In the days since our last recap, the Route 66 Centennial Caravan—organized by the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation—stopped in communities large and small across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The vehicles, which include the statewide organizations, and members of the public, journeyed through deserts, looming mesas, and a wide-open landscape, where the bright blue of the sky and the earth met in a visual poetry that only comes with traveling the Mother Road.

This leg of the Caravan also came with sorrow. On June 11, fellow Caravanner Dr. T. Lindsay Baker passed away. Dr. Baker was one of the Caravan’s official state representatives for Texas and owner of a 1930 Model A. He was a historian of the American West, a long-time National Trust supporter, and a dedicated preservationist with a deep love and passion for Route 66. It is in his honor that the Caravan continues, each vehicle wearing a black ribbon in his memory.

Join us as we check out these highlights as the Caravan traveled from Kingman, Arizona to Amarillo, Texas from June 10-15, 2026, including some of my first-hand experiences as I traveled Route 66 in New Mexico for the first time.

Don’t forget to use the live map to track the Caravan and follow the National Trust @preserveroute66 and @savingplaces on Instagram for daily updates. If you missed it here is our recap of week 1.

Onward through Arizona

As the Caravan traveled through Arizona on June 10-11, they made their way to some of the most beloved stops along Route 66, including the Hackberry General Store in Kingman, the Jackrabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, and standing on the corner (if you know, you know) in Winslow, Arizona.

They also explored several National Trust grantee sites: Scoops on 66, the Osterman Shell Station, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap, and the Ash Fork Route 66 Museum. They then immersed themselves in the beauty of the landscape at Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert Trading Post.

The official handoff from Arizona to New Mexico happened in Gallup where participants were welcomed at the McKinley County Courthouse Square.

New Mexico: The Land of Enchantment

With Dr. Baker on their minds, the Caravan continued east through New Mexico with visits to the Bowlin’s Old Crater Trading Post, Grants Drive-Through Shield, and the Villa de Cubero Trading Post. As they made their way through Los Lunas on the original alignment, they were greeted by a police escort that led more than 30 cars through the city.

On June 13, I joined the Caravan in Albuquerque where I experienced firsthand the love and energy that comes along with travelling this historic road.

For me those moments came at my first stop in Los Ranchos where the community showed up to say hello. As I rode along in Rhys Martin’s (manager of the National Trust's Route 66 initiative) 1964 Chevrolet Wagon, I felt like a celebrity, waving to those who lined up along the street as we drove out of town heading towards the Santo Domingo Trading Post at Kewa Pueblo before we closed out the day in Santa Fe at the Palace of the Governors.

I felt the wonder of the landscape on June 14 when we stopped at Pecos National Historical Park. And I loved spending lunch and the afternoon hearing about the Harvey Girls and La Castañeda in Las Vegas in a history lesson presented by Elmo Baca. I left Las Vegas with my colleagues who are spending their Caravan days with a GoPro, trying to map the entirety of the Mother Road on this landmark birthday.

As the Route 66 Caravan closed out its trip in New Mexico, we really delved into the preservation story of Route 66. Tim Hageman reminded us at the Richardson Store in Montoya that this is what preservation of Route 66 is all about: “It starts with passion and [survives] on the ability to see through the trash.” This early 1900s general store has sat vacant since 1978, but a grant from the National Trust will move the project forward so the next phase of its life can begin. We followed up that stop with a visit to Tucumcari where I finally got to see other grantees, the Blue Swallow Motel and the Odeon Theatre, in person.

There was a moment as the Route 66 Centennial Caravan traveled through New Mexico, that Martin said that “preservation along Route 66 is big, but it is also small. Yes, it is about saving the neon sign or the most important building in town, but it’s also about driving electricity and water to places that are looking for a second chance.”

Welcome to Texas and the Midpoint of Route 66

After Tucumcari the Caravan made its way to the New Mexico – Texas Border where we lost an hour but marked the arrival at the Midpoint of Route 66. As this was Dr. Baker’s home state, the Caravan made its way to the MidPoint Café from the border at 40 mph, the speed of his 1930 Model A.

We were greeted at the midpoint with smiles and pie before heading over to the town of Vega (which has the cutest library) to stretch our legs. The best part of the morning for me was having an opportunity to travel with two Caravanners, Joanne and Mike from St. Louis, in their 1947 Ford. What a thrill that was!

As the Route 66 Centennial Caravan approached the close of its tenth day on the road, it found itself sitting in a raucous restaurant filled with balloons, music, and celebration as the nightly Big Texan Steak Challenge reached its home base in Amarillo, Texas to celebrate the centennial of Route 66, the Ranch’s 66th birthday, and to honor Texan, Dr. Baker.

As contestants, which included three of the Big Texan’s founding family, competed in the 72 oz steak challenge, Martin, reminded us of why we had all gathered to travel the Mother Road together. He said, “Buildings are here, businesses are here, and things come and go, but it’s the people, the stories that you remember. The connections that you make. No matter where you are or where you are from, you can find your reflection somewhere on [this] two-lane highway.”