Picture Perfect

PICTURE PERFECT

By Nick Gerlich Photographs by David J. Schwartz - Pics On Route 66

As the post-World War II era ushered in a period of unprecedented economic growth, American families took to the road with fervor. As these primarily middle class people motored in all directions across the American landscape, they issued an unspoken tourist preference: they would much rather stay in modern roadside motels instead of the older high-rise hotels known for serving passenger rail traffic.

By 1947, there were 22,000 motels in the US, vestiges of first-generation auto travel. Only three years later, that number had swelled to 50,000, and peaked at 61,000 in 1964. The Baby Boom was in full swing. Moms, Dads, and their progeny were off to see America, with neon signs and guide books the only way they knew that there was lodging down the road.

It was around this time, in 1959, that one of today’s most respected Route 66 motels opened its doors in Moriarty, New Mexico. Bill and Elaine Pogue built their Sunset Motel one brick at a time on the east end of town, sharing the same optimism that fueled a nation to keep spreading its wings.

And it’s still in the same family today, carefully nurtured by Mike and Debbie Pogue.

Home on the Range

Situated along the farthest reaches of the Llano Estacado, the gently sloping plateau that extends into West Texas, the land and climate looked like heaven to Irish immigrant Michael Timothy Moriarty. He, his wife, and three children had left their homestead in Iowa in 1887 in search of more hospitable weather. Here, on this gently rolling grassland, there was nothing as far as the eye could see, aside from the Sandia Mountains to the west that separated them from Albuquerque.

Despite the hardships of there being no modern amenities like railroads or a post office in the vicinity, the Moriarty family sunk a tap root and became sheep and cattle ranchers, like the other settlers had done across the wide open expanse. Soon however, by 1903, the population had increased enough to warrant a post office and Mr. Moriarty became its first postmaster, and the community named in his honor. Moriarty passed away in 1932 at the age of 91, several years before Route 66 became the town’s Main Street.

In 1916, Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard C. Pogue arrived from Pearl, Texas. They homesteaded land near Willard, about 30 miles south of Moriarty. Mr. Pogue’s health considerations had promnpted him to move to the semi-arid climate; Mrs. Pogue gave birth to Jack in 1917, and Hubbard “Bill” Jr., in 1918.

By the 1920s, with auto travel growing rapidly, roads were carved, including New Mexico Route 6 running east-west, and Route 41 on the north-south axis. Although federal highways were created in 1926, it was not until 1937, that Route 66 was realigned through town along old Route 6. Moriarty grew rapidly.

Both Jack and Bill left Willard by the mid-1930s; Jack became a paratrooper, while Bill sought work before ultimately finding himself in the Navy at the onset of a world war. The elder Pogues moved to Moriarty during this time in 1939, and by the next year had opened the Yucca Motor Court along Route 66 near the center of town. It was a prime location for capturing the small but growing number of road travelers.

It was into this setting that five young women — among them 20-year-old Elaine Boswell — arrived in Willard from Central Texas (1944), and went to work for the Civil Aeronautics Administration at Otto Airfield about six miles north of Moriarty. An emergency runway had been built in the 1920s to serve first-generation contract air mail pilots running between Los Angeles and New York City; she served as an air traffic controller.

That pretty young woman’s arrival set the wheels in motion for what would one day become a multigenerational family steeped in the hospitality industry.

A beautiful New Mexico rainbow above the motel sign.

Bill Pogue came to Moriarty in 1946, met Elaine, and dated her off and on. Elaine then took leave to go to Eastern New Mexico University, and Bill would visit her there. They married in 1947 in Moriarty. On the day of their wedding, she resigned her position at the runway, and Bill, who had been an airman in the war, took the job. Bill and Elaine then welcomed sons Jack in 1949, and Mike in 1951.

The couple noticed the increasing post-war traffic along 66, and realized that they could open their own motel without cannibalizing revenues from his parents at the Yucca. While still working the midnight shift at the airfield, Bill and his young sons built the Sunset as a family. The airfield closed in 1961, and Bill made the motel his full-time occupation. Starting first with only two rooms on the east side of town, the family slow grew the property by four and then six rooms at a time through 1969, when its final configuration of 18 rooms was reached. As tourists motored west, the Sunset Motel was among the very first businesses they saw upon passing the city limits sign on 66.

The sun was rising on Moriarty, and the Pogue family wanted to bask in those rays.

