Ruins of the Desert Sun Motel on old 66, Grants, NM

CL EAN ARGE R OO MS

The Desert Sun Motel is frozen at $19.95 a night (and up):

CLEAN ARGE R OO MS

$19/95& UP

FREE COF EE

CABLE TV HBO ESP

VACANCY

It looks like a project stalled in mid-renovation, though it’s hard to see how this could have ended well if the owners had continued to spend money. It’s on old Route 66 on the east end of Grants, New Mexico. I expect that it was a product of the best intentions of Route 66 tourism nostalgia. German tourists renting Harleys love this stuff. The doors were standing open, and the windows had all been removed. In a few of the rooms, I saw fresh drywall, as if the carpenter was due back any day. Just down the road at the freeway interchange was a fresh-looking Quality Inn and Suites, a Super 8 and a Travelodge. Tough to compete with the freeway-close brand names, I guess.

Still, the old place had ESP? For $19.95 a night? Such a deal.