Albequerque to ShowLow, Arizona

Old motels on Route 66 are a crapshoot, the Stardust no exception.

 Down old Hwy 66 through downtown, many shops, cafes, a tcity with a lot of life it seems

to old Albuquerque on the west side of downtown.  Built around a lovely square where I heard music the night before

with a very old and quite beautiful church to the  north

 and  small section of art, jewelry and craft shops

A smaller version of old Santa Fe and sweeter for it.  Funny how you respond to a place, and I liked this one as soon as I saw it.  True of the city as a whole, I was sorry to leave and hope to return one day.  I drove out on I40,he city behind, big open country ahead

I turned off onto a small road through small towns with small houses like many I'd seen in New Mexico

I turned south on Hwy 117 along El Malpais National Monument,  100,000 acres much of it a long lava flows and sandstone cliffs surrounded by volcanic cones and wilderness mountains. Very cool place.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Malpais_National_Monument

A lovely natural arch.

South on Hwy 36 to Quemodo, then west on Hwy 60 across sweeping plains, big blocks of mountains in the distance.

 over the continental divide, back in the west!

Through Springerville, a real town

the west on 60 through a range of beautiful volcanic cones

the land stretching away to the north

pine and juniper forest to the south

  into Show Low, town of 10,000 named after a call in a card game (and where the main street is Duce of Clubs)

Where better to drive a convertible bug than Arizona?  Gotta love it!