About the Episode:
Are you ready to learn more about the beautiful city of Gallup? Bill Lee, the executive director of the Gallup Chamber of Commerce is this episode’s guest. He shares all about why you MUST visit Gallup, NM as soon as possible!
Links:
Visit Gallup
Gallup Chamber of Commerce
I Love New Mexico blog page
Bunny’s website
I Love New Mexico Instagram
I Love New Mexico Facebook
Original Music by: Kene Terry
Featuring:
Bill Lee
Born in New Mexico, and raised on green chile, Bill Lee is the C.E.O. for The Gallup McKinley County Chamber of Commerce. Bill is a 2012 graduate of the “Institute for Organization Management” and has served on the organizations Board of Regents, as a Class Advisor and is currently a faculty member for the program primarily focused on leadership development.”Nestled in spectacular red rock beauty and located along historic Route 66, Gallup is a beautiful place that offers enticing outdoor adventures while seamlessly blending awe-inspiring art and rich culture deeply rooted in Native American tradition and its People.”
– Visit Gallup Website
Episode Transcript
Bunny : (00:00)
Hi there. I’m Bunny Terry, and you’re listening to the I Love New Mexico podcast. Whether you’re a native New Mexican, who’s lived here for your entire life, or you’re just considering a visit, this episode is for you. Join us as we share a lot of New Mexico’s stories, talk about all things New Mexico, and include topics like what’s magical here, where you ought to visit, what’s happening, and the things you absolutely cannot miss in the land of Enchantment. We’re excited that you’re here, and we can’t wait to show you what an amazing place New Mexico is, because let’s face it, I love New Mexico. My guest today is from a part of the state that we haven’t talked about in a while, and it, my guest is Bill Lee, who is the executive director of the Gallup Chamber of Commerce. Did I say all those titles correctly? Bill,
Bill : (01:03)
You, you nailed it. And let’s not get hung up on titles, . Well,
Bunny : (01:08)
I just, I just want people to know who you are and where you’re coming from. And Bill and I, you and I had a conversation before we hit the record button that, um, you are a native new Mexican, born in Gallup, raised in Gallup. And, it’s not very often that I speak to native new Mexicans, so it’s fun to talk to somebody who’s been here. I maybe all your life, I don’t know, tell folks about you.
Bill : (01:36)
So, yeah, I was born and for the most part, raised in Gallup. Um, my stepfather was a natural gas pipeline construction. And so at the, uh, early age, in the first grade, I, uh, was kind of plucked up outta school and, and down the road we went, uh, lived in 33 states before . Yeah, yeah. Um, changed schools 13 times in one year. Yeah, it was, it was a wild adventure. But eventually landed up back here in Gallup, uh, with my mom and stepdad. And then they took over a, a family business, which was cousins Indian jewelry and jeans pawn shop, and as well as a, an old hardware store, um, a hardware store, like we used to know them way back when right. It was, it was a lot of fun. And that was kind of my upbringing. Um, and enjoyed every bit of my, of my young years in Gallup. And then got into radio broadcasting. Spent a number of years in that over 30 years in broadcasting. And then that took me a away from Gallup, uh, of course, a couple of times. And all in all, I’ve moved and moved back four times. Last time I moved back, I said, that’s it. I am not leaving again. We knew we were home. My wife was following me. We were moving back from El Paso, Texas at the time. We were moving back in. My wife called me on the cell phone as we hit the edge of town and said, uh, in a teary voice, she said, we’re home. I said, why are you crying? She said, I just passed a minivan with a sheep and some hay. So
Bunny : (03:18)
I love that.
Bill : (03:19)
It was, it’s truly New Mexico, right?
Bunny : (03:23)
It is. I did the same thing, bill. I moved away. Um, I moved to Texas. Once I moved to North Carolina, I moved to Kansas, and every time I was like, oh God, if you’ll just get me home, I’ll never leave again. So, um, the last time I came back was in 2004 and, uh, no more. I’m not, this is it. This is it for me. And I think that’s how people feel once they get here to stay.
