Last day for Texas stuff.  Let’s pickup in Amarillo.  What a bummer.  Half of the Dennis the Price Menace sign is gone now.  Here’s what it used to look like:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmoorr/2477951919/

Love that backwards “N”:

It was sweltering in Amarillo (just like the rest of the trip).  I spotted this goose family hanging out under a dripping AC unit.  I can’t imagine where they go swimming around there.  I felt bad and was happy to have half of loaf of bread from a grocery store that sucked.  I cast a bunch of slices out the window and some of the goslings came over to snack.  I know, bread ain’t good for geese but I’m sure they don’t get a lot of it.  My barking dogs made most of them hesitate, so, I quickly drove off.  As I was doing do, another big goose family with young’uns came walking up briskly to check things out.  Nothing wrong with the guy on the left’s leg, by the way.  He walked just fine:

Passing through Adrian, TX this sign in full sun begged to be shot.  Midpoint between Chicago and Santa Monica:

Last stop in Texas — from Bovina.  I don’t remember seeing this giant beer can five years ago when I was here last:

On to Clovis, NM.  I went to check on the Bear sign:

A nice guy that I had called when writing my article about these signs showed me some behind the scenes stuff:  smaller signs and this original piece of Bear equipment which is still in use:

Way out of the way in Nara Visa, NM:

The motel itself has nifty perforated cylinders which must have been backlit at night:

Another sign from Nara Visa:

Tucumcari is looking pretty sad right now.  Lots of vacant lots, old stuff that’s looking even older.  Yes, the dressed up some gas stations with new paint (as the wrong brands — don’t get me started) and there are a few motels like the Blue Swallow that are in good hands.  But Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, and Moriarty look to be really toughing it out.  I’m surprised  the sign at the long-abandoned Westerner Drive-in is still clinging to life.  Here’s what it used to look like:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/madridminer/2685291347/

Moving on to Vaughn for these two signs:

Here’s a close-up of that Western panel with the nicely aged scenery.  Saguaro on the right and a mesa (?) in the middle:

Moving on to Santa Fe where there was a nasty forest fire in the west.  I felt like I could barely breathe and my eyes were stinging.  I had planned to stay the night there — but opted to head down to Albuquerque.  But I got a bunch of shots before I left:

I imagine from the funky edges that this sign had a faux wood background that got painted over at some point:

Here’s this night shot from about 40 mins. later:

From Espanola:

Last shot for this post — from Santa Fe:

More New Mexico coming up in the next post.

dj