Tired But Not Forgotten

Like hundreds of other towns along the old Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles, Tucumcari has seen her best days fade in the distance like rear view mirror. She is still trying, though, to keep one eye on her past and one on her future. (See the accompanying photo album.)

According to the Visitor's Guide, Tucumcari, originally called Six Shooter Siding, was a tent city at the foot of 4,999-foot high Tucumcari Mountain for the Rock Island Railroad. By 1902, four passenger trains, two mail trains and two freight trains made daily stops at the new city. By 1910, almost 70 businesses had been established. When Route 66 came through over 75 years ago, the community began to flourish.

Then, after President Eisenhower pledged to create a national interstate highway system, Congress responded by passing Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which provided the funds to construct such a huge project. By 1970, nearly all segments of original Route 66 were bypassed by a modern four-lane highway. Sadly, the highway John Steinbeck called the “Mother Road” was no more.

Tucumcari is thought to be among the oldest place names in New Mexico. Unfortunately, the real origin and meaning of tucumcari is not known for certain. Most historians and linguists believe that it is derived from a Plains Indian term, possibly Comanche, meaning “lookout point” or “signal peak.”

I got up at sunrise on Friday to take some pictures. This was by accident. I awoke and saw some light coming through the curtain (you know how hotel curtains are), so I looked outside at the pink glow of sunrise. Out I went.

Dad has not felt his best the last day or two. He’s developing one of his famous sinus infections. He spent part of the morning convincing his doctor’s office in High Point to call in an antibiotic to a little pharmacy in Tucumcari. Eventually, they did, and we had a nice visit to Wellborn Pharmacy to pick it up. Hopefully, he’ll be feeling better soon.

I spent a lot of time today exploring Tucumcari. The Mesalands Dinosaur Museum was an interesting experience. They have on display the world’s largest collection of bronze dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and replicas of prehistoric creatures. I’m not sure why they felt the need to bronze them, but the local community college seemed to combine its respected paleontology program with its fine arts program to create the bronzes. The museum also displays one of the world’s only Torvosaurus skeletons, a rare carnivore from the Jurassic Period that is related to Tyrannosaurus Rex. He was small but impressive.

Tucumcari seems to be trying to make a comeback. A few new hotels are being constructed, and the local community has invested time and energy in painting numerous murals on walls around town. I took a photo of the main one, and I also learned all about them from a nice woman who stopped to chat (see the album). Later, Dad and I had a nice dinner at Del’s Restaurant. If you’re ever in Tucumcari, you should check it out. I also took outside town for a while, which was a joy without being loaded down with baggage. I stopped once the highway became a “road to nowhere” (see the album).

The weather looks good for the next several days. It will get progressively hotter, as the temperature should exceed 100 degrees by the time we reach Henderson, Nevada. Thanks for all your comments and encouragement. It really helps us to know that our family and friends (and some total strangers) are following our journey.

51.9 miles today. 1,572.6 total miles.