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Posts tagged ‘Mother Road’

El Rancho Hotel, Gallup, New Mexico, US 66, US route 66, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Hotel El Rancho

(October 2018.)

On our 1-day drive from Santa Fe west to Flagstaff, we stopped in Gallup, New Mexico for a few hours. Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup was once a busy railway depot town big on coal, but now is a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway.

Hotel El Rancho exudes what we would call “an old-school charm with the nostalgia of driving culture.” (And for effect, we roll the r’s in Rrrrrrrancho.) Gallup lay along former highway US-66, which explains why the hotel was built in 1938 directly in front of the highway’s route through town. It’s one beaut of a throwback.

I made the two pictures on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-iA2.

Main hotel lobby.

History of the Gallup Region, Lloyd Moylan, Federal Art Project, New Deal, McKinley County Courthouse, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Moylan’s “New Deal” mural

(October 2018.)

Next to the new county courthouse is the old county courthouse built in 1938. Itself a part of the New Deal Federal Arts Project (1935-1943), the old courthouse building housed a variety of other New Deal art works, including 10-foot murals by Lloyd Moylan up on the inside walls of the historic courtroom. Moylan’s murals “Allegory – History of the Region” show how people’s lives have changed through history of the area.

I made the picture above on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the settings: 1/125-sec, f/4, ISO4000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-izX.

Veteran's Memorial, Courthouse Square, McKinley County Courthouse, Navajo Code Talkers, World War 2, US Marine Corps, Pacific theater, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Navajo Code Talkers Memorial

(October 2018.)

Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup was once an important railway depot town big on coal transports, but now is a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway. Gallup is also considered an unofficial capital of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and gateway into Indian country.

In various visible ways, the town honours the Navajo Code Talkers who were from the Gallup area and served in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. In the plaza in front of the county courthouse is a veterans’ memorial and walkway with column markers to the Spanish-American War, World War 2, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf. One column highlights and honours members of the Navajo Nation who served as Code Talkers in the Pacific Theatre of World War 2.

If it were not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.

– Major Howard Conner, 5 Marine Division Signal Officer.

I made all pictures on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-izT.

Navajo Code Talkers Memorial.

Navajo Code Talkers, Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, Navajo Code Talkers exhibit, Theresa Potter, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Navajo Code Talkers exhibit

(October 2018.)

We stopped in Gallup, New Mexico, for a few hours on our 1-day drive from Santa Fe west to Flagstaff. Only 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the New Mexico-Arizona border, Gallup is considered an unofficial capital of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and gateway into Indian country. Formerly a busy railway depot town big on coal transports, Gallup is now a stop for weary drivers on today’s I-40 interstate highway.

Inside the Gallup-McKinley County Chamber of Commerce is a small exhibition about the Navajo Code Talkers. A key painting by local artist Theresa Potter was unveiled on National Navajo Code Talkers Day in 1982. The accompanying caption reads:

Theresa Potter (1933-1986) was awarded the Navajo Code Talker’s first Medal of Merit in 1984 in recognition of her many years of active support and contributions to the association. In spite of her arthritically-crippled hands, she was a well-known artist who specialized in Southwestern scenes and themes. In 1976, she painted a picture portraying four Code Talkers in a jungle setting, but with visions of their homeland beyond the sacred rainbow. The painting was donated to the Navajo Code Talkers, along with another painting called “Reminiscences.”

I made the picture above on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the settings: 1/60-sec, f/4, ISO1000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-izK.

Navajo Code Talkers, World War 2, US Marine Corps, Pacific theater, Navajo Nation, Gallup, New Mexico, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday in Gallup: Navajo Code Talkers mural

(October 2018.)

The town honours the Navajo Code Talkers who served in the Second World War. The 2001 wall mural along South 2nd Street by Be Sargent commemorates the Navajo Code Talkers who were recruited by the U.S. Marine Corps for service in the Pacific Theater during World War 2. Their own Navajo code was never broken during the war. The mural shows the men as they were young and later as aged, as well as various animals familiar to the area.

I made the picture above on 12 Oct 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime and the settings: 1/500-sec, f/11, ISO1000, and 18.5mm focal length (28mm full-frame equivalent). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-ilb.

Santa Fé: fall colours, chile flavours

Above/featured: northbound on I-25 to Santa Fe – 8 Oct 2018 (6D1).

From different parts of the continent, we flew in and out of Santa Fé, which served admirably and comfortably as our base for a couple of day trips to Taos and Abiquiú (Georgia O’Keeffe Country). These would kick off our two-week drive through the American Southwest.

But Santa Fé is also important for these reasons:

• Established in 1610 as the seat of governance for province of New México within colonial territory Viceroyalty of New Spain.
• Oldest continuously inhabited state/territorial capital city in the continental United States.
• Near the northern terminus of 16th-century Spanish colonial Royal Road (Camino Real) from México City.
• Western terminus of the 19th-century pioneer Santa Fé Trail from Franklin, Missouri.
• Key destination in the original configuration of 20th-century highway US route-66.
• A delicious, flavourful, and spicy introduction to New Mexican cuisine.

