Mahamed and I used to be out in the evening with machetes and stun guns, but he's intent on making this a decent place. Sipping strong coffee and jawing down tasty cashews imported from Africa, Mahamed and I chat about the Aztec, the only site along Central Avenue on the National Register of Historic Places. We arrive in Gallup, with its five mile stretch of road cutting through dozens of aging motels. Our first stop is the Roadrunner . Next to the pool, I see chili plants growing almost like weeds from under a rock.
Closer inspection reveals, however, that they are cultivated with great care.
The motel features crisscrossed patterns of deep red against its pink walls - and, of course, a picture of a roadrunner on its sign. We've yet to see a real roadrunner around these parts, but judging by the postcards available at every exit, the birds are much smaller than they appear on cartoons. Roadrunner Motel Heading west through town, Jenny catches sight of the Blue Spruce Lodge . Surrounding the roof is a slash of purple neon, while next to every door we find an ornate lamp edged with green plastic and iron swirls. On the road, pools of gasoline create drifts of almost incandescent color marred only by occasional raindrops.