What’s In Between

What’s In Between

“ The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in between…”. Horton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth.

Why?

This is a question you may be asking. Why would I embark on a solo road trip between Cincinnati, New Mexico, Minnesota and back home? It’s not as if those destinations are close to each other. As a 61 year old women, is this really a good idea? Well, we are going to find out.

As a child, I spent a large portion of my life in the backseat of the family car on vacation. My father worked for Procter & Gamble and we moved from Seal Beach, California to St Louis to Chicago to Chesapeake, Virginia, to Lima, Ohio and then to Cincinnati. My parents loved to travel but with 3 children, and another to be born when we lived in Virginia, it would have been prohibitively expensive to fly everywhere. Plus flying was such a glamorous event back then, I don’t blame my parents for choosing a car trip over a flight where you needed to be dressed up and on your best behavior. So we drove and often camped while seeing parts of the United States. One summer it was New England, another out West, another the Midwest. Usually whatever was near by where we were living at the time. My mother was a history major so we spent one summer visiting Civil War battlefields (as an 11 year old, this was supremely boring as one field looked just like the next). Both sets of my grandparents lived in Arizona, and my cousins lived in California, so there were many road trips to visit them. I think I developed my love for reading during these trips in the back of the car. If I could get in the way back of the station wagon, that was the perfect spot. Old people will know what the way back was.

One of my favorite books in 4th grade (living in Chicago at the time), was The Phantom Tollbooth. For those unfamiliar, a young, bored boy named Milo is gifted a small tollbooth and he uses his little electric car to drive through it and to worlds beyond. The trip changes his outlook on life. As a child, I yearned to drive myself on a trip to unexplored places. Frankly, I was enamored with driving, hoping to become a bus driver when I grew up since I would be able to drive all day long.

I have traveled to many places here in the US and around the world, and each trip has changed my outlook. But I have never traveled by myself. So on March 1, 2025, I will get in my little car, drive through my little tollbooth, and see what is in between here and there. If you would like to see what it is, please follow along.

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jgapfelbeck

Texas to New Mexico, March 4, 2025

Yesterday ended in a dust storm, but today started with snow. I opened my shades to find the bottom part of the hotel window covered with snow and ice. Spring in Texas! I loaded up the car and headed off, hoping the weather would calm down.

My first stop was Midpoint Cafe in Adrian TX. It is exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica on Route 66. Opened in 1928, it is supposedly the oldest continuously operated eatery on Rt 66 between Amarillo, TX and Tucumcari, New Mexico. It went through many iterations: Zella’s Cafe, Jesse’s Cafe, Peggy’s Cafe, Rachel’s. In 1990, Fran Houser purchased the cafe and named it Adrian’s Cafe. The current name was adopted in 1995 on the advice of US Route 66 Association Founder Tom Snyder. Fran Houser reported, “Tom called me one day. He said, ‘Kid, you better do something because you are at the midway point of Route 66. You need to change that name.’” So she did and added the slogan, “When you are here, you are halfway there”. In the movie “Cars”, the characters of Flo, Mia, and Tia are based on Midpoint Cafe owner Fran Houser and two servers at the cafe. Flo, Mia, and Tia work at “Flo’s V-8 Cafe”. Fran retired from the cafe in 2012.

I did not eat breakfast at the Midpoint Cafe as it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. But I knew in Tucumcari, New Mexico there would be a great place waiting for me. Del’s Restaurant was built in 1956 and still displays the original sign. The ham and cheese omelette was delectable.

Route 66 runs straight through Tucumcari and many of the motels and restaurants built in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s are still in business today. It is small place with a population of 5278 recorded in the 2020 census but the largest city on the highway between Amarillo, TX and Albuquerque, NM.

Tee Pee Curios, built in the 1940s, is one of the only remaining teepee curio shops in New Mexico. Apparently, these were very popular throughout the southwest. My grandparents lived in Arizona and I can remember visiting these shops for souvenirs. When I was 9, I bought an ‘Apache Tear’ ring at one of these shops. This was a popular name for rounded obsidian pepples. The name came from a Native American Apache tribe legend: about 75 Apache warriors and the US Calvary fought on a mountain overlooking what is now Superior, Arizona in 1870. Facing certain defeat, the warriors rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths rather than be killed. The warriors wives and families cried when they heard of the tragedy, their tears turning to stone upon hitting the ground.