( Click here for images and more )

1-day drive in the US Southwest: Santa Fe to Flagstaff

Above/featured: Continental Divide. Rising to the north are red Entrada sandstone cliffs (Iyanbito member) from the middle Jurassic period about 170 million years ago. The cliffs are part of a geologic formation extending from northwest New Mexico into northeast Arizona, southeast Utah, and west-central Colorado.

The following takes place entirely within day 8 (of 15) on our drive through the American Southwest. From Santa Fe, New Mexico to our destination Flagstaff, Arizona, the day-long drive began on the short leg I-25 south to Albuquerque. This stretch of I-25 is along a part of the colonial road El Camino Real and parallel to the pre-1937 alignment of the now-famous highway US route 66 (US-66). In Albuquerque, we turned right onto I-40, heading westbound for the New Mexico-Arizona state border and beyond. The total distance was a little over 650 kilometres (400+ miles).

• Historic Route 66 (US DoT Federal Highway Administration)
• New Mexico US-66 Association
• Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona
• Why Route 66 became America’s most famous road, Vox on YouTube, 16 Aug 2019.

( Click here for images and more )

My Albuquerque: world’s largest hot air balloon festival (2018)

What colourful and interesting sights of light and balloons you might see, whether it’s your first or the umpteenth time at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Every year beginning the first weekend in October, hundreds of thousands of visitors descend upon central New Mexico to see several hundred hot-air balloons ascend into the skies over the Duke City.

To kick off our time in the American Southwest, we drove into Albuquerque for our first time in the city and to attend our first Balloon Fiesta. We purchased in advance tickets to day 1’s morning session with park-and-ride, day 2’s evening session with park-and-ride, and day 3’s morning session without park-and-ride.

For opening day, clear skies and crisp conditions waited for us as we struggled mightily out of bed, but headed out into the dark of the early morning with great anticipation. Even with massive crowds and some traffic chaos, the long wait was worth the sight of seeing the balloons as oval dots on the horizon and as shapely giants up close.

I have to mention the breakfast chile relleno burritos which everybody recommended we seek and try on the festival grounds. How about a version consisting of a New Mexico green chile stuffed with cheese and batter fried, enveloped in a scrambled egg and cheese mixture, all wrapped in a soft corn tortilla and lightly grilled to provide a little bit of outside crunch and crisp? That’s a big resounding yes to breakfast burritos and big balloons.

( Click here for images and more )

My Albuquerque: balloons & highlights in the Duke City

To begin our journey through the American Southwest, one of our first destinations was the International Balloon Fiesta. The largest balloon festival in North America is held every October in Albuquerque, the most populous city in the American state of New Mexico. Located roughly in the centre of the state and bisected by two major interstate highways I-25 and I-40, Albuquerque has seen its fair share of human activity and history:

Inland trade road between Meso-America and southern Rocky Mountains, c. 1000 AD/CE.
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro established between Mexico City and Santa Fe for the colony of New Spain.
City founded 1706 AD/CE, in a wooded area along the east bank of the Rio Grande river.
City named after Viceroy of New Spain who was the 10th Duke of Alburquerque; 1st ‘r’ dropped to ease spelling and pronunciation.
City population: over 560-thousand, metro area over 910-thousand.
City elevation, average: 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mile).
City shaped by Spanish presence, railroad, University of New Mexico, Route 66, Sandia National Laboratories, TV- & film-production.

Having arrived from our respective cities at sea-level, we needed about a day or two to adjust to 20% less atmosphere^# at the city’s mile-high elevation. Not only did the balloon festival exceed our expectations, we’re happy to share some of our favourite moments and places in and around “The Duke City”. With a limited number of days in the city, a rental car is the easiest way of getting around the city.

( Click here for images and more )

I-40, Interstate 40, US-66, US route 66, Continental Divide, NM, USA, fotoeins.com

Fotoeins Friday: I-40 and US-66 at Continental Divide, NM

To kick off 2019, I begin with glimpses from the road over two weeks this past autumn in the American Southwest.

Traveling west on Interstate 40 (I-40) towards Flagstaff, the town of Continental Divide in New Mexico sits on top of the geographic feature known as the continental divide, defined as “the main series of mountain ridges in North America, chiefly the crests of the Rocky Mountains, forming a watershed separating the rivers flowing east into the Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico from rivers flowing west into the Pacific Ocean.” Off I-40, you reach a frontage road that is old US route 66 (US-66) along which there are shops and a big gas station. The view here faces northwest to two east-west railroad tracks and towards Navajo Nation lands in the distance. The town of Continental Divide is 112 miles east from Albuquerque and 49 miles west from the New Mexico-Arizona state border at Lupton.

I made the pictures here on 12 October 2018 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime. Thanks to AB for making this memorable trip possible. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-czy.

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