Tucumcari!

We are here! Even though we are living among a tower of boxes, with half a dozen new windows piled up to be replaced, and a living room floor that is about 1/3 covered with flooring and 2/3 exposed concrete... we are here - finally after a year and a half of waiting.

So where and what is Tucumcari?

Tucumcari is located on the historic route 66 (I-40) and focuses its tourism appeal around that little fact. It is approximately 110 miles west of Amarillo, TX and 170 miles east of Albuquerque. It is Population of about 5, 989 according tot he 2000 census.

According to the Chamber of commerce website, "We welcome you to get your kicks in Tucumcari (pronounced TOO-kum-kair-ee,) the Heart of the Mother Road and the Gateway City of Murals. Nestled on historic Route 66, Tucumcari has more than 1200 motel rooms. Two lakes within half-hour drives, a golf course, world-class Dinosaur Museum, and Historical Museum. Legendary Route 66 motels, National, State and Historic Scenic Byways make for fabulous photo opportunities. There are beautiful murals, grand mesas, gorgeous sunsets, and striking monuments, and so many special events throughout the year. Because we are "The Gateway to New Mexico" for travelers on I-40 and US 54, and the intersection of State 209 and 104, we invite you to stop a while and make it "Tucumcari Tonight, Tomorrow, for a Lifetime!"

You can read all about the origin of the name, etc here. There is not much driving the economy here other than agriculture and lately that hasn't been too great as we've been in a drought for several years. However we've gotten some good rain this month and everything is green and lush and the irrigation district has promised some more water soon, so everyone is preparing their fields for winter wheat. We are just growing grass hay this year, but now that we're here Jeff has plans to try other grazing type crops - we'll see.