The Other Air Festival

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I had brunch this morning at the Route 66 Diner in Albuquerque.

It’s located on the actual old route of US 66, which was once the main highway through town.

The road is lined with the same sort of old atmospheric motels found in Gallup, and like Gallup most have closed.

The diner itself looks like it has been in business since the highway’s heyday, but it’s actually only twenty years old.

The theme is pure nostalgia, and it works incredibly well.

The food is comfort food straight from the era, with some incredibly creative flavors of milkshakes.

I had a mint chocolate concoction that was heavenly.

Air Force Thunderbirds

Every year, Kirtland Air Force Base holds a one day open house.

It’s a chance to wander around lethal hardware, all of which is actively deployed, followed by an air show by the Air Force Thunderbirds.

It’s the aviation opposite of the balloon festival, from the most ancient flying technology to the most modern.

Whether deliberately or not, they held it the same weekend.





The base does not publicize the show widely.

I found out about it through a flier at my hotel.

Finding the base is easy enough, but the one gate for the show was incredibly obscure.

Once through it, airmen directed people to the parking lots with incredible precision.

A walkway from there led past various training commands to a large hanger.

Military police searched people on the way in.





In the first part, people get to see lots of lethal planes.

Crews stand by most of them answering questions.

I got to see inside the bomb bay of a B 52, the one part covered up at the Museum of the US Air Force (see Plane Envy).

The actual bombs are laid on a rack similar to the bullet holder for a submachine gun, and then precisely dropped one at a time.

In theory, this leads to more accurate targeting.

The highlight for many was the Osprey, the airplane/helicopter hybrid used to penetrate enemy strongholds, hopefully without being detected.

The Navy Seals make heavy use of this craft.





The day ended with an air show by the Thunderbirds.

Using specially prepared F-16 fighter jets, they do all sorts of tricky maneuvers as audience members gasp.

A favorite was where two jets flew past each other seemingly a foot apart with one plane upside down.

Two jets flew at each other close to the ground and then veered away at the last minute.

In one stunt, the pilot sent the plane straight up and spun circles.

While we were watching one stunt, another pilot swung around and then flew over the crowd low enough to see the afterburners.

That pass was loud!

The show ended with the famous flying wedge where all six planes flew in tight formation and did loops through the sky.

The wedge then burst apart in all directions.

Thrilling show to watch.

(LATE UPDATE)

Watch some of it

I left Albuquerque immediately after the show, because I had a lot of mileage to make.

The drive west on the interstate was just about as dull as two days ago, mostly flat open desert.

I crossed the continental divide again, and the only sign was an exit sign for the town of the same name.

The scenery finally improved near the Arizona border when the highway entered a low canyon of red slickrock.

In many places, the walls held small caves sculpted by the wind.

Just pass the border, the highway passed a classic route 66 sight, an old style souvenir shop selling Native American crafts.

It sadly wasn’t open.

Wigwam Motel

I spent tonight at one of the route 66 kitsch classics, the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook Arizona.

It consists of concrete tipis around a courtyard.

In the 1940s, it was one of chain of such motels across the US, most of which have now closed.

The business office contains some amazing sculptures carved from petrified wood, which are almost worth a visit by themselves.

The old 1950s cars scattered around the courtyard complete the nostalgia trip.





Each tipi contains a tiny octagonal hotel room, with a bathroom the size of closet squeezed in the back.

The furniture is wonderfully dated, and the TV is from the 1970s.

This was great.

What is not so great is that the motel is located right next to the same busy railroad that runs through Gallup (see Rocky Mountain Highs) so earplugs are even more of a necessity to sleep.

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Photos

Air Force Thunderbirds
The Air Force Thunderbirds flying wedge, passing through the clouds

Precision flying
Two figher jets, one upside down, flying within feet of each other

Nose to Tail
Four Thunderbird jets, flying nose to tail, heading straight up

Formation burst
Jets burst out of the the flying wedge

Route 66 nostalgia
The Wigwam Motel on route 66