Bill : (03:47)
Yeah. When we were living in El Paso the last time we moved and, and then moved back home, uh, last time we moved, I kept saying that the best thing about being in El Paso was our house, because every mor every evening I could watch the sunset in New Mexico. Right.
Bunny : (04:01)
Oh, , I like that . Well, bill, tell me about Gallup. I mean, we, and we have to assume that a lot of people who, um, listen to this podcast aren’t familiar with what we’re talking about. We have guests from as far away as Dubai. So, tell folks where Gallup is and give us the overview, and then we’ll hone down on what’s going on right now.
Bill : (04:27)
All right. Well, Gallup is in the northwest corner of the state, approximately, um, 30 miles from the Arizona New Mexico border. We are of course a border town in many respects, not only in terms of our state line, but in terms of Native America, right? So we have the Navajo Nation, which borders a great deal of Gallup, and then to the Southern air, uh, to our southern boundaries. We have, um, the Zuni Pueblo, which is the largest pueblo of the 19 and New Mexico. And so we are, uh, a genuine border town in many respects. Gallup was founded in 1881, primarily founded on a couple of things. It was founded on coal mining and also on the railroad. And in fact, that’s where Gallup gets its name. Um, we are named after David Gallup. And so David Gallup was the paymaster for the railroad at the time. And so when you had finished your work and you wanted to get paid, you went to Gallup. And so that’s how Gallup caught its name. So we’ve been around a long time. Yeah, been around a long time. Um, and coal mining remained an active part of our economy for many years. Not so much anymore. We still do have a, a mine that’s, uh, located a little bit to the east of us, the Lee Ranch Coal Mine, which still provides some coal for the nation’s power, but it is, uh, less and less so these days, of course. But, um, um, and then the railroad, Burlington Northern Railroad is still an active part of our community. And, in fact, you may hear a train roll by, because I am adjacent in our offices here at the Chamber of Commerce right next to the railroad tracks. In fact, a lot of years ago, back in 1951, when the Chamber was first founded here in its location, um, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad donated the land for the chamber to be built. So there you go.
Bunny : (06:31)
Nice. Nice. Well, the interesting part of what you said about, I had never thought about, I mean, you’re on the border with Arizona, but you’re also in between those two, um, the Navajo Nation and, um, the Zuni Pueblo, um, which historically were not particularly, um, friendly. Am I, am I right? Is that, did they, was there a history of have
Bill : (06:57)
No, not necessarily. I mean, you know, certainly the Zuni have a storied history in their battle with the Spanish and the conquistadors. During the time of the search for the seven cities of gold, Zuni was one of those seven cities. And so there was conflict certainly there between the Zuni and the Spanish. Okay. Navajo really were resettled, you know, on the Long Walk and came to this area, um, uh, a little bit later, but certainly have occupied these lands for a very, very long time.
Bunny : (07:30)
And if I was gonna go to Gallup, if I’ve never been, and I’m thinking about coming to New Mexico, what’s the reason that I should go to Gallup?
Bill : (07:43)
Oh, Bunny. There are many reasons. I know , lemme lemme count the ways, right? Yes. It is, first and foremost about 75 to 80% of the world’s Native American art comes from our area. And when I, and I say our area, it’s the city of Gallup proper, but certainly those bordering towns of the Zuni Pueblo, the Navajo Nation, um, we are only 30 miles away from the, the Navajo nation’s, capital, which is window rock. And so this entire area is, is enriched with Native American artisans who create everything from incredibly fine jewelry and Native American art in that capacity to those fabulous rug weavers who create those incredible tapestries, those Navajo rugs that we all love and enjoy. Paintings, sculptures, all of that. Again, about 75% of the world’s Native American art comes from here. So I always tell people, if you’re coming to New Mexico to buy Native American art, this is the place to come because so much of it originates right here, and you get, you’re gonna get a great deal. And believe it or not, over 100 trading posts in our community,
Bunny : (08:59)
Well, I was gonna say, um, go there instead of to Santa Fe because it’s so much more expensive here.
