This is the best motel on Route 66. Sure, some folks may quibble over the enhancements. In front of the windowsills, we find yellow boards and the occasional rusty car battery. Driving west, we hit the Silver Moon at Santa Rosa. As Jenny arranges her shot, I sit in one of those old chairs that support your weight through twin curves of metal.
Trucks stream past in a morning thick with sweat.
Little has changed. During our Summer 2000 trip, we spend extra time in Albuquerque, cityscape of colorful murals where even the garbage bins are painted with angular coyotes and Zuni symbols. We're cruising down Central Avenue, about eighteen miles of classic Route 66 businesses and some of the best neon in the southwest. Naturally, we stop at the 66 Diner for tasty shakes and some gut-busing frito pie. Then, we're on the road again.