Return to Las Vegas from Our 2025-26 Winter Road Trip
/We left Dodge City, Kansas, and zipped down US-54. We made it just about 40 miles when we saw a sign in downtown Meade, Kansas: Dalton Gang Hideout. Uh-oh… detour.
Just a few blocks off the highway, we found the Hideout. The Dalton Gang was a notorious band of outlaws in the early 1890s who specialized in daring bank and train robberies. Though the museum is open everyday year round, we arrived on a Sunday, and unfortunately, the museum didn’t open until 1 PM… a bit late for us as we still had miles to travel before the end of day. We roamed the property a bit and checked out what we could. We learned from the Dalton Gang website that the house was “Built by J.N. Whipple (Eva Dalton’s husband… she was the Dalton brothers’ sister) in 1887, the property became known as a refuge for the Dalton brothers, though the extent of their actual use is debated.”
Back on the highway, we passed through Plains, Kansas, which touted having the “Widest Main Street in America”. Honestly, we didn’t notice as we whizzed through that it was all that wide, but Ripley’s Believe It or Not lists Plains as having just that. Their main street, which is actually Grand Avenue, measures 155 feet, 5 inches (47.37 meters) from building to building. Every town has some special thing to brag about. This is Plains, Kansas’ claim to fame.
Every town has something to tout.
We whizzed through the northwest corner of Oklahoma with nothing much to comment about, and then we were in Texas.
Dalhart, Texas, had some interesting sights to see. The Empty Saddle Monument, “designed by a cowboy after a widow asked that a horse bearing an empty saddle [signifying the death of a rider] appear in the annual XIT reunion parade in tribute to her husband, a former XIT cowboy.”
Empty Saddle Monument - Dalhart, TX Photo Credit: Bruce McArthur
That, of course, begged the question: what is the XIT? Well, there’s a whole museum in Dalhart devoted to the XIT Ranch, which was, of course, closed. According to AI, “The XIT Ranch was the world's largest enclosed cattle ranch, operating from 1885-1912 on 3 million acres in the Texas Panhandle. The land was given to a syndicate of investors (the Farwell brothers and others) by Texas in 1882 in exchange for the funds to build a new capitol [building] in Austin.”
We stopped only long enough to stretch our legs and headed to our final destination for the day: Tucumcari, New Mexico. Tucumcari, known as "Little Las Vegas" in its glory days, is a must-stop town on Route 66. We just realized that 2026 is the Mother Road’s 100th birthday, and Tucumcari is all-in for the occasion. There were banners and signs everywhere touting the birthday. Neon signs, motor courts, classic diners, and the 1950s-60s allure that Route 66 conjures up. We made the decision then and there that we will indeed do Route 66 in 2026… maybe September? Stand by for further thoughts on that trip later in the year, but it’s on the agenda.
A night in Tucumcari, a photo by the huge 66 sign, and we headed out in the morning on our way to Gallup, New Mexico, on the Arizona border. Route 66 meanders on and off Interstate 40. We hugged the Interstate in the interest of time, fighting 50+mph winds all the way, watching Blanche’s gas mileage sink like a rock with every mile we traveled.
Though Gallup is also on Route 66, the wind made it less than appealing for a walkabout. Instead, we gassed up (again), found a hotel room, and crashed for the night. The next morning, we were off again bright and early. This section of road is Navajo reservation land with signs beckoning tourists and truck drivers to stop at casinos or check out rock shops and petrified wood sites and authentic Indian jewelry and pottery and knives and moccasins and… You get the picture.
Rather than a direct route home (which we rarely do), we headed to Mesa, Arizona via US-87, where desert marigolds were in bloom. Bright yellow flowers on the roadside in the middle of January… what a beautiful treat.
Desert Marigolds along the roadside blooming in January.
In Mesa, we had the rare opportunity to meet up with our oldest son, Brennan, who was working on-site at the Chicago Cubs Spring Training Camp for the week. A pleasant meal at a local pub, good conversation, and that was about all we managed before the evening was through.
We caught up with Brennan briefly in the morning as he headed to work, and we headed out for the final leg of our trip. It was gray, cloudy, in the mid-50s, and sprinkling rain when we left Mesa. By the time we joined up with US-93 (a blue highway, by the way), it alternated between sprinkles and rain showers. The saguaro cacti dotting the hillsides must have enjoyed the drink.
Just before Wikieup, Arizona, we noted the remains of a signpost for the town of Nothing, Arizona. Established in 1977, the now-abandoned ghost town originally had a total of four inhabitants at its peak… and now nothing!
It didn’t take long till we reached I-40 again, then I-11 (US-93/US-95), then the exit for Flamingo Road and home. It’s always bittersweet ending a long road trip, but so good to be home. Another blue highway completed, holidays with family, and a visit with Lady Liberty, a ride on a carousel… and that giant ball of stamps. Who could ask for more?
Some stats:
Total Mileage on US-6: 3,205
Total Mileage this trip: 9,297 (those side trips and the return really add up!)
Total States visited: 22
Highlight of the trip: Other than spending time with family, visiting the Statue of Liberty!
Our 2025-2026 Winter Road Trip: 9,297 miles