Bill : (09:07)
Well, you know, when you buy closer to the source, you’re going to get a better price. And, that’s certainly what happens here.
Bunny : (09:14)
In addition Trading Post, I’m sorry, I talked over you there for a second, but that’s all.
Bill : (09:18)
No, that’s ok. Go ahead. Yes, yes. Um, and one of the, one of the state’s oldest trading posts with Richardson’s Trading company downtown on Old 66.
Bunny : (09:28)
Can you say that again? I didn’t hear that.
Bill : (09:30)
Richardson’s Trading Company.
Bunny : (09:33)
Richardson’s Okay.
Bill : (09:34)
Yes. On Old 66. And so they’ve been here for a very, very long time. One of the oldest trading posts, certainly, um, over a hundred years old, um, here in Gallup. And so a rich tradition there. If you’re shopping for, uh, Navajo rugs, you have to stop there because their rug room will absolutely blow your mind. It is incredible. Thousands and thousands of beautiful Navajo rugs. Um, so I encourage people to go there. As I said, they’re located on Highway 66, so that’s another big draw for Gallup. Right. The original Route 66. Um, we’re even mentioned in the song, right? Phoenix, Arizona. Don’t forget when Noma, Phoenix, you know, Gallup, New Mexico. So we’re in there. Um, and so we love our, our, our Route 66 Heritage and Roots. We also have, um, very close ties, um, with the Native American industry and artists in another way. And that is, we are home to, um, the State’s longest running continuous event, um, last year celebrating its 100th anniversary. And that is the Intertribal Indian ceremony, um, where tribes from across the world come to Gallup to not only participate and in a juried art show with their Native American art, but then they also, um, display their dances and traditional, um, um, ceremonies for all of us to experience and enjoy. And so that happens every year in August.
Bunny : (11:14)
That was on my list, so I was gonna ask you about that. And we’ll wanna include a link to that. I mean, maybe every, people just need to find your website, but I, I thought that’s, that. I’ve actually been to that before long, long, long, long ago. Part of the, one of those hundred years before. But, um, I’d like to come back. So is it a specific time in August?
Bill : (11:38)
So August this year, it will be the first week in August. Okay.
Bunny : (11:45)
So, so it’s an entire week?
Bill : (11:48)
Oh, yes, yes. Okay. Entire week. Yes.
Bunny : (11:52)
And I want, want folks to know this is different from the Gathering of Nations that happens in Albuquerque. I mean, the gathering of na Gathering of Nations is basically everybody in the same location dance, it’s a powwow. Right. And this is different,
Bill : (12:07)
Right? Yes. So, yeah, as you said, there is a great deal of difference. Nothing, not to take anything away from Gathering of Nations, which is wonderful event as well. But the Intertribal Indian ceremonial, um, is that experience that goes beyond just the dancing and the, the powwow. There is a powwow com competition at the, at the ceremonial as well. But again, that juried art show where Native American artists, uh, display their best wares, um, and some of our hundred traders in the area also participate. Right? And so what we have oftentimes is, um, an artist who comes into one of our, our, our Native American traders who has an incredible piece of art, a rug, a sculpture, a piece of pottery, um, and they, they sell it to that, to that trader. And that trader goes, wow, look at this. This is a real special piece. And they’ll, they’ll take that piece and, and tuck it away and say, that’s going to go to ceremonial, right? And so they’ll enter that in the competition in ceremonial, um, and should that piece win, then not only does the Trader benefit because he is now got an award-winning piece, but the artist who also created it gets a cash prize and gets a ribbon as well. So it’s a, it’s a juried art show. It’s, it’s more of a enrichment experience, if you will, because of the traditional ceremonies that are shared, the traditional dances that are shared. Everybody from the Apache Crown dancers to the Ola Doores who dance on top of a pole and swing by their feet off of a rope at the top of this 75 foot pole. I mean, there are all these spectacular Native American tribes that come together in one location to share that cultural experience with everybody. And then, let’s not forget the Native American rodeo, that caps it all off each evening as well. So, um, and, and these days we’ve had, um, everything from wild buffalo riding to wild horse riding. It’s a true Native American rodeo that you don’t typically see anywhere.
