Gallup to Chama, NM
Thursday, October 17, 2024
We won’t be driving any of the scenic byways from the book today, but we will be driving through some very scenic countryside. We’re finally leaving the interstate and taking the backroads as we drive to Chama, New Mexico where our quest will begin.
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| Our drive from Gallup to Chama. |
We woke up to cloudy skies, but there were some patches of blue, so we had some hope for the day. After a quick breakfast and gas fill-up we were ready to go, but I guided us the wrong way to get back on I40, so we wasted a little time getting back on track and didn’t actually leave until just after 9:30.
We took I40 East about forty miles until we reached the town of Thoreau where we left the interstate and headed north on NM 371 towards Farmington, NM. There was very little traffic, and we pretty much had the road to ourselves. Route 371 goes through an isolated area and part of the Navajo Reservation, so the lack of traffic was not surprising. It was still cloudy, but except for one shower, there was no rain, and we did see quite a bit of blue sky. As we neared Farmington traffic increased, and we turned east toward Chama on US 64. The area of Farmington is followed by the town of Bloomington and the area between them is quite built up and busy, but once we got east of Bloomington, we were again on a lonely road and didn’t see much traffic.
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| We drive north towards Farmington. |
It was a beautiful drive through a very rugged countryside, but we continued to travel under pretty heavy cloud cover. The area before we reached Chama is the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, but it seems to be lightly populated as there is only one town.
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| As we neared Chama the terrain became more rugged. |
We drove into Chama just after two and went straight to the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad Train Station. The Cumbres and Toltec runs from Chama to Antonito, CO and vice versa. It is Chama’s big tourist attraction and usually sells out every day. We have booked the train trip for tomorrow and were hoping we could pick up our tickets, but no such luck, you can only pick them up on the day of your trip.
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| We drive through Chama. |
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| The entrance to the train yards. |
Chama is a small town in the Rocky Mountains that sits at an altitude of just over 7,800 feet just seven miles south of the Colorado border. The population is less than 1,000 and is located on the Rio Chama. We have been to Chama several times before and it really hasn't changed much over the years.
We drove back through Chama and checked in at the Chama Trails Motel, our home for the next three nights. We settled in and relaxed a bit and just before we planned to go to dinner, a big thunderstorm rolled in with lots of thunder, lightning and rain. We waited a bit for the rain to let up, but it didn’t, so we left for dinner anyway as we were getting hungry.
Several people in town we spoke to recommended My Mom and Dad’s Restaurant that had newly opened last July so we decided to give it a try and it was worth it, the food was great. They have a mix of food, but their specialty was Mexican food New Mexico style.
When we left the restaurant, the rain had let up and we could see some blue sky overhead. We stopped at a market to get some pastries for breakfast tomorrow since we have to get up early to catch the train and we won’t have time to eat at a restaurant. After that it was back to our motel where we relaxed, and I wrote the blog for the day.
The weather forecast isn’t too promising for tomorrow, but we are looking forward to our train trip anyway.
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