It still had the neon-lit drive-in awning, but it wasn't in use. It had been converted to a Mexican restaurant. The neon sign was still great.
East of Santa Rosa I saw another closed Route 66 stop. Without references I have no idea what it was, but it seemed to be a wild west attraction/trading post.
I saw at least two billboards for the Big Texan restaurant in Amarillo that led with FREE 72OZ STEAK. The fine print said that it had to be eaten in an hour, but didn't say that you had to eat the shrimp cocktail and all the side dishes in that hour, too. If I go there tomorrow, I'll provide more details.
New Mexico license plates may be the ugliest in the country. They are brick red on mustard yellow.
I'm now at the Motel Safari in Tucumcari. It is run by a couple who moved here from Minnesota for the weather. The room was $20.95 plus tax, which is mid-level pricing for Tucumcari. I'm not kidding. There are many motels for less than $20 a night, and you'd have to put effort into spending more than $30.
The kids here cruise for fun. The turnaround spot is just down from the motel, between here and the Blue Sparrow.
Tomorrow I will probably continue driving Route 66 across Texas. What may change my mind is a billboard I saw just before arriving in Tucumcari. It said "See Dorothy's House From the Wizard of Oz!" I didn't catch any of the details on the sign, but I didn't need to. I know it was refering to Liberal, Kansas, the self-proclaimed center of all things Oz. I know it is on U.S. 54, because, when I entered Kansas from the east a few years ago, 54 was labeled "The Yellow Brick Road".
U.S. 54 is right here in Tucumcari. If I go northeast from here instead of east, I'll go to Liberal.
I need to look at the map some more.