Bunny : (14:15)
Okay. I’ve gotta come back for that because I was, I think I was like, you know, 22 the last time I went. And, and you were talking about Route 66. Um, you, you also have some rather well preserved iconic locations along Route 66 in Gallup, don’t you?
Bill : (14:36)
Oh, absolutely. And I think one of those things that we have to talk about is if you’re coming to Gallup and you’re planning on staying, of course we have lots of great hospitality in Gallup. Um, lots of the major flags. Everybody from Marriott to Holiday Inns to comfort, comfort suites, those, those properties. So, but if you’re looking for a historic experience, um, we have to mention the El Rancho Hotel, right? Which is located right on 66. Um, and these days we’re really excited about what’s been going on at the El Rancho because it’s been receiving the love it needed to have over the last few years. Um, some remodeling, some renovation, and the hotel has never been, uh, better, has never looked better. But the El Rancho is where all of the movie stars stayed when all of those famous westerns were being shot in the Red Rocks just to the east of Gallup, which by the way, is where Red Rock Park is and where in the intertribal Indian ceremonial is. And also our second largest balloon event in the nation is held there, um, second only to Albuquerque. So, um, uh, but all of these old westerns were filmed out there, um, in, in the Red Rocks. Um, you know, and everybody came and stayed there. Everybody stayed at the old Rancho people from Gene Autry to Ronald Reagan, to Jimmy Stewart, um, famous names like that. Humphrey Bogart and all of the rooms,
Bunny : (16:00)
John Wayne
Bill : (16:00)
I know, yep. John Wayne. Absolutely. All, all of the rooms are named after, um, one of the movie stars that stayed in the hotel
Bunny : (16:09)
That, so I have to go back there too. And, and you mentioned Red Rock Park. When is the balloon rally that is, is that in the fall?
Bill : (16:17)
Yeah, it’s in the winter. It’s actually the first full weekend in December. We will have over, over 160 balloons participating in, um, flying and events throughout the city. There’s a big Christmas parade. It’s a small town Christmas parade with a great big heart and a great big attitude. Um, everybody is welcome in the parade, and it is usually miles long and so much fun and full of candy being thrown to the kids and the hot air balloons participate by, um, putting up their baskets and burners and, um, heating up the crowd as they go down the parade route with the burners. So it’s, it’s a lot of fun. 160 balloons filling those big, beautiful Red rocks, scenic sandstone canyons. It is something that every photographer will want to take advantage of.
Bunny : (17:10)
Well, and I think that one of the things that we wanna do in the, um, you know, people tend to listen to the podcast, but I want ’em to also go to the website and check out our blog, the where, where it posts, because we wanna add some photos of, um, because gal things that happen in Gallup are so photo worthy that I want folks who have never been here before to get how, how, um, how gorgeous it is. And so if somebody was gonna come in the summertime, cuz we’ve talked about stuff that’s happening late in the summer and in the fall, say somebody’s gonna be there may, June, July, what do you, what do you think, what, what should they, and, and I know that people tend to not leave the Rio Grande corridor and I’d like for them to, I’d like for them to come and see you. So what do we tell them?
