New mexico, new timezone ( now 7 hrs behind uk)

Short hop over the border today into NM. Staying at the iconic Blue Swallow motel this evening, run by a couple who have completely restored it to its 50's heyday. One packed in their job, and the other took redundancy from an oil company, sold everything to buy the swallow, and now love it. How cool is that.

We got room one, which means we can see the neon from bed. Its divine.

Saw Cadillac ranch today, an art installation in a field where an art collective in the 60's buried 10 Cadillac cars in the mud. Its a free for all to paint on. From a distance it looked really cool. Up close was a mud bath , smelt of slurry, and the flotsam of thousands of visitors strewn over the field in the form of empty aerosols took the ambiance away a tad.

Passed the halfway mark today, where an appropriately named Midway cafe sits. 1139 miles of route 66 in each direction. Shared a piece of chocolate pecan ugly crust pie and a coffee ( their name for it- not mine!)

Also visited a ghost town called Glenrio- population - one! Wierd place. 4 lane roadway through the centre. Motels, diners, houses, garages. All derelict. One occupied house remains.

Severe storm warnings again today in our area. The tv freezes and a message comes up re the warning. All the radios tell people to seek shelter. We just stayed in the room and saw the rain pass. Its dry now. It wasn't dangerous, but I suppose it had the potential to be.

Its interesting watching the scenery change. Chicago was hilly and lush, with forests and hundreds of miles of corn fields. Further East brings less corn, and more cattle, the land flattening out into plains with no trees or fences as far as the eye can see.
Texas and New Mexico still have the cattle, but the landscape is quickly changing from green to brown, with the prairies turning to dust, water wheels being replaced with oil derricks and pumps.

The traces and buildings on the route from its heyday are more frequent, as if the further west we go, the more care and importance the communities place on keeping the road alive. ( except Glenrio!)

Never a dull moment. Cant wait for the next leg

Im sitting outside our room on the motor court , beer in hand, in the light of the motels neon. Its 9pm, about 80 degrees again, and watching lightning in the receding storm some 20 miles away. Each room has a little garden and patio, with an adjoining garage. Its so sweet. Its such an iconic landmark on the 66, its almost fully booked all year long. I can hear a freight trains horn on the wind. I have to pinch myself.

Santa Fe and the mountains of NM tomorrow.