The Boomerang Effect

“I was born and raised here. I understand it inside out,” Mike — the youngest Pogue — explained as he began to wax philosophic about ‘his’ New Mexico. Quoting Nikolaus Tinbergen’s Curious Naturalist, he read aloud: “We lived in the place long enough to have experienced it under a variety of circumstances and moods. And gradually, every single minute aspect of the landscape acquired significance.”

But in spite of such intimate knowledge and understanding, Mike’s professional journey has followed the flight path of a boomerang, not once, but twice.

At the age of 21 in 1972, he headed east to New York City. With a newly minted accounting degree from the University of New Mexico, he took a position with Price Waterhouse in the financial district. His father had passed away earlier that year, leaving the Sunset in the hands of Elaine.

But the future of the Sunset became very uncertain, as Elaine increasingly had other plans that did not include the hospitality industry. She put the motel up for sale while she ran it alone. However, they didn’t receive a single nibble.

One day the family’s banker told Mike that it was becoming increasingly apparent that it was he who should take the reins.

In 1975, the banker arranged a loan for Mike to buy the Sunset from his mother. Mike’s brother Jack had no interest in the family business, leaving Mike to be an absentee owner with onsite managers hired to handle the day-to-day operations.

With energy to spare, Elaine pursued a paralegal degree at the University of New Mexico, and in 1978 she ran for Mayor of Moriarty. She won, and wound up serving two consecutive terms, the only female Mayor in the town todate. That same year, Mike and his mother bought the Yucca Motor Court, along with the small café/gas station out front. Elaine opened a fabric shop in the café with one of her former airfield co-workers; ultimately the hotel was demolished in 1992, and the entire property sold in 1997. A dollar store stands there today.

It was in New York City, and on a blind date, that Mike met Debbie Easters in 1983. She was a freelance illustrator living in Manhattan. Their romance blossomed, and they married in 1986. In 1989 their son Mac was born, yet they remained remote motel owners for many years.

In late 1996, opportunity beckoned Mike to California where he served as an interim CEO for a Silicon Valley tech start-up company and others. The family had relocated to Moriarty around this time, but Mike left Debbie to run the Sunset while he attended to his duties on the West Coast. Meanwhile, Debbie found that adjustment to motel management in small-town Moriarty had its challenges. The stresses of frequent trips there and back caused Mike to find a house in California for his family, which they occupied around 1999.

With the Sunset once again being run by residential managers, Mike started Last Mile Research in 2006, a company that provided guest support services at high-end resorts and hotels. Around 2010, though, the duo realized that they needed to return to Moriarty once more, this time to begin much-needed renovations on the motel. “We probably put $500,000 into [the motel] over the last 10 years,” said Mike. But it was worth it, because their online reviews skyrocketed, and now they run the motel in the black. More importantly, Mike came to realize the value of his father’s words back when the motel was brand new. “When we were kids, we would come in from school at 3:30. My Dad came in and told us to go out and sweep the sidewalks,” he recalled. It took decades for the value of that exercise to sink in, because it pushed Mike and Jack to be outside where they mingled with the guests as they were unpacking and relaxing. In so doing, they learned how to see “their” New Mexico through the eyes of strangers. The sidewalks may have been swept clear of the detritus that blows across the high desert, but the pathways of their young minds were also cleared to learn new things from new people.

“I now understand. We’re an 18-room motel. We didn’t have air conditioning then. People would sit outside and enjoy the evening cool.” His father had told him, “The entire world is passing through Moriarty. Go meet them. Tell me what you see.” And in so doing, Mike came to know New Mexico all the better.

Little did Bill and Elaine know in 1959 that the motel they set out to build with their two sons would still be in business 63 years later, much less in the same family.

On the Big Screen

New Mexico has a long history as a popular filming location for movies and television shows. Reaching back to the 1930s and the spaghetti westerns filmed in the Four Corners regions, to sometimes a dozen projects filming at the same time in nearby Albuquerque, the state has become renowned for its generous tax incentive program that is one of the best in the nation.

The Sunset has benefitted from both the mystique of being a vintage roadside motel, as well as those incentives. Numerous projects have been filmed there precisely because it is a period property.

“Netflix, which is growing in this area, has been the production company that has selected our location lately,” said Mike. While exterior shots are the primary domain on-location, because interior shots require ample room for lighting and cameras, Netflix’s sprawling soundstage in Albuquerque offers the opportunity to build the set of a motel room that is designed to accommodate all of that equipment as the “fourth wall” so to speak.

