TeePee Curios
In November 2022, I spent a week along Route 66 in New Mexico. After a couple of days in Albuquerque, I moved on to Tucumcari, New Mexico, which is a couple of hours east. Tucumcari is full of vintage motels and other attractions like cafes, old gas stations, etc. Route 66 runs right through the center of town, but most people pass by on the Interstate now, electing not to drive through town.
One of the more interesting places in Tucumcari is TeePee curios, a curio shop with a TeePee on the front of it. It used to be a gas station; the TeePee was added later to draw people in. In addition to the building itself, there’s a wonderful neon sign, and typically a few old vehicles around.
Walking through town after dark, I decided to photograph the sign with an old truck as foreground interest. The red glow from the sign lit up the truck in a wonderful way.
By the way, the sign says “TePee Curios”, even though the business is named “TeePee Curios” and has that spelling written on the front of the business. I’m sure there’s a great story behind that, but I didn’t notice the difference until I returned, so I never got a chance to ask about the discrepancy when I visited.
