Nancy's Travel Journal

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta began in 1972 as the highlight of a local radio station’s 50^th anniversary.  The manager asked the owner of the only hot air balloon in New Mexico if it could be used as a part of the celebration.  As the two men talked their idea grew to invite other balloonists from around the country.  On April 8, 1972 with 13 balloons launching from a parking lot of a shopping center.  Because fall is a better flying time, the event was changed to October in 1975.  At one time there were as many as 1000 balloons flying over Albuquerque, but the number was lowered to 600 in 2006 due to safety reasons.  At the present time, over 100,000 spectators may be on the launch field to witness the ascension.  The Dawn Patrol, started in 1978, are balloon pilots who take off before dawn to assess wind speeds and directions at different altitudes, advising other balloonists as to whether they should launch or not.  The Mass Ascension is one of the biggest events of the fiesta.  All of the balloons launch at about the same time, just as the sun comes up.  It is a spectacular site.

Early on Saturday morning (4:30 AM), we loaded up and headed toward the balloon park for the mass ascension.  Not wanting to fight the traffic, we opted for the shuttle, which is a great idea most of the time (more on that later).  The weather was quite cold, but anticipation of what was to come warmed our spirits. Once there we indulged in coffee, breakfast burritos and mini donuts.

John’s gourmet breakfast

Mini Donuts for breakfast

Balloon Basket

Up, up, and away

Then came the announcement!  The wind was too strong for a launch.  So there we were with thousands of other people with nothing to do but shop and go home.  Arriving at the shuttle stop we found the line to return to the cars snaked on and on.  It was about 7:30 and the return shuttles were not due to arrive until 8:30.  What could we do? Our local cousin (and tour guide) designed an alternate plan.  We hiked about a mile to a local gas station where Alison (his wife) picked us up.  Back at their home, we all fell into bed for a nap!

But, our day was not complete.  Our meal for the night was at Farm and Table; a restaurant that designs its seasonal menu around locally sourced ingredients.  The photos tell the story.

Dinner at Farm and Table

Farm and Table

What A Meal

Salmon Two Ways

Dessert

October 6, 2012

We almost missed the Cadillac Ranch as we left Amarillo.  It’s just a simple cow pasture, “patties and all” that attracts thousands of visitors.

Nancy at Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

It was here that Casey and J.T., a young couple from Murfreesboro, TN, introduced me to the iPhone app, Road Trip 66.  It is a cool app that has all the oddities, lodging, restaurants, and other things to see on Route 66.  It proved to be very helpful.

Along Route 66 are many vestiges of its heyday when tourists looked for good places to eat and sleep.  It seems as though businesses vied for customers with eye-catching signs and gimmicks.

Rooster’s-Our Lunch Stop, Vega, TX

Roark Hardware-Oldest Operating Hardware Store on Route 66, Vega, TX

Restored Magnolia Service Station, Vega, TX

Dot’s Mini Museum, Vega, TX

Dot’s Mini Museum, Vega, TX

Dot’s Mini Museum, Vega, TX

Bent Door, Adrian, TX

Adrian TX

Last Motel In Texas, First Motel in Texas, Glenrio, TX

Deserted 4-Lane in Glenrio, TX

We crossed into New Mexico and had our usual celebratory drink at the Welcome Center.

Crossing Into New Mexico

In the town of Tucumcari vintage motel and diner signs were on every block.

Tee Pee Curios, Tucumcari, NM

Tucumcari, NM

Tucumcari, NM

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, NM

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, NM

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, NM

Old Stuckey’s Restaurant, NM

Albuquerque was a welcomed site.  David and Alison had dinner waiting.  We enjoyed some conversation time with them and David’s brother, John, and Peter from San Francisco.

October 5, 2012

As we walked out of the Fairfield Inn (thank you Wendy) in Weatherford, OK, all thoughts of camping that night vanished as we donned our fleece and warm socks.  The weather had changed drastically.  Nevertheless, our spirits were not dampened, because we were headed to “get our kicks on Route 66”.

Our first stop was the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK.  Our flashbacks of the cross-country trip in the Pontiac station wagon with our parents in the mid-fifties became more vivid.  The one that really stands out is the rented “car cooler”, a window-mounted, evaporative cooling system.  Yep, they rented one of those.  Can you find the photo?

Route 66 Museum

Hippy Bus

Car Cooler

Have I Gained That Much?

The Route

Who Remembers Him?

Bill’s Favorite Car

We Have Pictures to Prove It

The manager at the museum recommended Gayla’s at the Market for lunch.  An old fruit stand from the old days is incorporated into the restaurant.  We enjoyed soup, a homemade chicken salad sandwich, and raspberry tea.

Polly At Gayla’s

Glandy’s Motor Hotel, Clinton OK

Another Sign

And now for the “Cars” story.  As we were headed west, Polly called her grandson, Seage to tell him about our travels so far.  She asked him if he had heard of Route 66.  He said, “Yes, that’s in ‘Cars’”.   He wanted to know if we had found Radiator Springs.  And we thought we found it as we arrived in Sayre, a sleepy little town on the route.  Indeed, Suzanne at the local art gallery told us that the Pixar folks interviewed locals up and down Route 66 to get a feel for The Road.

“Radiator Springs”?-Sayre OK

From Sayre, we journeyed on to Shamrock and McLean and other towns that could have been an inspiration for the classic movie, like the U Drop Inn and the old Phillips 66 Station in McLean.

U Drop Inn-Shamrock, OK

Phillips 66 Built in 1920’s-McLean, OK

Sometimes it was hard to follow Route 66 because I-40 had swallowed it up in many places.  But somehow we managed to find our way to the Fairfield Inn in Amarillo, TX.

Where Do We Go From Here?

And This Is Only One Night?

For all my readers who want to know more about “Cars” and Route 66, click on “Cars”.

Could This Be “Tow Mater?”

I felt that the posts about the Oklahoma City Memorial deserved places of their own.  So this is a short post of the rest of Wednesday, October 3, 2012.

When we left the Memorial, it was early afternoon, so we set up our chairs and table for a picnic in the parking lot.

Picnic in Parking Lot

Before leaving the city, we made our way to the last place on our “to do” list, Stockyard City and the Oklahoma City Stockyards  We contributed to the economy in Langston’s and checked out the Cattlemen’s Café, before heading to the stockyards.  Jay, an employee at the stockyards told us they had had a slow week, selling only a total 5000 cows at the Monday and Tuesday sales.  Polly’s phone rang as we were driving away.  Wayne Lee from Metter was calling to say he had just watched Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives featuring Cattlemen’s Café.  He was just wondering if we might be nearby.  What a coincidence!

Langston’s

Cattlemen’s Cafe

Polly At Stockyards

Stockyards

We left Oklahoma City for Weatherford OK, our stop for the evening.  There we got our first glance of Route 66!

October 3, 20012