THE SMALL TOWNS AND BRIGHT CITIES strung together by historic Route 66 in central New Mexico still harbor gems of yesteryear that flash from the roadside.
Some Route 66 enthusiasts argue that one of New Mexico’s most scenic portions snakes between the small town of Moriarty and New Mexico’s biggest city, Albuquerque. None of these places were located along the Mother Road until the 1937 realignment cruised through Albuquerque’s East Mountain villages, winding through forests and climbing mountains before descending through Tijeras Canyon and into the Duke City.
“I’ve been driving Route 66 for so many years, and I love to discover things,” says Jerry McClanahan, author of the EZ 66 Guide for Travelers. “Between Moriarty and Albuquerque, there are little remnants here and there, not all in a single town, but little gems staggered along the way.”
McClanahan points to one forested portion along Sedillo Hill Road in Tijeras as particularly enchanting. “It twists and turns through the mountains for several miles,” he says.
Moriarty is home to the only Whiting Brothers gas station still in operation. Established in 1926, Whiting Brothers ran more than 100 stations on Route 66 from Texas to California. Sal Lucero, who started working at the station in 1969 and bought it in 1985, remembers the heyday. “I had to keep it open 24-7,” he says. “It was busy, busy, busy.”
During that time, Lucero met travelers from as far away as Armenia and Norway. “This station was the No. 3 producer on all of Route 66,” he recalls. “I offered full service and did close to 100,000 gallons a month.”
Today, his daughter Theresa runs the business, now called Sal & Inez’s Service Station. The location, which has appeared in film and TV productions, including Peacock’s streaming series Poker Face, no longer sells gas, but Lucero fixes tires and changes oil. “Whatever I can do to keep going,” says the 86-year-old.
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