A lot of variety for one (independence) day

7/4

Scenery, scenery, and scenery was the call of the day.  Wow!  Photos cannot do justice to what our eyes saw today.   The ride from Albuquerque to Gallup in New Mexico was breathtaking.  Every turn brought new plateaus, deserts, or mountains.  Each with unique shapes and colors.  When the mountains weren’t in our view, we could see forever. 

We stopped in a very small town (2 buildings) called Cubero.  Legend has it this is where Ernest Hemingway stayed as a guest and wrote “The Old Man and the Sea.” 

Along the route, several railroads parallel the road.  We’ve never seen so many trains chugging down the tracks.  Each train had to be 1-2 miles long, and most of cars were double stacked with containers full of goods for all of us Americans! 

We journeyed up to the Continental Divide.  Here, the rain falls and drains westerly to the Pacific Ocean, and easterly to the Gulf of Mexico.  Our elevation was about 7245 feet! 

You can definitely see where Pixar got some scenery ideas, too.  We also saw Church Rock, a prominent rock formation that looks like a ... church and it’s steeples!

Heading into “the Heart of Indian Country,” home to Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes, we arrive in Gallup, New Mexico.  This is also home to another giant Muffler Man, “The Dude”, atop a used car dealership. 

Being the 4th of July, Gallup was having their Festival at the courthouse plaza.  We saw traditional dances and listened to music.  I even danced with some of Gallup’s residents when the band played some Motown!

Home for the night is the famous El Rancho Hotel on Route 66.  Built in 1936 by Hollywood director D.W. Griffith’s brother. It opened as a “base for movie productions” according to it’s website.  And the employees were trained by the famous Fred Harvey.  Many westerns were shot in and around the hotel.  So the movie stars stayed here.  Some of the guests included:  Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman (we stayed in her room,) Spencer Tracy, Kirk Douglas, Katherine Hepburn, John Wayne, Lucy & Desi, Henry Fonda, The Marx Brothers, Humphrey Bogart, and Errol Flynn!

Tomorrow - Arizona!  Painted Desert & Petrified Forest, here we come!

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"The Ramblers 88". https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRamblers88

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