Albuquerque & Tucumcari

Albuquerque & Tocumcari:

I have to hand it to John for his ability to maneuver a 30-foot vehicle through city streets and parking lots!   

Today, as we continued eastbound, we found our way into downtown Albuquerque and visited its "Old Town", founded in 1706:

As the sign says, the arrival of the railroad moved the commercial center of the city to the east.  Still, the Old Town has been preserved, albeit mostly as a collection of touristy - but colorful - shops...... some with Native American and local art.....

.... and some with just a lot of colorful tchotchkes....

One hundred and seventy five miles further east along I-40 (Route 66), and we're spending the night in an RV park in Tucumcari, NM.   

Just like Albuquerque's fate with the railroads, Tucumcari, once a lively stop along Route 66, has largely been bypassed since the construction of I-40.    Parts of Tucumcari look like a ghost town, and according to a shop owner in town, the population has dropped by about a half to 5,000.

Still, as I write this, I've discovered that the city is know for its murals - hopefully, we'll be able to find some as we head out of town in the morning.  In the meantime, I found a great fabric and yarn shop in town --- if only I had the time and the room in our RV to do some serious shopping there!