Tucumcari

I rolled into town around dinner time, thinking that the lighting was just right for photos. I took some pictures at Del Rios and the Blue Swallow. Sadly, these were fuzzy and not well lit, but why worry? It’s not like the world needs yet another twilight photo of the Swallow. In fact, the neon was dark anyway.

Dinner/first quarter of Monday Night Football at the Pow Wow Motel/ Lizard Lounge. I'm starting to wonder about making this a family trip. It's just a few weeks before the election and it seems there's just a whole lotta one viewpoint around here. At least on the radio. I don't get how these markets in the middle of the square-state part of the US can support 2 or even 3 radio stations with the same host. For mile after mile, I'm forced to listen to this clown named Hannity rant about Obama. Just silliness, too and increasingly shrill. Glad I brought my iPod.

The First/Last Motel in Texas

One of the more recognizable sites on Route 66, this sign reads either “First Motel in Texas” or “Last Motel in Texas”, depending on the direction of travel.

Sunset on Glenrio

No lighting, just the natural light of a beautiful sunset.

Glenrio

Diner in Glenrio

I captured this when the light was just right - the sun setting on the town.

Glenrio

I knew I had to stop in Glenrio to take more pictures of abandoned buildings. There’s a ‘no services’ exit for Glenrio, and the signs for Route 66 (and back to the 40) are still there. It seems that there’s only one residence in Glenrio. In addition to a ‘sort-of-late-model’ ford subcompact in the driveway, there’s a beat up old jeep out in the weeds by the road. Here’s a town famous among travelers of Route 66 for the First/Last Motel in Texas and it’s sign that reads First or Last depending on which direction you’re traveling.

Tomorrow's Past

Quantum physics aside, experience tells us that today's present is always tomorrow's past. It's simple to look around at things that aren't here anymore, shake your head, and say, 'How could they abandon that?' or 'How could they just let that deteriorate?'. The history is more complex than that which makes the value of preservation of historic buildings and artifacts more subtle than many preservationists would like to admit.

It seems that many things go through a period of 'old junk' status before they become collectible. Let's use my definition of collectible, where something becoumes collectible the moment that it's value exceeds that of it's newer, better, replacement. Think iPod. When the first Generation of iPod sells for more on eBay than the 2nd or 3rd generation, voila. My parents bought a 78 Pontiac station wagon to replace the beat up 68 Plymouth station wagon that had become the family 'beater'. By the mid 80's the Pontiac was the beater in my mind, and I was starting to think 'I wish we'd hung on to that Plymouth'.

It's the beater period where history is at risk. That's the point at which preservation can interfere and bring something back from the brink. But not everything. There's good in progress and looking forward. We can't save every beater, we wouldn't appreciate history like we do if we did.