Dr. Shelle VanEtten de Sánchez

In conversation with writer and "Roadrunner" editor, Monika Dziamka.

What does Route 66 signify to you?

To me, Route 66 is the quintessential symbol of the open road — of travel, road trips and wide western skies. It represents freedom, possibility, open spaces and the invitation to adventure. It’s not just a highway — it’s a cultural experience and a journey in itself.

What is one of your favorite spots along Route 66 in or near Albuquerque?

It’s hard to choose just one. I live about a mile from Route 66 — Central Avenue in Albuquerque — and have spent most of my adult life within that distance, so it’s woven into the fabric of my daily life. I have favorite restaurants, coffee shops, stores and cultural spaces all along Albuquerque’s 18-mile stretch. 

If I had to choose, I’d highlight the geographic anchors: The sweeping views from Nine Mile Hill on the west end and Tijeras Canyon from the east are equally spectacular. In the middle, we have the Central Avenue bridge crossing the Rio Grande near the Bosque. The way Central Avenue runs from the high mesa across the river and into the mountains makes Albuquerque’s stretch of Route 66 incredibly unique — and arguably one of the most beautiful urban sections of the entire route.

Car driving down Nine Mile Hill at night. Photo by Dominic Valdez.

Describe a memory you have of Route 66.

Although I’m from Albuquerque, my ties to Route 66 stretch back generations. My parents are originally from Kansas, so growing up, we traveled 600 miles on Route 66 between Albuquerque and southern Kansas two or three times a year. Later, I made those same journeys with my own children — sometimes heading to Kansas, sometimes beyond, other times west to California.

For me, Route 66 cannot be held in a single memory — it’s more like a tapestry, woven with threads from across decades. My parents honeymooned in Albuquerque in the 1960s, traveling the route. My mother’s family drove it west to California in the 1940s and ’50s to visit relatives. And I’ve carried those patterns forward, retracing their paths again and again.

Route 66 is hundreds of miles filled with thunderstorms and lightning, snow and ice, roadside attractions, cars and semis, billboards, cows, long radio silences, classic motels and iconic diners. It’s the landscape of childhood car games and road-trip rituals. It’s the joy of arrival at my grandparents’ home — and the quiet magic of returning, descending through Tijeras Canyon, and seeing the lights of Albuquerque glowing in the night.

These aren’t just memories of a road. They’re memories of movement, connection and the places and people that define “home.”

Route 66 has inspired countless works of art. Are there any particular local works or artists related to Route 66 you’re especially fond of?

Yes — there are a few local photographers I really admire, including Nathaniel Tetsuro Paolinelli and Jessica Royball. They spend a lot of time documenting Route 66 in Albuquerque — capturing cars, people, signs and architecture — not just through a nostalgic lens, but with a deep attention to the present-day vibrancy and humanity of the spaces along the route. Their work tells the continuing story of Route 66 in a way that feels alive and relevant.

Lowrider at El Camino Motor Court on 4th Street by Jessica Roybal. Source: Jessica Roybal for Authentically Albuquerque.

What’s a birthday wish you have for Route 66 (as it relates to our city, state, or overall)?

My birthday wish for Route 66 is that our communities continue to celebrate all it has been over the past hundred years—the neon signs, the car culture, the motels and diners, the road trips and the small-town main streets — but also embrace what it can become.

I hope we reimagine Route 66 not just as a monument to past nostalgia, but as a living thread of connection — between neighborhoods, towns and states. A place that still invites adventure, but also supports revitalization, inclusion and the future of mobility and community across the West.