2 Motels, 2 Bands, 1 Madonna
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Day 23: August 18, 2014 2 Motels, 2 Bands, 1 Madonna Comment via blog |
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As promised, here's a little better look at last night's motel. The place
has essentially been raised from the dead within the last five years.
There's a look at my room here. The other
pictures are from the breakfast room and require a story. It begins with
me walking down to the breakfast room with more curiosity than with plans
to eat. I glanced at the nicely set tables then peeked into a pair of cloth
covered baskets filled with rolls and bagels and such. OK, I thought,
maybe I'll have a bagel and eat it from a napkin so as not to waste one of
the place settings. I sliced a very fresh bagel and popped it in the
toaster. While waiting for the bagel, I decided I'd like some of the melon
in the big bowl and for that I would need a plate. I targeted to table with
a single place setting and picked up the plate for my melon. About that
time Peter, who restored and now runs the place with his wife Mona,
appeared and said something like, "Oh, I see you've found your
table." We chatted for a bit as I spooned some melon onto the plate
and covered my bagel with a large dab of each jam. Only when he'd gone and
I sat down at "my table" did I understand what he meant. This
was not a general admission breakfast. This was a reserved seating breakfast
with each table marked with one or two room numbers and the appropriate
state or country names. Nice.
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The pre-1937 alignment through Albuquerque is like an 'S' on its side with
Albuquerque at the center and Santa Fe in one curve and Los Lunas in the
other. The only time I had driven this alignment was in 2003 and it had
been raining. I hadn't even stopped in Santa Fe so had very little memory
of the town at all. This seemed a good time to try again. The road through
Los Lunas is fairly isolated and a very pleasant drive. It is signed as
both Historic 66 and Camino Real.
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This was the alignment incorporated in the National Old Trails Road and
New Mexico's Madonna of the Trail stands beside it as it passes through
Albuquerque.
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The road between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is largely divided four-lane but
it can still be quite pleasant outside of the metropolitan areas.
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The El Rey
opened, with just twelve rooms, in 1936 so had only a year on US-66 before
the route moved. There have been many additions and improvements over the
and I have no idea when my room was
constructed. But I liked it.
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After checking in and relaxing for a bit, I decided to drive downtown for
a dry look at what I'd driven by in the rain in 2003. The Plaza is where
the Santa Fe Trail ended and that fact is commemorated with a monument. I
have a view of the monument's face here.
There would be no clear empty background shot of the monument this evening
or most other evenings for that matter. There was party going on tonight
but it was just one of a hundred Santa Fe Bandstand parties. I didn't mind at all.
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There were two bands performing tonight and I must apologize to the first
one, La Junta,
for having only one picture. I actually only heard their last few songs
and was still finding my way around the plaza. They were definitely the
better of the two groups musically.
When La Junta left the stage, I strolled around the area outside of the plaza and drank a local beer at a second story bar. I was back at the plaza when Imperial Rooster attacked. They were hardly virtuosos on any instrument but they used an impressive variety. Neither was their vocal work of particularly high quality but they didn't let that hold them back. It looks like the singers are shouting these picture because they are. These guys probably won't be performing at many afternoon teas but I bet they're a lot of fun at a keg party. |
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Back at the El Rey, I took a couple of nighttime shots. That isn't my room
in the second shot (I was in 16) but it makes a better picture.
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