About half a block up the street was the Blue Swallow Motel. It was built by carpenter W.A. Huggins in 1939 and opened with an on-site cafe in July, 1941. The motel continues to provide overnight accommodations. Look at the little garages next to the rooms!

If you were traveling in New Mexico, whether on horse, in a covered wagon, or in a car without air conditioning, coming across The Blue Hole must have been a wondrous site and a welcome respite. Found in Santa Rosa, “Agua Negra Chiquita” once known as Blue Lake, is one of seven sister lakes connected to a vast underground water system. A swimming venue, the lake is one of the most popular scuba diving destinations in the US.

I noticed when I crossed from Texas to New Mexico the weather changed from cloudy and snowy to bright and sunny. The landscape changed also. While the scrub and tumbleweeds were the same, I could see buttes in the distance and red rock formations along the highway. As I continued west, mountain ranges sprang up and then – Albuquerque.

My Route 66 journey ends in Albuquerque. There are a few Rt 66 sites to see tomorrow morning, but I ended my day by searching for other famous Albuquerque sites. My husband and I have watched all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad twice. This American crime drama has been hailed by critics as one of the greatest television series of all time. It is funny, cruel, heartbreaking, clever, and terrifying. Its five seasons ran from Jan. 2008 – Sept. 2013, is available on Netflix should you care to watch or rewatch it, AND was filmed completely in Albuquerque. So you know where I had to go. *** Warning – possible Breaking Bad spoilers ahead***

The Candy Lady – 424 San Felipe St NW. This candy shop developed and still sells the rock candy that was used as a prop for the blue meth made famous in Breaking Bad. They also make really good chocolate covered pretzels.

The Dog House, (on Route 66!) was one of Albuquerque’s first fast food drive-ins and it offered car hop service and indoor seating. In the universe of Breaking Bad, Jesse spends time outside the restaurant selling meth.

Tuco’s headquarters at 906 Park Ave SW is actually a coffee shop on the first floor. The second floor is for rent.

The chicken restaurant, Los Pollos Hermanos owned by Gus Fring – 4275 Isleta Blvd SW- is actually part of a chain called Twisters.

Casa Tranquila Nursing Home 8820 Horizon Blvd. Tio Salamanca lives there in later seasons.

Laundry and Super Lab where Walt and Jesse work is at 1617 Candelaria Rd NE and is for sale.

The A1A Car Wash, 9516 Snow Heights Circle, is really Mister Car Wash. They did a great job removing all the Texas dust off of my car.

La Palomita Park where Mike takes his granddaughter is located at 8516 La Sala Grande NE

Gus Fring’s House is at 1213 Jefferson St NE

Hank and Marie’s house is 4901 Cumbre del Sur Court NE

The White Family’s house is 3828 Piedmont Dr NE. This is by far the most famous Breaking Bad location. Due to tourists, like me, they have erected fences around the property, fenced the entrance, and placed cones in front of the house so that people do not park there. I started to think this may not have been such a great idea.

The Crossroads Motel is another Route 66 legend. In Breaking Bad, it is where drug dealers and users abound, and Hank warns Walt Jr about the dangers of drug use.

Jesse and Jane’s apartment 323 Terrace St. SE

My self-guided Breaking Bad tour complete I headed for the hotel. Reflecting on the locations I saw, I felt very stalker-y while taking pictures of places people actually lived. I can’t imagine what the people who live in “The White’s House” feel about people still coming to their home even though the series ended almost 12 years ago. I parked away from the house, took pictures from my car window, and quickly drove away. But I am sure some people are much more intrusive. And I went there, so I contributed to the problem. Not sure it was worth it for a few pictures.

Tomorrow, I will see the last of the Route 66 sites in Albuquerque. Then I will meet some friends and we will spend 5 days together. After that, I will be on my own again. I will write about our adventures, so keep reading if you like. And if you are ever in Albuquerque, I recommend The Candy Lady.

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