During trips this past year to eastern New Mexico, we noticed the construction of a massive truck stop and travel center at the Endee exit, off Interstate 40.
A few weeks ago, Russell’s Truck & Travel Center opened. We stopped there during a recent journey to Tucumcari, and we were pleasantly surprised by what we found. This will become a very good pit stop for Route 66 enthusiasts.
This is what you see from outside of Russell’s. Except for the New Mexican accents, it’s mostly nondescript.
But the western statues outside the entrance provide some inkling that this place may be a wee bit different.
Once inside, you notice that Russell’s wants to appeal to those who grew up in the 1950s, which includes a fair number of Route 66ers.
Russell’s houses a small Subway restaurant, but also a nicely decorated, full-service diner. Bill Kinder, co-owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, says the pot roast and meatloaf there are terrific.
Another big draw is going to be Russell’s car museum, which contains 22 vehicles ranging from a 1929 Model A pickup to a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT. Seventeen of the vehicles come from the 1950s.
And, as you’ll see, the museum contains plenty of other memorabilia, too.
The museum was free when we went there, but a bucket near the entrance collected donations for charities — Faith City Mission in Amarillo and House of Hope in Tucumcari.
In addition to the services mentioned, Russell’s houses a tire shop, gift shop, a chapel, free Wi-Fi, and gasoline and diesel islands.
The selection of food, beverages and necessities turned out to be vast. The facilities were exceedingly clean. And Russell’s is much roomier than it first appears.
We were impressed. Considering that we regularly patronize the Tulsa-based and oft-praised QuikTrip convenience store chain, that is not easy to do.
We noted that Russell’s sprinkles Route 66 decor throughout the complex. This isn’t just lip service for tourists. Russell’s sits on the former Longhorn II site — a motel, service station and cafe built by Homer Ehresman after the nearby border town of Glenrio, Texas, was bypassed by Interstate 40 during the 1970s. The frontage road that runs directly in front of Russell’s served as Route 66 from 1952 to 1980.
The Ehresmans owned the Texas Longhorn Motel, cafe and service station in Glenrio for many years. You can still see the ruins of the complex in Glenrio, including the famous “First/Last Stop in Texas” sign. After the I-40 bypass, the Ehresmans moved their business a few miles northwest to the interstate. But that, too, eventually closed, and was abandoned for many years.
Even if you prefer to travel the old 1926-52 gravel section of Route 66 west of Glenrio, you can still visit Russell’s. At the ghost town of Endee, you turn north on New Mexico Highway 93 (also a gravel road) and go north less than three miles. Russell’s is at the Highway 93 and Interstate 40 intersection.
Excellent story Ron….thanks!
Great work, nice article and good catch of action out on the Route in eastern NM.
Hope the place makes a go of it, and I’ve already got it on my visit list next time I get out there.
Here’s an update, I went to Russell’s twice over my Christmas commute to California. Stopped first time just because it was a convenient fuel stop. What a beautiful place! Friendly, clean. The museum and large inside area allowed me to stretch me legs while my traveling companion used the sparkling facilities.
The huge coffee bar is great but If you need a snack for further down the road make sure you check out the hot food rack. I grabbed a white paper wrapped home made burrito that was so tasty I wanted to turn around and get more.
On my return trip you bet we returned to Russell’s and this time we sat down for lunch and what a treat that was, we also got to listen in on the manager talking to a couple of fellows about the business. Russell’s seems to be locally owned and operated which I think is a good thing.
Of course before leaving I returned to the hot food rack and this time grabbed a little pack of three tamales which was used for my early midnight snack, home made goodness.
It seems they were also thoughtful enough to provide a small chapel if you need a quiet moment of reflection before returning to the busy road and world.
Make sure you stop and say hello to Rusty for me.
Thanks for the report, Webweave. Russell’s is a pretty special place that a lot of travel stops could emulate.
Just stopped here on our trek home from Las Vegas back to Wisconsin…loved the food and the awesome car museum! Definitely glad I suggested it as a stop to my husband