 More 2022 Adventures |
Albuquerque, NM → Grants, NM 84.7 mi (136.3 km) |
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I’m in a magical, far away place, everyone!
The air may not smell like warm root beer, and I don’t hear any ukeleles, but if there’s one truth to be taken from Weird Al Yankovic’s immortal ballad, Albuquerque, it’s that the towels at the Holiday Inn are oh, so fluffy! I am off on my next adventure to wrap up the national parks of New Mexico, but it’s important to get in a little pampering these days before embarking into the wild!
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And embark I did, off to explore the local history on what was an unusually chilly day (the hotel reported that their pipes had frozen the night before I arrived)! There are lots of spots in Albuquerque that are nationally registered for their importance! The first such spot on my journey into town was the National Humane Alliance Animal Fountain, designed in 1907 by Hermon Lee Ensign! This remarkable fountain was built for animals of all sizes to use, from horses in the big bowl on top to dogs and cats using the bowls below! It was one of over 100 such fountains built and distributed by the Humane Alliance to keep local animals well hydrated!
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Next up was the De Anza Motor Lodge of Route 66 fame! This was the place that coined the term “motor lodge” because founder, Charles Garrett Wallace, wanted to convey class in a way that “cabin” and “motel” could not! He then named it after Juan Bautista de Anza, known for his explorations of California, but also for serving as governor of New Mexico from 1777 until 1787. Taking up 2.5 acres, this was not only a place where tourists could spend the night, but it was also a destination for buying art and jewelry sourced from Zuñi Pueblo, about 150 miles to the west! But the main reason I picked this out of all the nationally registered motor courts along what is now Central Avenue is because it’s also one fo the few still-standing locations from the Green Book! That meant they welcomed Black folks in a time when that wasn’t common!
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Built the same year to attract similar crowds was the Jones Motor Company, run by Ralph Jones, president of the Route 66 Association and Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce! This Moderne style service station was unique because it could accommodate cars that were so piled high with stuff from westbound migrations that most mechanics couldn’t access the parts in need of repair! To get around this, the Jones Motor Company built an entire carport where folks could unload their stuff for repairs!
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Next up was a real blast from the past! Ten years ago, I visited the Madonna of the Trail statue in Upland, California. Little did I know then that there are a total of twelve Madonnas of the Trail, set up along the National Old Trails Road! The idea came up in the 1920s as the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution set out to commemorate old trails and roads across America! Calling for submissions, the winning design came from August Leimbach, who meant it to show a woman taking her children and gun out to look for their missing father in the Wild West! This one was dedicated on September 27, 1928 after Santa Fe rejected it for conflicting with the local architecture.
California Madonna (2012) |
New Mexico Madonna (2022) |
And then, at last, I arrived in Old Town, the place where the city named for the Spanish Duke of Alburquerque, took shape in 1706! This was during the time that the Spanish retook New Mexico following their defeat in the Pueblo Revolt. Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdéz picked this site as a convenient spot on the Camino Real and the Rio Grande.
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Like many Spanish towns, Albuquerque (a misspelling made permanent by English speakers) was built up around a central plaza. Here, there were replicas of old Spanish cannons, surrounded by gift shops decorated with unmistakably New Mexican chains of hanging chiles! New Mexico is the top consumer of chiles per capita in America, and the state is particularly famous for its hatch chiles. These decorations, though, are called chile ristras, and originated as a way to fend off birds and rodents while the chiles were drying!
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On the northern side of the plaza stands the San Felipe de Neri Church, the oldest building in Albuquerque! It was originally built to honor St. Francis Xavier in 1706 but quickly renamed for Felipe de Neri, patron saint of Rome, laughter, and artists, but mostly because the Spanish king was also named Felipe. Rebuilt in 1793, this church houses a super unique blend of New Mexican folk art with Greek revival and Victorian styles! Sadly, the fellow who showed me the interior told me they had to keep the front door locked most of the time, not because of COVID, but because they had a problem with vandalism.
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But all this wandering had made me hungry, and I could think of nothing more satisfying than a honey-covered sopaipilla from Little Anita’s! These fluffy pillows of fried dough really hit the spot, and they most likely originated right here in Albuquerque, based on the sopaipas made in Córdoba, Spain! What’s more than likely is that I gobbled mine right up in no time, which is a problem when there’s honey and you have fur!
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Not to be daunted by a sticky mess, I cleaned up and headed out of Albuquerque. After all, I came to New Mexico to explore two national parks, and I was really hoping to see as much as I could before nightfall. Sadly, though, the extraordinary Acoma Pueblo was still closed to visitors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so instead I took a look at the Acoma Curio Shop. Not quite the same as a Sky City, this shop was nonetheless on the national register for its place in the lore of Route 66! A fellow from Lebanon named Abdoo Fidel ran it as a roadside curio shop selling Acoma crafts, especially pottery, which was hotly desired by motorists driving through this part of the Southwest!
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The next town after here was Grants, the “Uranium Capital of the World,” and here, like many Route 66 travelers before me, I planned to stay the night and adventure across the weekend! The famous drive-through Route 66 sign, installed in 2016, seemed like the perfect gateway to the next day of adventure!
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So tomorrow, I definitely plan to visit El Morro National Monument, and if I have time, I’ll visit Zuñi Pueblo. If I’m really lucky, I might be able to get a tour of the ancient pueblos that Francisco Vázquez de Coronado sought out as the fabled cities of Cibola! There’s plenty to be excited about in the Land of Enchantment. I hope I’ll be able to sleep!
See you to-Morro!
More 2022 Adventures |
Total Ground Covered: 84.7 mi (136.3 km) |
Next Day |