We arrived in Tucumcari and easily located the Kiva RV Park.
We met up with Monica, and she led us to a nice long pull-thru site that would be our home for the next 2 days.
Some areas of the town are a little run-down, but overall Tucumcari had the best examples of nostalgic Route 66 that we’ve seen so far. On top of that, the people that we met in Tucumcari were some of the nicest we’ve run into, making this a town that we would love to visit again!
Tucumcari is known for the large number of murals located around town, and we saw a bunch of them . . . but not all!
It’s not just murals though . . . Route 66 runs right through the center of town, and there are numerous restored gas stations and motels throughout town.
In some cases, it’s just the remnants of the sign that remain, but several of the motels are still in operation.
Monica had told us to make sure we checked out the Tucumcari Ranch Supply Store, so we made sure we made a trip over there.
We weren’t sure what to expect, but it looked like a fun store . . . it turned out to be a great stop . . . probably our favorite!
We walked through the store, and Bryce just had to take my picture with the bear (photo-bombed by Nicolas!)
The store was fun, but the really cool stuff was outside . . .
several old trucks, an out-house,
and even a bus . . . which we were invited to autograph!
The owner walked around the yard with us, telling us about the BBQ nights they have on Friday and Saturday (wish we would still be here!), and took our picture in front of their truck – Tom was admiring it, even though it wasn’t a Ford!
I got a better shot of it later, when we weren’t in the way.
There was more fun stuff in the BBQ Shack,
and what’s this . . . donuts??
Yep, the Tucumcari Ranch Supply was just full of surprises! They make fresh donuts every day! He had some that they had just finished, so he sold us some to take home for our breakfast! I also picked up a loaf of fresh-baked bread to go with our dinner.
In addition, they had a freezer of fresh meat, and cheese from the Tucumcari Cheese Factory, so we bought some of each to take with us!
The owner, Jimmy, is such a nice guy . . . he gave all of us a New Mexico treat . . . vanilla ice cream with blackberry syrup on it . . . with a kick to it – habanero pepper! It tasted like blackberry, but you could FEEL the burn of the habanero in your throat! I ate mine very carefully – making sure that I got just a little bit of syrup on each bite of ice cream, but Nicolas gobbled it up . . . he loves hot food!
Then, he fixed us up a container of BBQ ribs and brisket to try at home . . . enough for dinner, when I added baked potatoes and a salad!
We had it for dinner that night, and it was great!
If you are ever in Tucumcari, you MUST stop by the Ranch Supply, and if it’s the weekend, be sure to go for dinner!
Before we left, we posed for a picture in front of the bear for their facebook page.
After dinner, Tom and Nicolas and I walked up to Route 66 Blvd. to take pictures of the neon signs.
There were some really good scents coming from Del’s Restaurant!
One of the best-restored properties in town is the Blue Swallow Motel.
It looks like a really cute place to stay! Each room has it’s own garage (for your classic car!), and a couple of them are painted inside with characters from the movie, “Cars”!
We were getting a little chilly on our way back to the RV Park, so we ducked into the Tee Pee Curios Shop to warm up.
We got talking to the owner, Heidi, and she said, “Hey, I just saw you on the Ranch Supply’s facebook page!” We were famous!
It turns out that she and her family just bought the Tee Pee Curios Shop at the end of the summer, leaving their home and jobs in Iowa to live out their dream of owning an iconic Route 66 establishment. We chatted with her for quite a while – comparing experiences in camping, and travelling, and raising teenagers . . . and living out your dream even when people don’t understand you!
This is another Tucumcari spot that is definitely worth your time if you are in the area – she’s got a great little shop!
We were really glad that we stopped for a couple days in Tucumcari – it’s a great town, full of friendly people!
Now it’s time to continue our travels on Route 66 as we make our way into Arizona!
