Santa Rosa, NM

Santa Rosa has many vintage motels, some in good shape and some in decline.

Santa Rosa was the home of the Club Cafe', which operated starting in 1935. It's famous Fat Man appeared on billboards all over Route 66 and later I-40. The Club Cafe' went into decline, then later was bought and restored. Unfortunately, it did not make it, and it finally closed in 1992. You can now see the original Fat Man sign at Joseph's Bar & Grill, which is a long time Santa Rosa favorite that has survived the I-40 bypass of the town.

Santa Rosa also is home of the Blue Hole, a pond of crystal clear water 60 feet in diameter and 81 feet deep that looks deep blue in the sunlight. The Blue Hole is popular with scuba divers, which has to be a pretty rare thing in the New Mexico Desert.

At the East end of town is the Route 66 Auto Museum, which is an antique car museum with a hot rod elevated on the top of its sign. It costs a few dollars to visit, but folks who ride motorcycles are sure to enjoy viewing the vintage cars.

On the way out off town is a small portion of the pre-1937 Route 66 following 4th St and Riverside Drive. This detour winds through a neighborhood that has seen better days, but when you get to the other end, you will be West of the Pecos!

At the West end of town is the Pecos Bar. It is a classic Western style bar with several pool tables. If you are in Pecos at night, it will be a place to hit, along with Joseph's Bar & Grill.

If you want to take a detour to see some Wild West History, Ft Sumner, NM is about a 45 minute ride from Santa Rosa. Billy the Kid was killed there by Pat Garret, and the Kid is buried there. There also is a Billy the Kid Museum.

When you leave Santa Rosa, you have a choice. Our directions take you up to Santa Fe. There are at least three reasons to take this option. First, it is the older route. Second, you get to go to Santa Fe. Third, it's a beautiful ride.

If you need to save time, stay on I-40 to Moriarty and follow our directions into Albuquerque. This also is a great ride. It will take you through Tijeras Canyon and in to Albuquerque on Central Avenue, which is Albuquerque's main Route 66 drag. There are lots of vintage hotels, neon signs and buildings along the way. In fact, there is more of that kind of thing on this route than on the Santa Fe route.