Albuquerque to Holbrook: Roadside Engineering

We leave Albuquerque and head toward Holbrook, Arizona, trying to log miles early while the weather is still cooler. The landscapes through New Mexico are incredible, with mountains, rocks, old towns, abandoned buildings, trains, and classic Route 66 signs everywhere. But Brownie keeps fighting us.

Route covered

Albuquerque, New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona

Major stops

• Gallup's Route 66 Neon

Best moments

• The O'Reilly's parking-lot fix that should not have worked
• Where the new fuel line actually runs
• The strangers from the Navajo Nation who stopped to help

Mechanical challenges

The fuel delivery issue comes back, and we end up at an O'Reilly's in Gallup doing a roadkill-style repair. With help from the crew, we run new fuel line through the filler neck, around the bumper, and down to the fuel pump to bypass the suspected issue.

Travel notes

Albuquerque, Grants, Budville Trading Co., Gallup, the Continental Divide, the Arizona state line, and Holbrook.

Stressful, messy, funny, and exactly the kind of memory that makes a trip like this unforgettable.