Merry Dashcam Christmas!
Hello everyone, I hope you are having a good holiday season and that everyone in your life is doing well.
It took me a good long while to find the time and the motivation simultaneously, but I have finally done a bunch of work on more dashcam videos, and I have uploaded several new ones for your viewing pleasure. The following photo is from one of the sites we visited. The dashcam video at this site is from the daytime, but the location is too beautiful at night for us not to share a picture!
 |
| Tower Conoco and U-Drop Inn, Shamrock, Texas |
All of the new uploads are from our travels during 2021, from May through October. During this time we went to Arizona a couple of times, and also took a big trip all the way from Las Vegas to Oklahoma for Neon Fest. I tried to remember to take a bunch of dash cam videos, and although I didn't get everything I had wanted to get, I still recorded quite a few videos and I hope you like them. Our Tesla's cameras were primarily designed for its autopilot driver-assist system, so the resolution and color reproduction is not as high as a purpose-designed dashcam system, but it's still pretty awesome to have this system with 4 simultaneous views built right into the car. Here's a rundown of the new uploads:
Amarillo, Texas
For Amarillo I made a pair of videos of our Route 66 cruise down Historic 6th Street - one video contains all 4 camera views, and the other contains just the forward-facing camera so it could be a little bigger. We made stops at the Texas Route 66 Visitor Center, and at Texas Ivy Antiques, and at Bob 'Croc' Lile's Art Gallery. The single-view video is a little longer than the multi-view, because it includes a final run down the block from Texas Ivy to the Lile Gallery.
 |
| Texas Ivy Antiques, Amarillo, Texas. Sporting its resident MG plus TWO Teslas! |
McLean, Texas
In McLean we did a short cruise westbound from one end of town to the other, with a short stop at the vintage Phillips 66 station, which is a static display and not an operating business. Once again I made a multi-view version plus a single-view version for greater visibility.
 |
| Phillips 66, McLean, Texas |
Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, Arizona
This one is pretty short because the Jack Rabbit Trading Post is very close to a freeway exit, but this is one of our favorite stops on the Route, so we couldn't resist getting some dashcam footage of the wonderful giant rabbit and that world-famous 'Here It Is' sign that everyone loves.
 |
| The Jack Rabbit Trading Post: Here It Is! |
Enchanted Trails to Rio Puerco Bridge, Albuquerque, New Mexico
This one is not a video in Albuquerque proper, but way out at the west end of the area. We wanted to highlight our friends at Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post, who have a lovely court of vintage travel trailers and two beautiful classic Hudson automobiles. We began the video inside the park with a short loop past the vintage trailers, and then we headed out onto Route 66 for a drive to Rio Puerco Bridge. The views of the vintage trailers are less than ideal from the side, but Enchanted Trails is such a great stop I wanted to share the video anyway. Likewise, the section of 66 west of ABQ is admittedly kind of boring, with just a straight line running right next to the interstate, so I did a sped-up section in this video running 4 times normal speed, before slowing down again at the end to arrive at Rio Puerco Bridge.
 |
| Enchanted Trails RV Park: stop by even if you don't have an RV! |
Tucumcari, New Mexico
The Tucumcari cruise is once again a pair of videos - one 4-view version and one single-view version. The multi-view version begins on the westbound interstate, and heads into the middle of town past a number of famous Tucmcari Route 66 stops including the Roadrunner Lodge, the Blue Swallow Motel and the Motel Safari, before ending up at Tee Pee Curios. The single view version is shorter because it starts in town, but the larger image makes it easier to see some of the other businesses like Del's Restaurant, Kix on 66 and the Townhouse Route 66 Welcome Center.
 |
| Tee Pee Curios, Tucumcari, New Mexico |
Shamrock, Texas
Shamrock is a cute little town whose biggest Route 66 draw is the Tower Conoco service station and U-Drop Inn. This art deco complex was built in 1935 and was world-famous even before it was immortalized in the 2006 Pixar animated film, Cars. Nowadays, this former service station property serves as a cafe and visitor center and has entered the EV age with Tesla Superchargers on site. Our video begins on eastbound I-40 and quickly exits on to Route 66 to drive into town. As we come to a stop at Route 66 and Main St., the iconic service station is within view. We drive up next to the building, and then head around to the side where we slot ourselves directly into a supercharger stall. The U-Drop Inn Cafe has reopened for dining, so whether you need lunch or an EV charge, the Tower Station is a good place to 'fuel up'!
 |
| Tower Conoco, Shamrock, Texas |
Painted Desert Trading Post, Arizona
Iconic, once endangered, and now saved, the Painted Desert Trading Post is a Route 66 legend. We were privileged to be able to help out on several work sessions that preserved this treasure located east of Holbrook, Arizona, and we took numerous dash cam videos of our trips. Some turned out alright, others... not so much! The video I have uploaded is the best of the bunch in my estimation. It was made in September 2021, during the final work session, just a couple of days before completion. This video shows the entire path from I-40 to Pinta Road, through the gate onto old Route 66 and all the way to the trading post. Once more I've made two videos from this footage - a multi-view version which shows 4 camera views at once, and a version showing just the front-facing camera so that it can be as large as possible. Visit the PDTP web site for more info on this wonderful location. If you would like to visit the PDTP, you must arrange access through the gate. Instructions can be found in this Facebook post.
 |
| Painted Desert Trading Post, preserved! |
That does it for this year's Merry Dashcam Christmas. I have more videos to add, which will be coming some time in the new year. Stay safe everyone, and I hope you get a chance to get out on the Route very soon to visit these and so many more great places.
Comments
Post a Comment