I was driving along Hwy 84 north of I-40 yesterday and found that the views were just outstanding.  

I plan on going back to paint very soon.  

Interesting facts from Legends of America.  https://www.legendsofamerica.com/nm-pre1937route66/ 

During the early years of the federal highway system, the realignment of highways was commonplace as engineers sought to create safer and more efficient roadways. Many realignments tended to be minor; a few involved a significant highway re-routing. Such was the case with Route 66, which passed through New Mexico. Approximately 507 miles long in 1926, the alignment of Route 66 in the state was reduced to 399 miles by 1937. The longest sections of the initial alignment created a large S curve as the road stretched across the state’s middle. West of Santa Rosa, it turned north, crossing nearly 20 miles of empty rolling plains before crossing the Pecos River near the 19th-century Hispanic communities around Dilia.

Route 66 continued north an additional 25 miles, passing through a series of small ranching settlements before intersecting with I-25 at Romeroville southwest of Las Vegas. Aligning with I-25, Route 66 followed the corridor of the old Santa Fe Trail and its successor, the Santa Fe Railroad, and passed through Pecos River Valley and the villages of Tecolote, Bernal, San Jose, Rowe, and Pecos. The highway then climbed Glorieta Pass and descended the narrow defile at Cañoncito, where it diverged from the railroad alignment to veer toward Santa Fe.