VAN HORN TEXAS TO EL PASO TEXAS: A MUCH NEEDED RELAXING DAY PARKED AT THE TEXAS TRAVEL INFORMATION CENTER

SUPPER AT OUR HOUSE TONIGHT:))
Guess I was a little forgetful in Saturday’s post referring to our last year’s overnight spot in Van Horn Texas behind McDonalds as ‘quiet’.  There were maybe 6 trucks here in this large area when we arrived late Saturday afternoon.  Stepping out this morning with Pheebs I saw we were totally surrounded by ‘without exaggeration’ probably about 40 trucks.  But it was a quieter mature noise than many Walmart’s with the local population’s young guys hammering around in the parking lots with their ridiculously noisy pick-up trucks and old mufflerless cars.  The trucks were actually far enough away from us that I didn’t find them as disturbing as Kelly did.  It’s just all part of ‘our kind of RVing’ which of course is not everybody’s kind of RVing which I figure is probably a good thing. 

WE STARTED OUT WITH BLUE SUNNY SKIES BUT IT DIDN’T LAST

LOOKING OUT OUR DRIVERS SIDE LIVING ROOM WINDOW

LOOKING OUT OUR SLIDES REAR WINDOW

TO THE RIGHT OF US LOOKING OUT THE COACH DOOR WE SEE THE ONLY OTHER RV HERE

LOOKING OUT OUR WINDSHIELD

HEY I RECOGNIZE THOSE TWO BUMS

THE TRUCK DIRECTLY BEHIND US HAD A FLAT TIRE
Barney from Old Fat Man Adventures in a comment stated, “A friend of mine was ticketed three years ago in Van Horn for boondocking in the parking lot behind McDonalds. Signs are posted around town against RV overnighting not in a campground”……. Upon exiting the area this morning Kelly spotted a sign beside McDonald’s saying, ‘Truck And RV Parking In The Rear.

WE WERE SOON BACK ON I-10 HEADED WEST OUT OF VAN HORN TEXAS

OH HOW I ENJOYED THIS MORNINGS SUNRISE SCENERY
It was 8:48 a.m. when we tippy-toed out of the big parking area between the sleeping truck drivers.  Five minutes later heading west on I-10 we passed a big green sign telling us we were entering the Mountain Time Zone.  We had to crank our clocks and watches back another hour making us now two hours behind Bayfied Ontario time.

BORDER PATROL CHECK POINT IN THE EAST BOUND I-10 LANES

A TEXAS REST AREA
Being Sunday morning, traffic heading for El Paso was light so I was able to sit back back, relax, and enjoy the great southwest scenery rolling by.  Been awhile since I’ve seen the morning sun throwing long shadows into deep mountain canyons.  Between mountain ranges stretching for as far as the eye can see sometimes are rolling valleys tumbling over what may have been an ocean floor millions of years ago.  Mountain tops or Sky Islands as some are called would have jutted out of a seemingly endless sea.  Oh how I so much look forward to seeing this beautiful southwest landscape every year.

ROLLING DOWN INTO ANOTHER SWEEPING VALLEY
A touch of rain in the air heading for El Paso but it wasn’t enough to wet the roads.  Seeing how it was a Sunday I decided to go right on through El Paso instead of taking the bypass we took last year.  Had it been a week-day with all it’s traffic madness I would have taken the bypass for sure.  Over the years we have gone right through El Paso both ways and never had any problems but if there is an easier way to avoid heavy traffic I much sensibly prefer that option.  Guess you could say my motto is that I prefer to travel ‘the roads less traveled’.  Why put yourself at the risk of a fender bender or worse if it’s not necessary.  It took me a lot of heavy traffic driving over the years to finally understand and accept that there are  smarter, safer, and better ways of doing things.

WELL HELLO EL PASO

HEADING ON DOWNTOWN
Both Kelly and I found it hard to believe the amount of smog pollution we saw coming through El Paso.  Even before reaching El Paso I could see far to the south across the Mexican border a plume of dense smoke belching out of what I presume was a factory chimney and that plume of smog was being carried by the wind in a northwestery direction right into the city of El Paso.  Once into El Paso we could smell it too and here at the Texas Travel Center even the surrounding mountains are barely visible to us.  What a terrible area this must be to live in…..for more reasons than one!!

LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU CAN SEE THE HEAVY SMOG HANGING LOW OVER THE CITY

HEADING THROUGH THE CENTER OF EL PASO WITH A FEW SKYSCRAPER BUILDINGS ON OUR LEFT AND I REMEMBERED THEM FROM GOING THROUGH HERE YEARS AGO

THROUGH DOWNTOWN AND NOW HEADING NORTH OUT OF THE SMOG LADEN CITY

IT’S EASY TO LOOK OUT AND SEE MEXICO ALONG THIS STRETCH OF I-10

Interstate 10 in the north end of El Paso is realy chopped up with construction zones and we were so lucky traffic was light on this Sunday morning.  What a mess that 10 or 15 mile construction zone must be on a week day and the morning rush would be pure madness.

IT WAS SOMEWHERE AROUND HERE WE GOT TANGLED UP IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND TEMPORARILY LOST OUR WAY

THIS IS WHERE OLD SCHOOL BUSES COME WHEN THEY DIE
It was 10:15 mountain time after a couple confusing construction zone turn arounds that we finally stumbled our way into the Texas Travel Information Center located in Anthony right on the west side of I-10 just north of El Paso.  This Travel Center is quite conveniently located right beside the Fun Country RV's and Marine where we have to be Monday morning to see about our water pump .  Both Fun Country and the Travel Center are across the interstate from a big Camping World store.

WE ARE THE ONLY RV HERE IN THIS VERY LARGE RV PARKING LOT

THE PLACE (FUN COUNTRY RV’S) WE HAVE TO GO IN THE MORNING IS STRAIGHT AHEAD  RIGHT NIEXT DOOR

CAMPING WORLD IS ACROSS I-10 ON THE OTHER SIDE

OH-OH PHEEBS PICKED UP ANOTHER ‘GOATS HEAD’ STICKER
There is actually a whole separate area just for RV’s at the travel center and can you even remotely imagine how happy we were to see we were the only RV in the whole place.  A number of trucks in their own area but no cars in the visitor parking lot.  The whole place was a ghost town.  Then we remembered something.   With various branches of the American Government shut down maybe this travel center fell under those sweeping measures.

WE ARE PARKED TO THE RIGHT OF CENTER

YOU CAN SEE BY THE WET PAVEMENT WE HAD SOME AFTERNOON RAIN

We had a long day to kill so we killed it doing about the square root of nothing which after a very tiresome solid week on the road we greatly appreciated doing.  How nice to simply sit still.  I did take a few photos around the Texas Information Center though.

OH HOW NICE TO BE BACK TAKING PHOTOS IN THE GREAT SOUTHWEST AGAIN:)))))

ALTHOUGH THE CENTER IS CLOSED NICE PORTABLE WASHROOMS HAVE BEEN LEFT IN THE PARKING AREAS FOR FOLKS


WE ARE PARKED JUST HALF A MILE FROM THE LA TUNA FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

WHEN KELLY HAD PHEEBS OUT FOR A WALK EARILER THIS AFTERNOON SHE SAID SHE SAW PRISONERS OUT IN THE YARDS

GUARD TOWER

SPOTTED THIS CORRECTIONAL TRUCK SITTING ON A HILL OVERLOOKING THE PRISON YARD

PICK-UP TRUCK IS SITTING TO THE RIGHT OF THAT WATER TOWER ON LEFT AND THE PRISON IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PHOTO

I DON’T KNOW WHY THE PRINTING BELOW TURNED YELLOW BUT IT ANNOYINGLY DID:((

Okay, so here we are in El Paso  Texas just a few short miles from New Mexico.  The decision for us now is where do we want to go next now that we finally have reached the southwest.  No hurry for us to be anywhere and no commitments to be anywhere if and when we do get there.  Had we left Bayfield a couple months ago we would have headed straight for Utah but we didn’t so here we are.  Our decision tomorrow will be based solely on weather.  Kelly said, ‘wherever it’s warmest and sunniest!!’  So with those orders hard upon the table I have been spending time today checking weather for sunny warm days and areas ahead.

SUN WAS ALREADY DOWN OVER THE HORIZON TONIGHT WHEN I HAPPENED TO LOOK OUT THE DOOR

NO TIME TO SET UP MY TRIPOD SO THESE ARE ALL LONG HAND HELD 300mm SHOTS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A pig and a chicken were walking by a church where a gala charity event was taking place. Getting caught up in the spirit, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make a contribution."Great idea!" the chicken cried. "Let's offer them ham and eggs?"  "Not so fast," said the pig testily. "For you, that's a contribution. For me, it's a total commitment."
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A few things to think about::
- Error is often more earnest than truth.
- Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. 
- Even paranoids have enemies.
- Every silver lining has a cloud around it.
- Every solution breeds new problems.
- Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
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