Going East to Go West

Well, perhaps more correctly, going north to go east to go west! I'm driving back roads that are new to me (for the most part), touching a bunch of new counties along the way.

After taking the loop around the west side of Santa Fe, I headed towards Taos. One of the corners in my route looked more like a turn down an alley, but the artwork was colorful. I passed through crossroads like Trampas and Chamisal before Penasco and La Cueva.

On the north side of Las Vegas I stopped to check out a steam engine

before turning north again along a section of the Santa Fe Trail.

In Wagon Mound, I turned east again, heading out across the prairie.

All along the way, the farms looked tired with the rows of rusty equipment much longer than anything that looked alive and well.

Towns with highway crossroads looked nearly empty. There was no waiting to take a picture without any cars to be seen.

In fact, the only place I saw cars in Roy was near the cafe so I stopped. Huevos rancheros are always on my 'must have' list when in New Mexico, this time with both red and green chili. As usual, the green chili was more to my liking!

End of the day was in Tucumcari. I was looking forward to seeing neon along Route 66

but the town was full of shuttered businesses and parking lots filled with weeds. Only the Blue Swallow Motel still had their neon lit.

It seems like only the cemetery was still open for business.