Bill : (18:03)
Well, May, June, July, wonderful time to visit Gallup, in terms of things going on. Uh, don’t ever forget. We, we are not just event oriented here, right. If you were an outdoors person, um, we have over 52 miles of hiking and biking trails that have been established. Our mountain biking trails have been compared, uh, to that of Farida California, which is one of the meccas for mountain biking. Wow. We have trails. Yeah. We have mountain bike trails in the forest, um, where we run the, uh, annual race 24 hours in the forest where they race mountain bikes for 24 hours. Those who are insane enough to do that. But it’s a wonderful place. But the trails are there year round, obviously. Um, and eventually what we will have here before much longer is a trail that will actually connect through the Sebel forest just to the, uh, just to the east of Gallup about 12 miles. And you’re in the sea National forest. It’s one of the reasons I love living where we live. Uh, I mean, the entire state is that way, right? If you want to be, um, in these scenic red rocks here in Gallup and, and have that desert experience, that high desert experience, you can do that. Or you can take a 30 minute ride just to the east and you’re in the thickest ponderosa pines you would ever hope to be in. Right? And so there’s that kind of terrain to hike or bike. And then you can go to the forest and do the same thing. But eventually we’re going to have trails that connect all the way from Gallup to grants, um, through the sea Forest. Wow. And so that is being developed currently, but, so that gives you an idea of the enormity of the kinds of trails and experiences you can have here.
Bill : (19:45)
So there’s all of that. In July we’ll have the Route 66 Freedom Ride, flight and Cruise and Bunny. This is, this is what I refer to as a weekend full of hot air Harleys and hot rods. Right. . And so, um, we’ll have, um, a a, a hot air balloon rally smaller than the one in December. Um, and then we’ll have a car show that will attract probably this year somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 classic cars. Wow. That will be on display, Uhhuh . And then we have a motorcycle run that is done from the state line to the state line in honor of our veterans. So one of the things I didn’t mention is Gallup is, has very strong patriotic roots. Many of our citizens were on the Baton death march. Many of our citizens, um, gave all they could, made the ultimate sacrifice. We are of course, the home of Hershey Miam Murra, who recently passed away, but was a congressional Medal of honor winner, a true hero in our community. And we were Ra named the most patriotic small town in America by Rand McNally. Um, we hang on to that title because after we won it that year, they quit doing the contest. So it belongs to us forever.
Bunny : (21:03)
Well, and you’re also, um, I mean, people who don’t know about the Navajo Code Talkers can certainly come to Gallup and learn something, right?
Bill : (21:13)
Yeah. We have the Code Talkers Museum here, um, where you can learn about that traditional story, um, and incredible heritage that really helped us land World War II. Yeah.
Bunny : (21:25)
Can you explain to our listeners what the code talkers were?
Bill : (21:29)
Sure. The Code Talkers were a group of Native American Navajo men who were shipped out of here. In fact, the museum is located at the train station where those men left to go do their duty. Wow. Right. And so, um, this museum highlights and honors these men. What the code talkers were were they developed a code during World War II that was unbreakable, remained unbreakable throughout many years, even beyond the war, back in like into the sixties. It was confidential, um, top secret. Um, and these men really never got their recognition for their efforts. But if you’ve seen the, the movie Wind Talker that is based on the Navajo code talkers, but their code was never broken, the Germans could never decipher it, could never break it as much as they tried. And they took the Navajo language, which is very hard to read and write and speak. And then they created a code within that language. And so it was remained an unbreakable code and truly many strategists, um, contribute or are think that the Navajo comic talkers contributed significantly to our victory in World War II. Sadly, um, only a couple of those men remain, you know, time has taken its toll. Right. But their story is somewhat preserved in this museum. I don’t know that you could ever completely capture their story, but true patriots, they were. And so that all ties into our most patriotic standing, and as I said in July, that freedom ride, flight and cruise. So these, these group of motorcyclists start at Glen Rio, at the Texas New Mexico State line. Mm-hmm. . And they ride all day in honor of our veterans raising money for our veterans Commit, uh, group here in Gallup, the veterans Helping Veterans Group, they ride all the way across the state. They come through Gallup. We give them a big flag waving wave as they go through Gallup. And then they go right on through to the Arizona state line where they turn around. Now it’s dusk. And as they go past through town, the balloonists then follow behind them, and we line up down Aztec Avenue and wait for their arrival. We put the baskets and burners out, and as they come down the street of Aztec Avenue, we create a tunnel of fire with a huge American flag on the, on the firetruck at the end. And so these rider who are riding for our veterans ride through the tunnel of fire toward the American flag. And then we can, we, we present a big check to our, to our native to our veterans helping veterans. Wow.
