I left Santa Rosa as early as I could manage. I had about 8 hours ahead of me and wanted to give myself time to stop for a nice lunch.
The first place I left the highway was in Montoya, NM. I have a friend who was named Montoya after the town. I got a photo of the sign and then headed out to see what is now practically a ghost town. There were a few homes and some shells of buildings- one with a painted old sign advertising cold beer.
I continued on the small road that runs adjacent to the highway. After driving a few miles, I started getting a little nervous that it wouldn't connect back. The paving job was a little rough, and I drove towards what I thought might have been a dead-end. It wasn't. I turned right and crossed under the highway in a little one lane arched underpass. Fortunately, the road improved on the other side. I took this short little video as I approached the main road.
After making it safely back on the highway- no flat tires, cattle crossings, or driving back 10 miles- I crossed into Texas and continued on route 40 (which has eaten much of this section of the old route 66). My guidebook mentioned a small restaurant called the Midpoint Cafe in Adrien, TX. I decided this would be a good place for a nice, long lunch break. I took many photos.
The lunch there was good, but quite basic. There were no french fries, burgers, or anything that required a great deal of cooking. Lots of sandwiches. I ordered a grilled cheese which was perfectly crispy on the outside and melty on the inside- just the way a grilled cheese should be. You have no idea how easy it is for a restaurant to mess up what should be the easiest thing to make, so I was pleased. I didn't want the bag of chips that came along side. The cafe, however, is not known for it's lunches. It's all about baked goods baby! Yep. Check out the sign below.
Home of the Ugly Crust Pie. I didn't hold out for this place just for a grilled cheese. I checked out the pie menu right away, and what a menu. They had about six currently in stock, plus three types of cobbler. My favorite pies are pecan and apple. I could have been a little more adventurous and tried the chocolate chip (can't remember the exact name), but I thought if I tried something familiar, I would be a good judge of quality. Sadly, they had just sold their last piece of pecan pie, so I elected to try the apple cobbler a la mode.
Is it as good as it looks? Yes! I actually couldn't help smiling, and I may have moaned a little when I took my first bite. The cobbler was heated up just perfectly, and the ice cream melted slightly. Yum.
These next photos are all worth about 10,000 words with everything there is to look at. Signs, 66 memorabilia, pies, souvenirs, etc. One thing I haven't yet mentioned about the place is the fantastic hospitality. The place is run by a couple who take the concept of southern hospitality very seriously. Everyone was welcomed and invited to sign the guest book. The food came out promptly, and they made sure everyone was satisfied. They were very nice people, and I'd recommend this place to anyone who passes through.
This car was parked outside at what appeared to be an old service station. If you look closely, you'll see that it is covered with signatures and notes from people who have passed through on route 66. There are even several different languages- I can pick out some German and Swedish.
The Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX is named as such because, well, it is the midpoint of route 66. I made it half way- woo hoo!
Don't like this photo of me so much- I'm very travel worn- but it's the only photo with me in it. See? I was actually there.
Adrian, TX was the point where I officially said my goodbyes to route 66. It was a fantastic experience, and I would do it again sometime. I actually didn't get off route 40 (historic 66) until just after Amarillo, TX where I hopped on 287 south. This road alternated between highway and town road. I only stopped once in a funny little town called Memphis, TX.
As I drove in, I was captivated by some of the old buildings, and this cute little antiques place and tearoom. I decided to stop, but first I took a few photos of some buildings in the town square.
After driving around for a moment, I stopped at the tearoom, and gift shop called the Ivy Cottage. It looked really lovely on the outside. I went in and was greeted by a woman and her daughter who were chatting with an elderly gentleman. The man wore a nice southern suit, the three of them spoke in soft southern accents, and it felt pretty much exactly like walking into a tearoom in the south should. Everyone was very nice, and both the woman and her daughter inquired as to where I was from, headed, and what I was doing. When they discovered I was traveling alone, I received some very stern warnings about being careful. Everyone laughed when the daughter said, in her sweet little southern accent, that she would be so freaked out that she wouldn't even stop to pee. It was really sweet of them to be so concerned about a stranger. I told them that I am used to traveling by myself, and that I did so in Morocco all the time, but I made sure to emphasize that I would indeed be very careful.
After I looked around the store a bit, I bought some gifts and the mom offered me some lemonade or iced tea to go. She was closing the tearoom for the day and said she was about to dump it out. After a final "be careful", I insisted I would, thanked them, and left the store in a very good mood. Nice, nice people. It was a good stop.
On to Grapevine. I arrived at my friend's house just before 9:00pm, and we spent the next few hours chatting about our lives. It was so nice to see her! I'll tell you all our visit and show you photos of my stop next blog (I'll have it out this week sometime). Cheers for now!
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