Murals on Historic Route 66

Bus to Tucumcari - Historic Route 66 Art

Bus to Tucumcari © 2012 Bo Mackison

On our travels from Arizona to Wisconsin, we took a few long detours away from the Interstate system. There are only so many hours of a driving day that I want filled with semi trucks passing me going upwards of 85 mph. At least when we take the more rural routes, we are usually pleased to find decent two lane roads, little traffic, and a few surprises along the way.

One such surprise — actually one long string of surprises — was the strip of Historic Route 66 running through the northern part of Tucumcari, New Mexico. These few blocks of Route 66 are filled with a wonderland of murals depicting the Mother Road in a different era.

You're Here - Historic Route 66 Motel and Murals

You're Here © 2012 Bo Mackison

Many of the murals feature the slogans “Tucumcari Tonite” and “You’re Here” reminiscent of the times when these signs dotted the highway for hundreds of miles, beckoning the Route 66 travelers to stop at one of the dozens of motels that lined the main street in Tucumcari. Now, Interstate 40 runs along the southern edge of the town and there are hotels and restaurants providing for most travelers who are in search of the speediest  way.

But there also is a lot of renovation going on along Route 66, and quite a few appealing vintage motels are open for business, providing all the comforts of home. And a great view of a lot of really fun art.

Tucumcari Tonite - Historic Route 66

Historic Route 66 Motel © 2012 Bo Mackison

If you are inclined to see a thousand or so vintage murals, there is even a resource from the Mural Museum, conveniently titled 1,000 Murals – From Pontiac Illinois to Tucumcari New Mexico. It provides information on finding those many elusive art forms on the back roads of middle America.

Tucumcari Tonight - Historic Route 66 Motel

Tucumcari Tonight © 2012 Bo Mackison

Perhaps I will stop and see a few more of these amazing murals on my return trip to Arizona. Wouldn’t it be an adventure to follow parts of Route 66 and document the murals in photographs? I only had a (very) short time to snap these few photos as Sherpa and I took a short break from driving.

But it would be even more fun to stop awhile in some of these towns, say hello to the local citizens, and see more than the back ends of speeding trucks making time on the Interstate.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. Sometimes she needs to rush along and traveling on the Interstates make sense, but she much prefers to take her time and see the country she is traveling through.

Diverging Lines

Atrium  - in Color

Atrium @ 2011 Bo Mackison

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? . . . We are all meant to shine, as children do . . . And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

I am taking things easy this evening, after a wild day of stormy weather, intense explorations, eye-opening meetings, and a spell of night driving on dark, slippery roads where a few cars had already slid into the side ditch. I felt relief when I pulled the car into the garage, sat for a few minutes in the dark and took a few deep breaths to super-oxygenate my brain.

I met with some wise people today. I went seeking answers — again — to questions I have asked for nearly twenty years, questions that no one was able or willing to answer, and this time I got an answer. There was no guarantee, but I was offered a course of actions. They would require life altering commitments, but there is now a road map and a chance for success.

While I pondered my options, lines from the above quote by Marianne Williamson flashed through my head. I searched for the entire quote in my notebook where I have copied quotes for years. I read the words again.

“. . . our deepest fear is . . . powerful beyond measure . . . It is our light that frightens us . . . Be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous. . . liberated from our own fear.”

Do I want to accept this challenge? It will be hard work. A change in life-style. Commitment to a routine, not for a few weeks or a few months, for a lifetime.

I make excuses. I am too old to re-wire myself. I am too set in my ways to begin a new routine. I don’t have enough energy to commit to a new movement regime. I don’t have enough will-power to re-structure my meals, my food choices. It would be too hard.

And I don’t want to change!!!

But, paradoxically, I desperately do want to change.

I glance at my book of quotations again, and these words catch my attention:

“The veil of illusion that has been keeping you from perceiving reality as it is, is starting to burn away. The fire is not the heated fire of passion, but the cool flame of awareness.” ~ Osho

And that is the answer. Now that I am aware of a choice, of a chance for this change in my life, I can’t refuse.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer, owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is also a woman who collects wise quotations, and sometimes those wise words are exactly what she needs to read.

La Conquistadora

La Conquistadora

Chapel of La Conquistadora © 2008  Bo Mackison

The Chapel of La Conquistadora adjoins the large Basilica Cathedral of St. Francis of  Assisi near the Old Square in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  The Chapel, built in 1714, houses La Conquistadora, the oldest Madonna in the United States.

