Eight Iconic Cultural Locations on Route 66-- Part 3: El Rancho Hotel

3.  EL RANCHO HOTEL AND MOTEL, Gallup, New Mexico

Built by director D.W. Griffith in 1936 as a base for numerous Western movie productions, it has hosted many movie stars over the years, including Errol Flyn, Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, John Wayne and Ronald Reagan.

Nearly a century later, the El Rancho still offers the "Charm of Yesterday."

This is a really neat place.  I just wish Liz and I had not opted for the cheaper motel rooms when we passed through and had stayed in the main hotel.  We did get to meet the owner at the time in 2006, Armond Ortega, in its 49er Lounge, who also owned a lot of the Indian souvenir places.  He was quite a gentleman and Liz was impressed when he clicked his heels, bent over and kissed her hand.

Wikipedia says the hotel was bult by D.W. Griffith's brother, R.E. "Griff' Griffith.

For a much longer list of people who stayed there, go to Wikipedia.

Impressed Me Too.  --RoadRancho

Route 66's Quirkiest By State-- Part 4: New Mexico and Arizona

Pictures and text accompany each place. Check out the site.

NEW MEXICO

Tucumcari  (Blue Swallow Motel, Tee Pee Curios)

Clines Corner  (Clines Corner.  Travel Center since 1934)

Albuquerque  (66 Diner)

Gallup  (El Rancho Hotel)

Santa Rosa  (Blue Hole)

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ARIZONA

Hackberry  (Hackberry General Store)

Winslow (Standing on the Corner Corner)

Seligman  (Angel and Vilma's Original Route 66 Gift Shop, Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In)

Oatman  (The whole town and Burros)

Holbrook  (Wigwam Village #6)

(Grand Canyon National Park)

Meteor City  (Meteor Crater)

--RoadDog

Along66, February 2022: The El Rancho's Renovation

FREBRUARY 17

El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico, is undergoing $6 million in renovation.

Shane Ortega, grandson of long-time El Rancho owner Armond Ortega (who died in 2014) bought out his aunt and uncle's share in 2018.

R.E. "Griff" Griffith, brother of the famous movie director D.W. Griffith, opened El Rancho in 1937 and encouraged film makers to shoot in the area (and, of course, stay at his hotel).  And they did.  

Many stars stayed there including John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck and Humphrey Bogart.

The place started declining after I-40 by-passed it and Route 66.  Armond Ortega bought it in 1986 for $300,000 and spent another $300,000 restoring it.

We stayed there one night on our retirement trip across Route 66 from end-to-end in 2006.  Sadly, we stayed in the newer part instead of the older one (next time the older one), but had the good fortune to meet and have a nice talk with Mr. Ortega in the bar.  Such a gentleman.

First Class All the Way.  --RoadDog

20 Photos of Motels on Route 66 That Would Be Good Choices to Stay

From Feb. 9, 2020 The Travel  "Planning a Road Trip?  20 Photos of Motels That Look (Surprisingly) Cozy" by Bri Thomas.

All the motels have a retro vibe and comfortable rooms.  Text and some wonderful pictures also accompany the article.

**  Liz and I have stayed in these.  Staying at one of these places gives more credence to a Route 66 trip.  Much netter choice than one of the chains.

ROUTE 66 MOTEL  in Barstow, California

WIGWAM MOTELS San Bernardino, California and Holbrook, Arizona  (I stayed in the one in Cave City, Kentucky)

EL RANCHO MOTEL  in Gallup, New Mexico **

BLUE SWALLOW MOTEL in Tucumcai, New Mexico  **

BIG TEXAN MOTEL in Amarillo, Texas

CAMPBELL HOTEL in Tulsa, Oklahoma

BOOTS COURT MOTEL  in Carthage, Missouri  **

MUNGER MOSS MOTEL in Lebanon, Missouri  **

WAGON WHEEL MOTEL in Cuba, Missouri  **

ROUTE 66 HOTEL in Springfield, Illinois  **

--RoadDog

Gallup, New Mexico, Is Locked Down Because of the Coronavirus

From the May 4, 2020, CNN News "Lockdown is extended to slow COVID-19 outbreak" by Hollie Silverman.