Bunny : (24:20)
Well that, that
Bill : (24:21)
You don’t wanna miss this weekend. It is.
Bunny : (24:24)
I mean, I got kind of choked up. What day does that happen, bill?
Bill : (24:29)
So that is going to be the last weekend in July. And so that is going to be, I’m just checking my calendar here real quick. It’ll be the twen uh, the 29th and 30th is when the events will take place. Primarily all the big stuff is on Saturday the 29th.
Bunny : (24:46)
So if somebody that was listening wanted to be part of that group of writers, is there still space?
Bill : (24:53)
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And they need to contact, um, the Endless Writers, endless Writers Association here in Gallup. Or you can call us here at the Chamber of Commerce, um, at 5 0 5 7 2 2 22 28. Okay.
Bunny : (25:07)
And we’ll get a link and add it to the info links that we post with the, um, podcast. But wow, I, and
Bill : (25:15)
I’m not sure if we have have a website, but we, we’ll be able to out pass along the information and get things through.
Bunny : (25:21)
So I saw, and I don’t know where this is, but in New Mexico magazine, I, or it might have been in my Enchantment magazine, which is the one that I get for being part of a rural co-op, an electrical co-op. But I saw this downtown, you have these, I don’t know what it is, you have some sort of, um, commemoration for veterans. What is that?
Bill : (25:44)
Yeah, that’s, so that’s, um, in our downtown in the Courthouse Plaza. Um, and so that is the, the Veterans walk, if you will. And every veteran that we know of who has participated in any war, um, throughout America’s history is listed on the po on the columns there. Wow. Um, by the world that they were in by, by what they did, what they achieved. And so you will find their names listed there, you’ll find incredible murals of, um, those folks around our community as well on buildings. Um, there are also an incredible, we have an incredible walking tour of murals on buildings that have been done by Native American artists, this fabulous artwork. And that continues to grow. Every year we, we see one or two new murals on, on average every, every year. And so that, that tour continues to, to grow. Um, and I should mention too, that you were asking about May, June, July somewhere after May, we will start our, our, um, Indian Dances, our nightly Indian dances. And, and they may not be nightly this year, it may be a Monday, Wednesday, Friday kind of thing. But if they’ll check it, folks will check with the chamber. We can tell you, um, what what days those are happening. And they will alternate, I think, between locations, between the cultural center and the Dance Plaza, uh, which is located next to that, that walkway of veterans.
Bunny : (27:16)
Well, and I, you know, I want folks who are listening to know that you, you, this is not a huge city. We’re not talking about, uh, Gallup is not a city of hundreds of thousands. What’s your population around 20,000?
Bill : (27:29)
Our population is right at 20,000.
Bunny : (27:31)
Yeah. Wow. You guys are busy.
