It wouldn’t be summer without an old-fashioned trip along the Mother Road

and the Route 66 Association of New Mexico aims to please with its

first-ever New Mexico Route 66 Motor Tour July 23-25, 2010.

Up to 150 vehicles – auto, motorcycle, travel trailer or bicycle, classic

to contemporary – will traverse the state from Tucumcari to Gallup. The

tour is not a race; participants are free to stop whenever and wherever

the mood strikes. Each community along the way will join in the

festivities, be it a car show, sidewalk sale or barbecue cook-off, like

the one planned between Moriarty and Edgewood.

“Our intent is to promote tourism by showcasing New Mexico’s segment of

the Mother Road and the communities it passes through,” said Vickie

Ashcraft, president of the Association. “This is a great way to see the

scenery and meet the friendly people of our Route 66 communities. And you

know it is something you’ve always wanted to do.”

The tour begins in Tucumcari July 23 with registration, then heads west on

June 24, following the old Route 66 alignment. In Albuquerque, tour

participants can take part in the annual Neon Cruise to Nob Hill where a

section of Central will be closed off for “Route 66 Days and Nights.”

There will be car shows, live music, vendors and entertainment. July 25,

the tour again heads west to Gallup, where it concludes with Indian

Dancers, prizes and awards.

“For more than 50 years, travelers got their first real look at New Mexico

while traveling Route 66,” said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New

Mexico Tourism Department. “Even while New Mexicans look to the future,

they keep their history alive and kicking with remembrances of Route 66,

such as this year’s ‘Route 66 Motor Tour.’ The long weekend will have a

little something for everyone - family entertainment at its down-home

finest.”