Cerrillos Hills State Park ......................................... 505-474-0196
Eagle Nest Lake State Park ......................................... 575-377-1594
Cimarron Canyon State Park ......................................... 575-377-6271
El Vado Lake State Park ......................................... 575-588-7247
Clayton Lake State Park ......................................... 575-374-8808
Fenton Lake State Park ......................................... 575-829-3630
Conchas Lake State Park ......................................... 575-868-2270
Hyde Memorial Park State Park ......................................... 505-983-7175
Coyote Creek State Park ......................................... 575-387-2328
Morphy Lake State Park ......................................... 575-387-2328
nm state parks Santa Rosa Lake State Park ..........................................575-472-3110
Ute Lake State Park ......................................... 575-487-2284
Storrie Lake State Park ......................................... 505-425-7278
Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park ......................................... 575-377-2293
Sugarite Canyon State Park ......................................... 575-445-5607
Villanueva State Park ......................................... 575-421-2957
STATE EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION LOCATIONS Santa Fe – Main Branch 813 St. Michael’s Drive Santa Fe, NM 87505 www.secunm.org .................................................... 505-983-7328 Toll Free...................................... 800-983-7328 Santa Fe 4920 Promenade Blvd. Santa Fe, NM 87507 ....................................................505-983-7328
Albuquerque 3451 Candelaria NE Albuquerque, NM 87107 .................................................... 505-884-0128
Los Lunas 1870 Emilio Lopez Loop Los Lunas, NM 87031 ................................................... 505-565-8400
Belen 19390 N Hwy 314 Belen, NM 87002 .................................................... 505-864-0335
Rio Rancho 7851 Enchanted Hills Rio Rancho, NM 87144 ................................................... 505-884-0128
Las Vegas 1201 Mills Ave. Las Vegas, NM 87701 .................................................... 505-454-1111
Traces of Iconic Route 66 continued from page 37
San Jon to Tucumcari Running across the rangelands and irrigated farmlands of eastern Quay County, this 23.9-mile segment is largely unaltered beyond normal road maintenance. The segment generally follows what was known as the Ozark Trail, a regional trail association that preceded the creation of the federal highway system in 1926. The roadbed was paved with a hard surface in 1933. Cuervo to Junction with SR 156 This long-abandoned stretch of Route 66 offers unbroken views of scenic vistas of the eastern New Mexico rangeland. Interstate 40 is so well removed to the north that it does not impinge on the historic feel of Route 66. This part of the Mother Road that leads from Cuervo to State Road 156 consists of 6.9 miles built as part of the realignment during 1932. Typical of most ascents along Route 66, a yellow median stripe in the road and a gas station awaited motorists at the rise, a spot now marked only by the building’s foundation and concrete pump. Albuquerque to Rio Puerco This 8.5-mile section is marked by a scenic descent from Nine Mile Hill into the Rio Puerco Valley and a through-truss bridge across the steeply eroded banks of the Rio Puerco. At the segment’s eastern end at Nine Mile Hill, the summit offers notable scenery. Eastward lies the emerald chain marking the middle Rio Grande Valley, with Albuquerque stretching across the valley to the Sandia Mountains beyond. To the west is the Rio Puerco Valley with Mount Taylor, rising above to 12,000 feet. Many travelers who drove the Mother Road during the historic period fondly recall the vistas at Nine Mile Hill, especially the views of Mount Taylor and Albuquerque at night, as some of the most inspiring in the American West. Crossing the Rio Puerco is a Parker throughtruss bridge with its original bridge plates affixed to the headwalls of the reinforced concrete approaches. Federal funding was then used to construct the Rio Puerco Bridge in 1933. Laguna to McCarty’s This 17.7-mile road section passes through both Laguna and Acoma tribal lands, gradually ascending into the Rio San Jose Valley through the Route 66 Rural Historic District, which encompasses approximately 216 acres and seven buildings. The sandstone cliffs of Paraje Mesa to
the north and red willows lining the Rio San Jose to the south present a rich Southwestern landscape. The seven buildings at the two roadside trading posts offered several roadside services including gas, food, lodging, towing, and auto repairs. The Budville Trading Post (1938) and Villa de Cubero (1936) are two of the best remaining examples of earlyroadside architecture catering to passing motorists. McCarty’s to Grants Passing through several miles of lava flow, known locally as malpais, this 12.5-mile road section presented a challenge to early road builders during the Depression. During the 1930s, numerous New Deal projects improved this portion of Route 66. A grade separation was added at Horace in 1934, and the entire road section was paved in 1935-36, when a pony truss bridge and a concrete subway were also constructed near McCarty’s. With Mount Taylor rising over 12,000 feet to the north and the Zuni Mountains to the west, the terrain suggests the rugged Southwest, especially where the road weaves its way through the malpais. Milan to Continental Divide This 31.4-mile segment was designated as State Highway 6 in 1914 and a part of the National Old Trails Highway, a trans-regional road association that preceded the creation of the Federal highway system in 1926. The road’s climb out of the Rio San Jose drainage toward Continental Divide takes motorists out of an area that was known for its irrigated agriculture, especially carrots, in the 1940s. The discovery of uranium and development of nearby mines in the 1950s is evident in distant tailing piles and settling ponds near Bluewater. Manuelito to the Arizona Border This 8.4-mile section takes motorists by yellow and red sandstone cliffs rising abruptly from the valley floor, often covered by juniper and pinon trees. evidence of the nearby Navajo Nation lining the road, this segment had a close association with the Indian Country image that drew many motorists to the Southwest. Information for this article came from the National Park Service. Maps and more details about Route 66 can be found at http://www.nps.gov/nr/ travel/route66/new_mexico_road_segments.html/ www.travelnewmex.com | SUMMER • WINTER 2015
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