"SHOW ME A SIGN, I'LL BE WILLIN' TO BE MOVIN'"

Actually not so willin'.  We have been holding up at the Buckaroo Motel (circa 1952) on Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico for two whole days because...we like it here. And we needed to do laundry, take lots of artsy photos, eat more Mexican food and plan out our next moves.

When we first arrived we went to the Chamber of Commerce. I had read online that they had maps of the many murals painted on the old buildings here. Tucumcari is famous for their murals plus their neon signs (now mostly gone) that made this part of Rt 66 known as a little Las Vegas. We needed a cheap motel and the ones the chamber woman said were cheap were not cheap enough for us so I went through my GPS listings and when I saw the motel named Buckaroo I simply had to call. Yes! It was our kind of affordable.

MURALS >>>

Tucumcari is dilapidated and dated. Some people are disappointed visiting this town but not me. I like gritty. I like "character" and Buckaroo has character. We knew it when we drove up. We went into the office and asked a few questions. Ines asked if there was wifi as in some motels we have had problems getting a connection. Yes, the room had wifi. The AC wasn't on in the office area so I asked if the rooms had AC. Yes again. Then the owner added, "We have indoor toilets too." Oh I like this fellow! That was the funniest line of the day for sure!

I drove the car to the room's spot as Ines walked over and went in. She came out saying, "You will be pleasantly surprised." And I was. We spent the next few hours going over materials that we had picked up at the Chamber. We took dinner at the famous Dell's (ok to miss if you visit unless you are on the senior early bird special bus) then later, after the sun went down, we drove around stopping for neon sign photo opps. Poor Buckaroo's sign got hammered by hail last month and was half out. The full moon made up for it.

NEON>>>

This morning was more researching so we can be willin' to be movin' again. We plan on heading toward Alburquerque and banging a right up the Turquoise Trail. Hot Air Balloon week is beginning  - and the crowds. We'll miss it/them - fine by me. We are opting to go camping at Cedar Crest then getting overwhelmed in art along the way. I put a Public Trip up on couchsurfing but no bites from possible hosts. I had found one woman that looks to be a true kindred spirit in so many ways. We are on "maybe" status at the moment with her. It will work out one way or another.

I have a gazillion pics and they will take awhile to upload so I am finishing writing this post to get it done.

" I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonapah. Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made. Now I've driven the back roads, So I wouldn't get weighed. And if you give me weed, whites, and wine, Then you show me a sign, I'll be willin' to be movin'"

(I have opted for one margarita, some DHEA and 3 liters of water - I am getting too old for that much fun - and weighing in is not going to happen in the near future either - today's pulled pork sandwich at the Tucumcari Ranch Supply BBQ was delish!)

PS: Thanks to Robert "Lost at Sea" Lee for the lyric title of this post.

OH AND DO NOT FEED THE MONGOOSE!