SEDILLO, N.M. -- Fred Rael and his wife, Virginia, plan to open the first phase of their currently under-construction travel center sometime in March. The facility is located off the Sedillo, N.M., exit of Interstate 40.
According to a report by the Albuquerque Journal, phase one, a convenience store and gas station, will provide a rest and fuel stop for locals and travelers on the stretch between Albuquerque and Edgewood, N.M.
The 16-pump fueling station, tentatively known as Sedillo Hill 66, will sell all grades of gasoline [image-nocss] plus diesel, and the store will be stocked with snacks, coffee and convenience items. It will also have an area for police officers to rest and complete their reports, said the report.
Future plans for the center include a restaurant, motel and office complex, it added.
Rael told the newspaper that the travel center site has a lot of history. Not only was the store once used as a truckstop and rest area back in the 1930s, but an uncle of Rael's, Procopio Rael, used to own and operate a similar business just across the highway. He ran a service station that included a bar and dance hall until the freeway came through and forced him out of business at the age of 71.
The Raels said that they are picking up a family tradition and they hope to preserve a "traditional mountain ambience" with their operation.
The travel center project has been four years in the making, Rael said, and has been a "work of joy" for the couple, who were named outstanding citizens of the East Mountains four years ago, the report said.
After the first phase of the travel center is completed in about two months, the second phase will add a diner, accessible by a walk-through from the store, to serve family-style meals. The third phase will complete the plans with an office complex and motel.
There is no estimated time of completion for the last two phases, the report said, but the Raels already have big plans to celebrate phase one. After getting their "feet wet" with running the gas station and c-store for a while, they plan to have a grand opening with an antique car show, music and food.
Once the entire complex is finished, customers will be able to eat on the patio with a view of the mountains and shop for souvenirs at the gift shop, the report said. One of the Raels' dreams is to bring curios and artifacts from all of the Americas and offer them for sale, they told the paper.
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