Rio Puerco along I-40 Gets a Facelift

For years we traveled along the interstate to and from Albuquerque, stopping off at the ratty Dairy Queen located at Rio Puerco. The rest stop is the first real one you reach either just before cresting the hills to see Albuquerque sprawled ahead or after leaving the city and its towering peaks behind. This summer we came from the west and discovered a gleaming casino in what was once a care-worn relic of Route 66. (The appropriately named Route 66 Casino Hotel is operated by Laguna Pueblo.) But the Dairy Queen is still there, surrounded by shiny chrome walls and all the elements of a first-rate truck stop. The tacky souvenirs were intact, too — just better housed. Ah, progress!

(Historic note: On the other side of I-40, on old Route 66, is the historic Rio Puerco Bidge, maintained by the National Park Service.)

The new Dairy Queen at Rio Puerco, along Route I-40, part of the Route 66 Casino. Photo © 2012 by Barry Katzen

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