We left Oklahoma City to travel to the Good Ole state of Texas.

I think of a few songs about Texas, one is “Deep in the Heart of Texas, ”The Yellow Rose of Texas is another and how about “All My Exes Live in Texas”.

We are once again on Route 66 and I know one of the songs for Route 66 is:

Gets your Kicks from Route 66
🎶If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best
Get your kicks on Route 66

It winds from Chicago to L.A
More than two thousand miles all the way🎵
Get your kicks on Route 66[Bridge]
Now you go through St. Louis
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty🎤
You’ll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona
Don’t forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

♪♪♪ Won’t you get hip to this timely tip?
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66

Nat King Cole recorded it in 1946.

A nice place to rest and relax, we stayed for two nights October 21, & 22. We had great scenery and great neighbors.

On October 22nd, We went into the town of Shamrock on Route 66. We stayed here we believe about 2 years ago on our way back to New York and just drove thru the town but this time we stopped in a few places.

Paleo-Indians dwelled here over 10,000 years ago, later Spanish Conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado crossed the plains seeking the gold of mythical Eldorado. By the 1800s buffalo hunting Comanche and Kiowa Indians lived in the region but were displaced to reservations after the Red River War. An Irish immigrant and sheep rancher, George Nickel used the name Shamrock when he applied to open a post office in 1890 some 6 miles from the current town’s location. It was accepted by the postal officials but never opened. However the name lived on. In 1902 the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway reached Shamrock and a post office and school opened in 1911.

Shamrock was a busy place until the freeway came to be and everyone passed right by. Everything started to close up. But they have been reviving Route 66 and next year in 2026 it’s the 100th Anniversary of Route 66 and we heard that places all along the route are getting all booked up! The Route is gonna be Rockin!

When we were here before The “Route 66 Station” in Shamrock, Texas, was closed, I’m glad it was open today it was a real treat to see the impressive building and eat lunch at the U-Drop in Cafe. This Art Deco building included the Tower Conoco Station, so named for the metal tulip-topped tower attached to the building. At one time, the U-Drop Inn was called “the swankiest of swank eating places” and “the most up-to-date edifice of its kind on U.S. Highway 66 between Oklahoma City and Amarillo.” The café was the only the one around in a 100 miles. The building which was a really different looking style building for being built 1936. It has traditionally held two separate business: “Tower Station,” a gas station on the western side, and one time the middle section was the Grey Hound Bus Terminal, and the “U-Drop Inn,” a café on the eastern side. Though it has passed hands several times in its history, the building has consistently housed the same types of businesses it was originally constructed for. The building fell into disrepair with the decommissioning of Route 66. It closed for business in the late 1990s. After it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1997, the building was purchased by the First National Bank of Shamrock, which then gave it to the city.

How it looked when it was first opened in 1936.

We had a fun time in the building and our lunch was delicious. And who else but Elvis ate at the U-drop Inn. The ladies who worked at the museum told us that the building keeps gaining popularity as it was a model for the kids movies Cars & Cars II and people from all over the world come to check it out. When we were eating lunch a family from France was there too.

Cars Movies

We drove 201 miles from Shamrock TX to Tucumcari NM to stay at the Blaze -In- Saddle RV Park, In Tucumcari NM we were on site #41.

Here is Tucumcari on Route 66 in the early 1900’s and 1950’s.

The very first settlers is this area were Native Americans. This area got populated In 1901 when the railroad company Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad set up their work camp here. The camp was first called Ragtown. Later, it became known as “Six Shooter Siding” the new community had a wild reputation of being a gathering place for outlaws and with frequent gunfire, there were many gunfights. Its first official name was Douglas, but that name didn’t last long. As the camp grew into a real town, it was renamed Tucumcari in 1908. The town got its name from Tucumcari Mountain close by.

Until the mid-1900s, Tucumcari was an important stop for trains traveling across the country. The Rock Island Railroad and the  Southern Pacific railroad lines met here. Nearby Passengers could switch trains at the station for different parts of their journey. In 1926, a new depot building was constructed in Tucumcari and the depot became the symbol of the railroad as the economic driver of the community. This building was a source of great civic pride, and every resident could connect their life in some way to the railroad. Train watching was a popular pastime and many residents today recall with fondness the hours spent watching the activity in the rail yard. Some say Tucumcari came to be because of the railroad but ranching, farming, and tourism contributed to its growth.

For many years, billboards saying “TUCUMCARI TONITE!” invited drivers to stay in one of the town’s many motel rooms. This slogan was changed for a while to “Gateway to the West.” However, in 2008, the city decided to bring back the classic “TUCUMCARI TONITE!” slogan.

Walking around ….If Dave word hats I would say he should get a cowboy hat.

A few of the awesome murals in Tucumcari.

Dave and zi were checking out the old buildings and signs, the Nostalgia of Route 66.

Almost everything on Route 66 looks different but The Tee Pee Curios isn’t one of them. It hasn’t changed much at all.

Somethings like Del’s has been here since 1956 and still going strong cooking that great food.

It is definitely a good time seeing the murals and the places that are still open on Route 66, but it is sad to see the old cafe’s, motel’s and gas stations that have been long forgotten on Route 66. Now who remembers Green Stamps, raise your hands! 🖐️

Tucumcari Mountain and driving to Edgewood you can see for miles and miles . . . . .

Today is Saturday the 25th and we drove 160 miles to be at Route 66 RV Park in Edgewood New Mexico.

Today is Sunday the 26th and we arrived at Elephant Butte.

We are staying at site 40. We have been here at least 4 times, as you can tell we like it here.