Road Trip Exploring Belen New Mexico | Driving the Entire Length of Highway 304 Discovering Stuff

[@NMBeauty]

Mr & Mrs Bugg donated their light display to Belen after they stopped doing it. Also at one time thier niece lived there (just a little bit of trivia)

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Awesome, it was so nice to see some of their stuff there!

Very cool video. Im intrigued by the beautiful rich blue skies! Thanks for sharing.

[@glennfoster2423]

Remember, the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) Valley was settled several centuries ago. Many small towns and villages still exist. The only way to travel was by horse or cart (wagon) or walk. So most villages had a church and a graveyard. The static display in Belen of the railroad semaphores and the "doodlebug" rail diesel car is very unique.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

H Y'all !!!! Thanks for coming along, really enjoyed your company! Please do me a HUUGE favor and hit that Like and Subscribe button, I'd really appreciate it!! Take care of yourselves!! :)

[@kiddobeans4970]

Nice video. I've lived Salem, OR for 50+ years. I grew up in Belen on Dalies Ave. between 1st & 2nd. I've enjoyed your other mid Rio-Grande Valley videos. Viva Neuvo Mejico!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thanks so very much!!

[@ElizabethGonzalez-ee8mx]

I love in Veguita NM south of Belen on 304

[@kimiastewart6293]

I like it! Maybe I can take the train down there someday

[@latasham.g2g419]

You make sure we see everything and I love that about your videos 🤗

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

I appreciate that! I certainly try. It's nice to think there's always more to see and explore. 😊

[@latasham.g2g419]

@@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore 🤗💕

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

😉

[@latasham.g2g419]

@@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore 😘

[@totalwalker]

Phenomenal 👌! Your video was an absolute delight to watch, thank you for sharing your talent with us.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thank you for the wonderful comment! And thanks for watching!!!

[@josiedmo]

You can go further down. there's a. Interesting church to look also road art

[@vm4821]

Hi there! I watched to the end. I like the natural pacing of your video so I subscribed! Thanks for the effort!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thanks for the sub! Thanks so much for watching!!

[@The_Dudester]

Haven't lived in Belen since 1983, but here goes: 1:17 The F & E building was built around 1900 (maybe earlier). In 1960, they mounted a HUGE garish metal façade, facing Main Street, on the building. I guess they wised up and finally took it down. 1:57 That building was City Hall, Water Department and the police department. They also used to park a fire truck in front until they resolved the two fire stations, overpass over the railyard, situation around 1960. See the water tower? Around 1950, they mounted a HUGE air raid siren on the second level. The purpose was to alert firefighters to a fire (go to the fire station and get the address from the police) and was also blown nightly at 10 PM to alert teenagers that it was curfew. It was so loud that it would frighten the daylights out of you. 2:10 These buildings, facing City Hall, were lawyer offices, as City Hall also had a courtroom. 2:58 This building is now "Health Department", but back in the day was divided among four doctors, one of whom, had a terrible reputation. 4:26 A memorial to a National Guard unit, activated just before World War 2, and had the misfortune of being in The Philippines when the war started. Members of the unit were either killed or captured after the Japanese invaded. 4:49 The Tabet family owns a significant portion of Belen. 6:22 I don't know the original purpose of the building, but for the longest time was a coin op laundry. 7:07 The "City Yard", where they used to store city vehicles, as well as obsolete city vehicles. 9:07 From left to right. A) Belen Hotel. Stopped being a hotel some time in the 1960's. B) Belen Hotel annex, had a bar on the ground floor with a really bad reputation until the city revoked it's business license and shut it down. C) Eva Garcia grocery (in blue and white). Remained competitive, even when other grocery stores opened. D) Small building to it's right is where Eva lived. 9:30 Belen thrived from the 1920's to 1970 because of the Santa Fe Passenger rail. When AMTRAK was created in 1971, Belen was dealt a serious blow and nearly half of the town residents left because Belen lost the passenger rail service. 9:41 If you look far in the background, on the right, you will see a cinder block building (used to be a car repair garage). Eight buildings adjacent to the garage (east, west, north and south) were burned down by an arsonist run amok. The fires suddenly stopped and it's a mystery what happened to the arsonist as he was never captured. 9:52 It looks a lot better than it used to 40 years ago, but the hotel survived because it had cheap long term rentals.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Wow

[@bmito7681]

Nice long ride out to the country. The old buildings with their beautiful architecture are witnesses to Belen's culture and past. Enjoyed the country vibes with the mooly cows 🐄 and then that lone donkey, oh so cute. Sometimes there's a surprise ending, so keep watching. Enjoyed being out in the country today. Thank you BG.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thanks so much for watching until the end. You are another honored viewer for today!😀

[@smithy3996]

Very interesting scenery!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

It really is!

[@mosafren]

Great filming and narration!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!!

[@annepeoples2139]

Enjoyed the video. I like just driving and seeing the countryside, especially on a beautiful day. Thank you for taking us along.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Nice ride

[@sidneigoncalves9229]

Great video, thanks for sharing! Greetings from Brazil!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thank you very much!

[@sidneigoncalves9229]

😃👍

[@courtneyamsinger700]

Hi Guy! Enjoyed the ride.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Very glad!😊

[@brianc6218]

Hey guy! Nice drive. Never really spent any time that way. Always just drive thru not stopping.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

You are the honored viewer of the day! Thank you for watching through to the end! 😀

[@EricMontanya-z9u]

Hi Big G!

[@matruthn.m.bassin]

I’ll say What Poppin OG 🫡

[@sooner_born2256]

Nice one! KZbin recommending your older videos to me now so maybe you'll get paid on past works of art!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

I hope so! Thanks for watching, my friend!

[@dirtyscoundrel2013]

I'm shocked our many homeless and our dirty cops didn't swarm you. I lived in the little hotel you found for a while back in the mid 80s. It's a private residence now. You should have visited the Harvey house, the haunted thieves market next door, st. Mary's and the rail runner station. The place with the rotting vigas was the old city hall police department and jail. On the side is stairs made for tiny people but will take you up to the second floor with decent views.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Interesting, thank you!

[@dirtyscoundrel2013]

@@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore yw. I've been watching your videos. You should come back during Christmas season and see the bugg lights.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Good idea, thank you!!

[@Totecc]

was the belenium a time capsule, it looked to have said that?

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

I believe so

[@gitanomalverde4904]

Should have did a video at the veguita trading post.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Why?

[@gitanomalverde4904]

@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore because it's a hwy 304 staple in the community been there for 40 years. Nice people. Old mom and pop family store. Not many like it around anymore.

[@gitanomalverde4904]

@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore if you go back to do a part 2 the old abandoned Contraras school makes a nice place to stop and take photos.

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Thanks!!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

I'll have to check it out and see if they'll let me film it Thank you!

[@becballard5350]

Belen- 100 years behind abq

[@bestill.4216]

Where IS everybody???!! Looks like a ghost town!

[@eclecticvideosvlogsandmore]

Small town very early weekend morning. There are no big crowds yet.