From the 2010 Sundance Film Festival selection The Dry Land that was produced by America Ferrara, to several 2021 productions involving Matt Dillon (Land Of Dreams), Angelina Jolie (Those Who Wish Me Dead), and Queen Latifa, Ludacris, and Beau Bridges (End Of The Road), and

a forthcoming indie film by Leslie Thomas, the Sunset has been a highly sought after filming location. But the best known movie shot at the quaint venue, and certainly the favorite of the Pogues, is 2016’s Hell Or High Water with Jeff Bridges.

“That was a lot of fun. He was an amazing gentleman, and set the tone for the whole crew,” Debbie continued. “They came in, knocked on the doors of everybody in the neighborhood, and invited them to come have a meal there at their canteen. They even brought an ice cream truck for all the kids.”

Running a motel that is also a frequent filming location brings its own challenges. Sometimes the entire motel must be closed down for filming, and while production companies pay for such access, it disrupts the normal flow, and sometimes potential customers are left looking for other accommodations, but it has its upsides, too.

“It’s fun, and it just seems to keep going,” Debbie smiled. Although it can be frantic at times, they appreciate the free publicity that is garnered by being seen on television and the silver screen.

No Sunset in Sight

Every family-owned business understands perhaps their biggest challenge: succession. The elder Pogues were fortunate in that Bill, and later Debbie, would step up to the plate to continue operations. Although Mike and Debbie were in and out of Moriarty multiple times for sizable periods, they always hired competent managers to maintain the same tradition of high quality service.

The motel has become such an integral part of their lives now that they cannot picture themselves not being there to welcome guests, especially the many who return each time that they pass through town. But eventually, they will retire, and Mike and Debbie have given thought to whom they will hand the baton. Their son, Mac is in his early 30s and living in New York, is not terribly interested in the hospitality business. Like Mike when he too was young, he has his own dreams. But there are some cousins in Texas with whom Mike and Debbie have already spoken about the possibility of an eventual transition.

More importantly, they have made a vow. “We won’t wind up passing it off to a corporate fat cat who’s going to try to milk it for everything it’s worth,” said Mike. “But it’s a conversation Debbie and I have been having a lot recently. It’s time to start checking things off the bucket list. That said, we’ll probably stay in the game as long as we can. We enjoy it. We don’t want to let go of the family of customers we have garnered over the last 60 years.”

In retrospect, there was something in the semi-arid air that Hubbard Pogue, Sr., breathed. It instilled an entrepreneurial spirit that became part of the family DNA. From his humble beginnings with the Yucca, to Bill and Elaine’s bold move to open the Sunset, to Mike’s sense of family responsibility to keep the fire burning, the Pogues are serving Route 66 travelers like they have always done for more than 80 years.

The nighttime skies over Moriarty may be a star gazer’s delight, but the sun isn’t going down on the Sunset any time soon.

DON’T FORGET WINONA

The little area does not offer much these days to cause people to remember it, even though the famous song says to. But there is one thing: the bridge.

Located along the old 66 (known as Townsend-Winona Road), about one mile northwest of the Winona townsite, this well-preserved Parker through truss bridge has been calling out to travelers since 1924. That was two years before the birth of the Mother Road, but already the highway had been carrying significant amounts of traffic.

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, and while it has not been used for vehicular traffic for decades, it is still easily accessible to those on foot. A small pull-out provides safe parking for those taking what is one of the most common photographs along 66.

And rightfully so, because looming in the westward view is Humphreys Peak, standing 12,637 feet tall and a stunning backdrop to Flagstaff. It is the highest peak that motorists will see that is directly adjacent to Route 66. Even the majestic Mt. Taylor near Grants, New Mexico, is 1,300 feet shorter.

“The old truss bridges on Route 66 are fast becoming a rarity,” said Jim Hinckley, author and Route 66 historian. “They are a tangible link to the evolution of Route 66 and are crucial to preserving the idiosyncratic nature of a drive on this iconic highway.”

The bridge’s name may be a little misleading, because it only spans a tiny dry creek at this location. The canyon proper is situated farther south in Walnut Canyon National Monument south of I-40. The creek flows for 34 miles in a general northeasterly path, ultimately draining into the Little Colorado River.

When early 66 travelers were plying this road, though, they were likely to actually see water flowing through the channel, especially in spring and early summer as mountain snows melted. In fact, this little creek was once considered one of the most reliable water sources in what is surprisingly a very arid area. But two dams were constructed farther upstream in order to provide a municipal water supply for Flagstaff. After the 1941 construction of the Upper Lake Mary Dam, all water flow ceased, except for during summer’s monsoonal rains.

