It’s Day Seven of our Route 66 road-trip, driving from Amarillo, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Who are we? Jeff and Jane, expat Brits living in Santa Monica, California. We have just finished our number one bucket-list item – driving Route 66 from Chicago back to our home town. Our mission? To Eat Vegan on Route 66 and share our experiences with you.

Route 66: Halfway Home!

Yay! We’ve driven 1139 miles, another 1139 to go – our home is just one block off Route 66 in Santa Monica. The Midpoint Cafe is a charming old-fashioned diner, supposedly the oldest continuously operating eatery on Route 66. A great place to see many other Route 66 road-trippers – with a Visitors Book signed by many from all over the world.

Crossing into New Mexico, the landscape is becoming more arid and desert-like – and even more enchanting! But the road surfaces are not, as some of them are hardly any better than dirt tracks. Surprisingly, we even have to turn back at one point, due to a flooded ‘dip’ on the Frontage Road just after Tucumcari. Even so, this road brought us very close to the railroad – and we were lucky enough to watch as one of the monster freight trains passed within feet. Later on, we passed a stopped train and measured it at 1.5 miles long!

A Union Pacific train can move one ton of freight 463 miles on a single gallon of diesel, generating a carbon footprint that is 75%
less than trucks. Even better when we can get those trains tracks electrified.

How to Eat Vegan on Route 66: New Mexico Spice (or Not)

Arriving early in Albuquerque, the Casa de Suenos (House of Dreaming) is an enchanting oasis with adobe casitas surrounded by lush gardens. We were very happy with this choice, especially as it was just a short walk to the Old Town. We sojourned to Sheehan Winery Local Tasting Room for a bevvy where we tried their chile-spiced wines (too sweet).

And onto the High Noon Restaurant, a beautiful historic adobe built in 1785 with a romantic dining room. We were hungry and ready for some spicy food in New Mexico! The waiter helped us concoct a hearty meal from the meaty menu – tortilla chips and salsa, vegetable burrito and enchiladas. Despite choosing the hotter red chile sauce, we were disappointed that it was bland with little spiciness.

Next morning, a special treat for Breaking Bad fans like us. The Breaking Bad Store and Museum in the Old Town is unassuming on the outside but packed with show memorabilia on the inside. It even inspired us to watch the whole 5 series again. And, at last we found some spice at The Tiny Grocer with a vegan burrito plus their own special chile salsa.

Not the best place for a vegan!

Tip of The Day – don’t miss out on some of the best sights just because it’s not a Route 66 attraction. We found some of the most fun things to do were not related to Route 66 at all eg Breaking Bad Museum, Abraham Lincoln’s House, and trains!

Finally, use my public shared Google Map Route 66 Vegan to locate all the places mentioned on this trip.

Miles Traveled Today: 298

Total Miles Traveled: 1435

Next stop – Gallup, New Mexico.