For an updated look at Tucumcari, New Mexico, check out these posts on my new site, Everyday Wanderer

Abandoned Westerner Drive-Inn Along Route 66 in Tucumcari

Ranch House Cafe Along Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico

From a population of 8,500 and 2,000 hotel rooms at its peak during the hey day of Route 66, today Tucumcari, New Mexico feels a bit like a ghost town that people still live in.  Along the “Mother Road” that runs between Chicago and Los Angeles, abandoned icons, like the Apache Motel and the Westerner Drive-Inn, sit next to restored gems, like the Blue Swallow Motel and La Cita.

The Ranch House Cafe is one of the abandoned places along the stretch of Route 66 running through Tucumcari. It is often photographed by those traveling all or a portion of the 2,450 mile long historic route that spans eight states and three time zones.  While I didn’t get to photograph it during my November 2013 drive through Tucumcari during a freak ice storm, I did get up with the sun to capture it last month.

A dilapidated truck sits in front of a deteriorating marquee where the Ranch House Cafe once flourished in the hey day of Route 66.

A closer look at the old Chevy sitting in front of what used to be the Ranch House Cafe in Tucumcari, NM

A look at the old Chevrolet in front of the Ranch House Cafe from the rear

The deterioration of the neon sign in front of the Ranch House Cafe stands out against the clear, blue sky of Tucumcari, New Mexico