In other words, such an elaborate bridge would never have been needed if it had been built less than two decades later.

The bridge itself is 101 feet long, with a roadway of 19 feet. Bridge enthusiasts are quick to note the distinction between this and other through-truss bridges. What sets a Parker bridge apart from others is the use of a polygonal top chord. That’s an engineering term describing the curved top, which other truss bridges — flat along the top — lacked.

This design allowed for savings in construction materials and placed the greatest depth of the truss right in the center. This is where strength was needed the most. While there are variants of this bridge design, the Parker model (named for C.H. Parker who developed it in the Mid-19th Century) proved to be among the most popular. It was used extensively well into the early decades of the 20th Century. Few remain today, though, making this specimen a rarity. “They provide photo ops that blur the line between past and present,” Hinckley added. This section of 66 brings motorists into the long grade up the Arizona Divide, which is just west of Flagstaff. While that ascent actually starts around Winslow, it is shallow at first. Early travelers would have noticed the gradient change, though, in their Model As and Ts.

One thing that was probably lost on those early motorists, along with many a modern traveler, is the significance of the Walnut Creek and the civilization that once lived along it. The Sinagua were a pre-Colombian culture who lived primarily between Flagstaff and Sedona to the south.

Their name—coined by an archaeologist in 1939—means “without water” in Spanish. Historians have long been surprised that an entire culture could proliferate in an area with only seasonal water flows at best. The cliff dwellings of the Sinagua are accessible at the nearby national monument.

All the more reason never to forget Winona, this bridge, and the people who were here long before the automobile carried modern travelers. That musical bard was on to something.

SUNFLOWER STATION

Route 66 is famous for its many larger-than-life roadside attractions and historic neon, motels, and eateries. The iconic road is dotted with dozens of notable stops that draw visitors from around the country and world every year. And we are blessed to have them. But for every fantastical destination along the Mother Road, there are dozens of quieter ones that, while not quite as famous, hold a magical energy and history of their own. One such stop has found a home in a small dusty western Texan town whose own claim to fame is being the geomathematical midpoint between the Eastern and Western Termini of Route 66. That’s pretty cool.

The town is Adrian, Texas, a quiet Panhandle community with one main street that runs straight through it. Route 66. This street, this town, has long been visited due to another business that still calls to motorists today, the Midpoint Cafe. And it too has a story, a story that connects it to its lesser-known neighbor, Sunflower Station.

The origins of the unassuming station are murky. What is known is that when Jesse Fincher and Dub Edmonds purchased Zella’s cafe (later the Midpoint) in 1956, they also got the derelict station in the deal. They renovated the station, adding the MidCentury canopy. Jesse operated the cafe while Dub ran the station, selling Enco gasoline.

The cafe changed hands several times, and the station ownership turned over too, to the Adrian Co-Op, and then to propane dealer Larry Loveless who used it for his fuel trucks. Into this scenario arrived the determined Fran Houser in the 1980s.

Houser grew up in Massachusetts, but later moved to Big Spring, Texas. Fran’s uncle in Adrian owned a ranch, whose manager became her second husband, moving her to Adrian. After they divorced ten years later, she stayed – but she was looking for something to do. And the cafe was for sale again. She bought it, calling it the Adrian Cafe, but soon recognized its geographical advantage and renamed it the Midpoint.

Fran had so much business that her customers took over Loveless’ parking lot. They worked out a deal — Fran purchased the station, but Loveless kept the garage and re-located it. Then, the little station sat idle for a while.

“I sold the cafe in 2012. I went on trips, visited family, went back to Adrian, and I thought, ‘Well, I’m bored. I need to do something.’ So, I renovated the station and turned it into a gift shop,” said Houser.

Fran certainly “did something” with Sunflower Station. Although the desert-tan of the exterior matched its I’min-the-middle-of-nowhere surroundings, Fran’s cheerful decorating contrasted. A little turquoise paint, an old faded red truck which attracted stickers and autographs — and of course sunflowers — brought visitors to browse the antiques and souvenirs inside.

In 2020, Houser moved closer to Amarillo to be near family, thinking that she’d drive out a few times a week to run the shop, with friends lending a hand. But ultimately, she closed the doors.