The statue, carved of wood, was brought to the area by Franciscan Friars in 1625.

Blogging and The Land of Enchantment

Hot Air Balloon over Albuquerque

Hot Air Balloon over Albuquerque ©2008 Bo Mackison

There are many reasons to keep a blog. When I started this blog just over a year ago, my goals were straight-forward. I wanted to practice my photography, a brand new skill then, and commit to a daily practice of posting a photograph. Simple enough.

In a matter of a few weeks, the blogging grew into a habit I enjoyed. Not only did my photos improve, but after many months they began to attract some attention on their own. Some people asked to buy copies; a couple of non-profits asked permission to use a photo or two in their various organizations. The exposure also led to a writing gig for a Wisconsin Travel blog. And I developed a core of readers who visited regularly, left comments, and whom I visited in return. And so I thought that is what blogging accomplished and I was quite pleased with the results. Little did I realize there would be more.

Last spring, I discovered a writers’ blog, red Ravine, and submitted a couple of writing pieces to the site. They were published and I found I enjoyed that experience. I also enjoyed the red Ravine community and began reading the blog regularly and commenting. I exchanged a few e-mails with one of rR’s founders, ybonesy. Ybonesy often writes about place on her blog. In her case, place is New Mexico.

When I began making plans to travel in the Southwest, I dropped ybonesy a note, telling her I would be in her neighborhood, in person.  Was she interested in meeting for coffee or lunch?  She responded enthusiastically and so we began our planning.

Last week, I arrived on her doorstep with my spouse and camper in tow. We explored her awesome piece of land, I met the snake and the turkeys and the dogs she so often blogs about. Her husband Jim greeted us as well, and shared his enthusiasm for the wide open spaces in New Mexico.  Then we went to the perfect local restaurant, Perea’s Tijuana Bar, where we indulged in carne adovada and tamales. It was a truly delightful experience – great food plus face-to-face conversation with a “blogger friend”.  I’m a self-avowed introvert and this was a remarkable feat for me. I had a great visit and I felt like I had rediscovered a long-gone friend.

When we all blog together, we do get to know a lot about each other, but the connection isn’t quite complete. It is very nice to actually meet someone from the virtual world in the real world. Very nice, indeed.

I hope, ybonesy, if you or another frequent visitor at the Seeded Earth ever visit Wisconsin, you’ll drop me a note. I’d love to share my part of the country in the same manner you shared your part of the country with me.

Blogging has a lot of benefits. Exposure, a bit of profit, new gigs, virtual friendships all around the world. Now I can add another plus – new friends to meet in new places. Wow! This is pretty awesome stuff.

Thanks, ybonesy, for the wonderful visit. It was great meeting you after learning so much about you from your writing and art. This kind of connection really makes blogging come alive.

Vacation is a Numbers Game

Santa Fes Five and Dime Store

Santa Fe’s Five and Dime Store -Tiled Entrance ©2008

Back home after a great trip out west. Here is our vacation summed up in a few numbers. We managed to spend lots of nickles and dimes, but it was well worth it.

Days of vacation: 16
Days we had precipitation (either rain or snow): 2

Nights temperature dropped below 32˚F: 5
Days temperature rose above 90˚F: 2

Total miles driven: 4452
Most miles driven in one day: 739

Total cost of gas: $1267.02
Highest price we paid for gallon of gas: $3.79 (Fort Morgan, Colorado)
Cheapest price for gallon of gas: $2.48 (multiple stops in Kansas and Iowa) though we saw it for $2.29 in Des Moines, IA – just after we filled the tank.

States visited: 9 (including home state of Wisconsin)
State capital cities we drove through: 7
National parks/monuments visited: 11

Days we were in the mountains: 12
Days we were in a desert: 9
Days we were in deep canyons: 3
Days we were on sand dunes: 3

Nights we camped next to loud rushing water: 1 (Once was one too many.)
Nights we camped so close to tracks we heard train whistles all night long: 7 (There are train tracks everywhere west of the Rockies.)

Photographs taken: 2021
Number of books purchased (mostly from National Park Service): 14

Overall cost (borrowing the rather well-used phrase from our “friend” MasterCard’s famous commercials): Priceless!