Bill : (27:33)
Yes, it is. Very busy. You know, and that’s when you come here plan on, um, seeing our population expand immensely, especially if you’re here over a weekend. Right. Because of our location. Right. As we talked about earlier, the, the border-town to the Navajo nation, the Bordertown to the Zuni, rev Pueblo. Right. And so when we are the kind of the trade hub, and so while our, our, our static population is about 20,000 within the city boundaries mm-hmm. , we will see our population grow to a hundred, 125, 150,000 over the weekends as people come in to trade. Um, and one of the things you can’t miss here is our flea market. We don’t, we have a flea market unlike anybody else’s flea market. This is an old car parts and things like that, although some of that exists. But you’ll find some of the best Native American food, fried bread, Navajo tacos, um, sheep herders, all of that that is at, um, the flea market. And, and it’s a wonderful experience. And you can buy jewelry and from the artist themselves, it’s wonderful. That’s, that’s another key component of Gallup is our food. I I happen to think we have some of the best southwestern food in on the planet. Um, I think we have the best stuffed soap p on the planet in one of our restaurants. Janeiro’s the best breakfast burrito and Jerry’s Cafe. I mean, just iconic foods that you will, um, love forever. Your waistline may not love it, but you’ll love every mouthwatering bike.
Bunny : (29:10)
So when is, is the flea market on Saturdays when and where is it?
Bill : (29:15)
Saturdays only, yeah. Out on North ninth Street here in Gallup.
Bunny : (29:20)
And is it every Saturday or is it only in the summer?
Bill : (29:23)
Every Saturday? Yes, it is. Yes.
Bunny : (29:25)
Wow. Wow. So I, I see a weekend in Gallup in my very near future. Um,
Bill : (29:31)
Yes. Come, come on out.
Bunny : (29:32)
I would love to.
Bill : (29:34)
That gets forgotten about is that, um, we also house the largest collection of WPA a Art in the State. The WPA murals and art that are in our courthouse are worth a visit. If you can get here during the week, um, wow. To visit, see that It is, it is absolutely amazing, one of the largest collections in the nation, and it is the largest collection of remaining W P A R in the state.
Bunny : (30:05)
Wow. So, um, so we gotta tell people where to find you, but I also wanna very quickly hit on there’s you, it’s not just, you talked about the outdoors, but you’re also very close to, so, you know, um, El Morro, um, people can stop at Lagoon, they can go to ACMA on the way. Can you talk a little bit about surrounding it’s so rich that I we can’t cover it in a half hour. Yeah. But
Bill : (30:33)
Yeah, it absolutely is. It’s beautiful. So I always try to recommend that folks take that scenic byway, which is Highway 53. It’s a New Mexico Scenic Byway Highway 53, and it takes you south out of Gallup, down to the Zuni Pueblo. When you connect with Highway 53, you can go right to Zuni, which is just a short trip down the road, and you can see the Zuni Pueblo, the old Zuni mission and experience that Great Pueblo, and then turn around and come back. And as you come back through, you’re going to go through the small town of Rayma, which is an incredible place, very historic old town, um, established by the Mormon community, um, and is, uh, a great little valley, um, community. As you go through there, you’ll, you’ll come to El Morro National Monument. Right. Which, as you know, bunny is some of the oldest graffiti in the world. Right.
Bunny : (31:28)
It’s Inscription Rock. If you don’t know what El Morro is, you gotta go take a look.
Bill : (31:33)
Yeah. And so you can go to El Morro, um, everybody who stayed there, and they stayed there because it was a watering hole for their animals. Right. The Contador have signed the Rock one Dee’s signature is on the Rock at Elmore.
Bunny : (31:48)
I know. It gives, gives me a chill
Bill : (31:50)
. Right. So that watering hole was there, and they would stay for an expend extended period of time, watering their animals themselves, getting rest, and they would write their names on the rock. That watering hole is still there today. There is still water in it. You can take a hike to the top and there are step through Anasazi Ruins up on the top. And it’s a view that you should not miss. And it is not a difficult hike. It is well established. Again, it’s a national monument. Lots of history there. Something that everybody should see. So you continue down Highway 53, um, and you will come to the Ancient Way Cafe and you gotta stop there because their green chile, apple pinon pie is to die for
Bunny : (32:37)
. Wow. Well,
Bill : (32:38)
They have other great foods. They have other great foods, but they’re green chili, apple pinon pie. You gotta have a slice of that at the Ancient Way Cafe. Right. And as you, as you leave there, you’re going to come to the ice caves, which are, um, volcanic tubes. And one of the caves, Isty is truly an ice cave. The temperature never rises above 30, I think it’s 30 degrees. And so everything in the cave stays frozen. You can feel it as you walk down the steps into the cave. Um, and so you get, you get to experience the ice caves from there. There’s the el mal pae, which is the Badlands, the lava tubes, all of that, which is another national monument. You can stop there, explore the lava tubes, um, and, and experience that. And then that connects right back out onto I 40 at grants. And so it’s a wonderful scenic loop and a great way to spend the day.