Then in 2021, Kelly and Jason Snyder came along. From Bellefontaine, Ohio, the couple took a second Route 66 trip in search of property in Arizona to purchase, but Kelly remembered the Midpoint Cafe and wanted to visit again. They noticed a “for sale” sign on the station next door and called the number listed. “When we were in Amarillo the night before. I said, ‘God, if we are supposed to be anywhere out here, show me the place.’ When Fran gave us the price, and it was exactly what we had in our bank account, I knew God made that happen,” said Kelly. “When I told her [Fran] what our plans were, everything clicked.”

“They’re a perfect fit,” said Houser. “They are going to bring that station back to life, and I’m so glad they came along.”

Jason has indulged his passion for building race cars in their Ohio body shop, but now he’ll do that on Route 66. He’s building a two-bay garage to replace the one that Larry Loveless took with him, while Kelly maintains the appeal of Fran’s shop. They plan to build cabins, attracting travelers through the Bunk-a-Biker community.

Route 66, like most Texan communities has always been about people. Individuals come with ideas and dreams, invest and explore, and then they go, and new folks find their way into towns and businesses. Sunflower Station, like the Snyders, is beginning a new chapter in its life, and travelers will no doubt rise up to support it. And regardless of its next incarnation, the little stop will undoubtedly do Adrian proud.

LA FONDA’S GIFT SHOP

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Scott DAHL

Springfield, Illinois, is known for many things. Not only is it the capital of Illinois, but it is also the embodiment of the Land of Lincoln, boasting several odes to the �6th President, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a destination that has the most complete collection of Lincoln documents in the world. However, there is more to this historic All-American town. It carries a rich Route 66 history, with its own share of Mother Road attractions, including iconic Route 66 stops such as the Cozy Dog Drive In and the MaidRite Sandwich Shop, plus newer ones like Motorheads. Springfield is a stop along America’s Mother Road that deserves an ample chunk of time to explore and experience. In this quick-fire interview, we introduce you to the man responsible for celebrating this vibrant city, Scott Dahl.

What is the most memorable place you’ve visited on Route 66? I am a neon sign and Muffler Man hunter so anywhere the Mother Road provides these treasures. What did you want to be when you grew up? A pro athlete of course! Most famous or noteworthy person you have ever met? Willie Nelson. What characteristic do you respect the most in others? Integrity. Dislike in others? Self-absorption. What characteristics do you dislike in yourself? I can be impulsive at times. Who would you want to play you in a film based on your life? Adam Sandler. Talent that you WISH you had? Artistry, specifically wall murals. Best part about getting older? I find more clarity every year. What would the title of your memoir be? No Days Off. First music concert ever attended? AC/DC. What is your greatest extravagance? Loopy for Luplin. What is the weirdest roadside attraction you’ve ever seen? Mahuffer’s. Coolest muffler man in America? Buck Atom: Space Cowboy. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? More detail oriented. What do you consider your greatest achievement? Being self-made. Most memorable gift you were ever given? My dad gifted me his briefcase when I was promoted to a hotel general manager in 1993. What is the secret to a happy marriage? Never go to sleep mad at each other. Most memorable hotel/ motel that you have stayed at? Ramada Inn Galesburg. What breaks your heart? Animal cruelty. What is the last TV show you binge watched? Ozark. What is still on your bucket list? Pikes Peak Ascent. What do you wish you knew more about? Astronomy. What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives? Take a long road trip. What fad or trend do you hope comes back? 8-Ball Leather Jackets. Strangest experience while on a road trip? Driving 30mph through a winter storm and not seeing another vehicle for six hours. What movie title best describes your life? American Underdog. Ghost town or big city person? Ghost town. Lake or ocean person? Lake. What does a perfect day look like to you? Early rise, long run, time with family/friends, and finished with a few beers around a fire pit at sunset. What is your favorite place on Route 66? Motorheads Bar, Grill & Museum. Best Abraham Lincoln connected spot to visit? The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. What is the most unexpected surprise about Springfield? The historic sites are free, and the city has a 4,200-acre lake. What would your spirit animal be? A hawk. Which historical figure — alive or dead — would you most like to meet? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If you won the lottery, what is the first item you would buy? A mountain farm. First big-ticket item that you ever purchased? Engagement ring. What meal can you not live without? Seafood boil. Bizarre talent that you have that most people don’t know about? Back Hand Flip Trick. What surprises you most about people? The lack of environmentalism. What makes you laugh? Sarcasm. Most unknown (but should be) stop in Illinois? Sangamo Brewing in Chatham, followed by an eight-minute drive to Brick 66. What do you think is the most important life lesson for someone to learn? Walk your own path. What is one thing you have always wanted to try, but have been too afraid to? Surfing. What do you want to be remembered for? A life lived well.