An emergency declaration to lockdown Gallup was issued this past Friday set to expire at noon on Monday.  On Sunday the New Mexico governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, extended it until at least Thursday to help quell the spread of the disease.

Gallup sits along historic Route 66 (and was featured in Bobby Troupe's famous song)m about twenty miles east of the border with Arizona.  Due to the high case count, the governor invoked the state's Riot Control Act to shut the town down.

"The spread of this virus in McKinley County is frightful," said Grisham.  "And it shows that physical distancing  had not occurred and is not occurring.  The virus is running amok there.  It must be stopped, and stricter measures are necessary."

As a result, all roads into the city, including Route 66, have been closed.  Other restrictions in Gallup now limit the number of people in a vehicle to two and all businesses are only operating between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

As of Sunday night, 1.144 positive cases in McKinley County.  That number represents 30% of the state's total positive cases and the highest concentration.

No Staying at the El Rancho for Me.  --RoadBanned

Ten Things Not to Miss On Route 66

From the February 4, 2020 AutoTrader by Lesley Wimbush.

Great pictures accompany as well as text.

1.  The Berghoff--  Chicago, Illinois   Great kick-off you sojourn place.  Established in 1898.  I still haven't forgiven them from the great shutdown, sell-off they did a while back.

2,  Galena, Kansas

3.  East Meets West--  Tulsa, Oklahoma   Interesting sculpture of a horse and wagon encountering an early car.

4.  Cadillac Ranch--  Amarillo, Texas

5.  Glen Rio Ghost Town--  Texas/New Mexico

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PART 2:  ALBUQUERQUE TO SANTA MONICA  By Jeff Wilson

6.  Gallup, New Mexico   Native America  and the El Rancho Hotel

7.  Holbrook and Winslow, Arizona  Only 30 minutes apart.  Holbrook has a Wigwam Motel.  Winslow, of course, has "Standing On the Corner."

8.  Grand Canyon--  Not technically on Route 66, but what the hey.

9.  Oatman, Arizona--  The drive, those burros.

10.  Roy's Motel--  Amboy, California.

END OF THE ROAD:  Santa Monica Pier.

--RoadDog

Along 66, March 2018: Belgium Radio/TV Tour This Summer

MARCH 18:  A Belgium TV and radio crew is traveling Route 66 this summer.  VRT Radio.  It will have a production music format.

They will start July 30 and finish August 20 in Santa Monica.

Sorry to see they will be staying in just one classic Route 66 motel, the El Rancho in Gallup, New Mexico.

--RoadDog

Roadtrippin' 66 in '58

My wife ran into a man at the local grocery store today who saw our car which is heavily loaded with Route 66 license plates and stickers. It is very EASY to spot. He was probably in his 70s and he wanted to talk about his trip on Route 66 back in 1958. He talked with her for twenty minutes. Unfortunately, she had bought some Good Humor ice cream and it was in the 80s.

They lived in LaGrange, Illinois, and went to Los Angeles to visit friends for an extended period of time. They picked Route 66 up nearby and drove it the whole way. He figured that some of the things he saw were still there and some of the things were being renovated.

Liz brought up that Armond Ortega,who owns the Indian souvenir places out in New Mexico had extensively renovated the El Rancho in Gallup. He was happy to hear that.

His wife wanted to stay in one of the Wigwams, but they had a different problem than us, because when we made the whole run last fall, we kept getting to the two remaining ones in Holbrook, Arizona and Rialto, California too early in the day to stop. They were arriving in the late afternoon/early evening and found them with no vacancy everytime.

When they got to the Mojave Desert, it was so hot (remember these were in the days before most cars had air conditioners) that they ended up sitting in a restaurant killing time until dark, when they made their run across the desert in the luxury of 104 degrees.

Once in LA, they didn't care for the arrangements their friends had made and shortened their stay and headed up to Seattle where they found the weather excellent and enjoyed their stay there.

You'll be happy to Know that I just had one of those ice cream bars and it had not melted to some mass of goodness.

Traveling in the Old Days was Quite the Experience. --RoadDog