Get your kicks on Route 66 and follow along on our 16-day Route 66 Road Trip from Chicago to Los Angeles! Day 10 from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Albuquerque, New Mexico included some vintage signs in Santa Fe, eating hot dogs at the Dog House in Albuquerque, and a strip of amazing vintage neon signs down the main strip in Albuquerque.
Route 66 Road Trip Day 10: Santa Fe to Albuquerque
Santa Fe, NM
We couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Santa Fe. I just couldn’t get with that town. Too many old people, too much expensive turquoise jewelry, not Route 66-ish. So we checked out and headed towards Albuquerque and since it was a short driving day, we stopped at a bunch of antique stores, vintage neon motel signs, and restaurant signs.
Vintage Signs on the way to Albuquerque, NM
Vintage Neon Signs in Albuquerque, NM
The antique stores were okay. I would recommend them, although I liked the antique stores in Amarillo better. We had lunch at Rudy’s BBQ (which is the husband’s favorite BBQ) and then he was nice enough to drive me up and down the main Route 66 strip in Albuquerque so I could photograph all the awesome neon signs.
WARNING: a lot of vintage sign photographs to follow!
Monterey Non-Smoker’s Motel
We then checked into our room at the Monterey Non-smoker’s Motel and met Victor the dog. I guess Weiner dogs were the theme of the day.
Dog House
And then had dinner at the Dog House which you might recognize as a Breaking Bad filming location. We would have had dinner there even if it wasn’t a Breaking Bad location – it’s one of the best neon signs along Route 66! I mean, the sausage links move and the dog wags her tail!
As I was taking a photo of the neon a car pulled up and a lady jumped out and asked if we wanted our photo taken. At first we said no, but she was insistent. She told us that she is a huge fan of the Dog House and has been eating there for years and she is also a huge fan of Breaking Bad and she has her photo taken in front of the sign and we needed one, too.
STAY: Monterey Non-Smoker’s Motel,2402 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87104, (505) 243-3554
Planning your own Route 66 Road Trip? I used the Route 66: EZ66 Guide for Travelers to plan our trip and I highly, highly, highly (I truly cannot emphasize it enough) recommend the book/maps if you’re planning to drive most of Route 66 turn-by-turn – meaning all of the historic route, no modern-day highways.
Follow along on the rest of our Route 66 Road Trip with my day by day guide:
Day 1: Chicago, IL to Springfield, IL
Day 2: Springfield, IL to St. Louis, MO
Day 3: St Louis, MO to Lebanon, MO
Day 4: Lebanon, MO to Carthage, MO
Day 5: Carthage, MO, to Oklahoma City, OK
Day 6: Oklahoma City, OK, to Shamrock, TX
Day 7: Shamrock, TX to Amarillo, TX
Day 8: Amarillo, TX to Tucumcari, NM
Day 8: I gave Tucumcari it’s own post because I was in neon sign heaven!
Day 9: Tucumcari, NM to Santa Fe, NM
Day 10: Santa Fe, NM to Albuquerque, NM
Day 11: Albuquerque, NM to Gallup, NM
Day 12: Gallup, NM to Holbrook, AZ
Day 13: Holbrook, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ
Day 14: Flagstaff, AZ to Kingman, AZ
Day 15: Kingman, AZ to Rialto, CA
Day 16: Rialto, CA to Pasadena, CA
Day 17: Pasadena, CA to Santa Monica, CA
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Land Acknowledgement
Salty Canary wants to acknowledge that we live, operate, gather, and benefit every day on the traditional stolen lands of several Indigenous peoples and nations including the Tongva (Gabrieleno), Kizh (Gabrieleno), Chumash, Popeloutchom (Amah Mutsun), Ohlone, Awaswas, and Fernandeño Tataviam peoples who have stewarded the lands and waterways throughout their many generations in what is now the state of California.
I wanted to personally acknowledge these Indigenous people and nations and both their commitment and current contributions to the land with a donation to the American Indian College Fund because acknowledgment without action does not begin to address the systemic issues facing Indigenous people. If you feel as though you benefit from the land you’re living on or traveling to and you have the means, I kindly ask that you donate at least $1 to a Native-led organization such as the Native American Rights Fund or the American Indian College Fund.