The I-40 freeway has bisected the town of Santa Rosa (pop. 2,744) and cut its old Route 66 frontage in two, but for over 65 years, travelers crossing New Mexico along Route 66 and I-40 made a point of stopping here for a meal at Club Cafe, “The Original Route 66 Restaurant Since 1935.” Thanks to signs lining the road for miles in both directions, emblazoned with the smiling face of the “Fat Man,” the Club Cafe became nationally famous for its always-fresh food. The Club Cafe closed in 1992, but its legacy (and the Fat Man logo) live on at Joseph’s (505/472-1234), at 865 Will Rogers Drive, which has a nifty neon sign and very good food at reasonable prices on old Route 66, a half mile southwest of I-40 exit 275.
On the opposite side of Route 66 from Joseph’s, marked by a bright yellow hot rod atop a 30-foot pole, the Route 66 Auto Museum (505/472-1966), at 2766 W. Route 66, has a wide-ranging exhibit on “anything to do with wheels,” highlighted by some tricked-out old Fords and Chevys and a totally cherry ‘57 T-Bird convertible.
Santa Rosa’s other main attraction is unique: the Blue Hole, an 80-foot-wide, 240-foot-deep artesian well filled with water so crystal-clear that it draws scuba-divers from all over the western states to practice their underwater techniques here. The water of the Blue Hole, at around 61°F, is too cold for casual swimming, but in the summer heat it’s a great place to cool your heels. The Blue Hole is well-signed at the end of Blue Hole Road, a half mile south of old Route 66.
East of Santa Rosa, along the south side of I-40 as far as Cuervo, you can trace one of the older stretches of Route 66, only partly paved, and best done in a 4WD or on a mountain bike. Here you get an indelible sense of what travel was like in the very early days, when less than half the route’s 2,400-odd miles were paved. Another stretch of old (circa 1926–1935) Route 66, off Blue Hole Road just south of the “official” Historic Route 66, now serves as the runway for Santa Rosa’s small airport.