Bunny : (33:37)
Wow. Well, bill, this is so cool. I wanna get on the road right now. I’ve calm down. I’m ready. I, you know, I love New Mexico and you obviously love Gallup and the surrounding areas. So, um, I just, I gotta talk about food for one moment because I wanna tell people if, if you’ve never had a Navajo taco, um, it’s time to get on the road and find one. Can you just describe one quickly and then We’ll, we gotta stop at some point, but I want people to know what this food is like.
Bill : (34:13)
So the Navajo taco, um, in Gallup is a big golden brown, delicious fried piece of fried bread. Right. Big Navajo fried bread, typically about anywhere from nine to 12 inches in diameter. Right, right. And then you take that and you top it with some, some beautiful pinto beans that have been cooked all day long. Some cheese, some ground beef, some more cheese, some chili, red or green or both. Pile that on. Let us lettuce and tomatoes. And you’ve got yourself a lunch or dinner.
Bunny : (34:57)
I lived in Farmington for a a period of time, and the Navajo tacos at the, at the, the flea market were some of the best food I’ve ever had. So, so I have to come and see you and have a Navajo taco.
Bill : (35:12)
You must, absolutely. We would love to see you come, Bunny.
Bunny : (35:16)
Okay. So, folks can find the calendar. What, just real quickly, tell us what your website is and there will be a link to it as well.
Bill : (35:26)
So I’m gonna give you the, the, the tourism website. Okay. Which I think provides the vast majority and the best information, and I’ll also give you our chamber website, but so the tourism website is pretty hard to remember. It’s visitgallup.com.
Bunny : (35:44)
Wow. Okay. Okay. Got that.
Bill : (35:45)
Okay. Visit gallup.com and that can get you, it’s a wonderful, very robust website. You can plan your trip, you can make schedules, you can do all kinds of things on that website. So it’s very good. And then the, if you want information about the business community and, um, places to eat, places to stay, that sort of thing, we’re happy to help you out here at the Chamber of Commerce. And that website is the the gallupchamber.com.
Bunny : (36:14)
One more question, because this is important to people, especially in my age group. How’s Gallup as a retirement community?
Bill : (36:22)
You know, I think that we’re a strong retirement community. I think it would be a good place to retire. I’m going to probably, so I think it’s very well equipped for that. We have a, you know, and I know everybody says this about their community in New Mexico, but our people make us so special and we have a great community. And as you mentioned earlier, we’re only a community of about 20,000. Right. So growing up, um, by the time I got home, mom had already heard about what I had been to. Right, right. Same
Bunny : (37:01)
Here.
Bill : (37:01)
Yeah. It’s that kind of close knit community and remains that way today. Um, and for our seniors, we have a wonderful senior center. And in fact, it’s going to be even expanded and being redone. So yeah, it’s, it’s a great retirement community. And I think like most places in New Mexico right now, we are struggling a bit with housing, but we’re, we’re working to correct that too.
Bunny : (37:25)
Yeah. Well, that’s a nationwide problem. So Bill, uh, bill Lee Gallup, chamber of Commerce executive Director, thank you so much for taking some time to visit with me. This has been fun.
Bill : (37:37)
Well, thank you Bunny. I appreciate being on with you. Thanks for thinking of Gallup. You gotta gotta come back.
Bunny : (37:44)
I’m ready. I’m ready. I’m coming back soon.