1/13-
Despite some concern about cancelled flights due to the
Omicron surge, my flights out of both Birmingham and Dallas went off as
scheduled. I had a slack day planned
just in case something went wrong. I
picked up my rental car and drove about 20 minutes to a parking lot about a
half mile from the Sante Fe Street bridge to Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Downtown El Paso is much like any other
American city but as you get to the Centro shopping area on the border, you
will see some Spanish language signs so there was a bit of a Mexican vibe
before I crossed over. As usual, there was
no passport check, and it was about 2:00 PM when I arrived on Mexican soil. My first step there was a near disaster as I
almost twisted my ankle on a crack in the road but fortunately my luck held,
and things would get better. Juarez is
the former murder capital, but things have become a lot safer in recent
years. I never felt in danger as long as
I stuck to the main roads and did not go out after dark. I was offered taxi
service but responded with a polite: “Yo puedo caminar.” (I can walk.)
I followed Juarez Ave and eventually found my way to the
famous cathedral, where I spent some time in prayer. I would have liked to have attended church
there, but it did not fit my schedule.
Next, I would spend some time in the market just to take in the vibe,
some culture and a few short conversations in Spanish. I did purchase a Coke, a cake and a
smoothie. I had hoped to tour a museum
of the Revolution but unfortunately it was closed so I headed back towards the
USA and a stop at the Kentucky Bar, which is supposedly the birthplace of the
Margarita. I had one of those and some
wings for dinner but no real authentic Mexican food this time around. I did enjoy conversations with a couple local
girls. After some deliberation, I
decided to spend the night in Mexico.
Hotels are a lot cheaper, and I did not want to have to go to the
bathroom while waiting in a long line back to the USA. The hotel was bare bones, so I did go out for
an after-dinner drink, but it was just across the street. I had a VERY nice server there. Her smiles
truly touched my heart. They really did
like the gringo with the southern lingo. I wish I had said "Me encanta tu sonrisa." (I love your smile.)
1/14-
I was up and out the door at 5:30 AM hoping to beat the rush
to the USA. No issues with customs and
no COVID checks (I verified this beforehand) but I still had to wait 30-40
minutes. I timed it well however as I
got some great shots of the sunrise from Scenic Drive overlooking El Paso. From there, I headed east to Guadalupe
Mountains NP. I won’t say that was a bad
call but there just wasn’t enough time to do it justice as all the hikes were
4+ miles. I spent about 2 hours at
Franklin Mountains State Park back in El Paso and wish I had more time
there. That was spectacular with its
canyon views and rock scenery. I treated
myself to steak at a bar and grill that night and enjoyed a conversation with a
girl from Seattle.
1/15-
Crossed into New Mexico.
I did some hiking in Lincoln National Forest on a trail called Bridal
Falls. It was little more than a small
stream but the desert and mountain views along the way were worth it. After
lunch in Alamagordo, I headed to White Sands National Park. WOW!
That was awesome. Snow white sand
and mountains in the background. On rare
occasions, these mountains are capped with snow, which would have been
epic.
1/16-
Skiing in Cloudcroft, which was a bit of a bust. Only the bunny slope was open, and I stayed
for just over 2 hours. Just not enough
snow and I did not have the time to go further north for real skiing. Not a total loss however as I caught an epic
sunrise and some snow-capped peaks. I
should have done more hiking instead. In
New Mexico, palm trees can grow at 4,000 feet elevation in the southern part of
the state but just 20 miles away at 8,000 feet, you will usually find snow on
the ground during winter. Really cool. I spent the night in Las Cruces about 45
minutes from El Paso and walked down Main Street, which had a real New Mexico
vibe and felt like a smaller version of Santa Fe with palm trees.
1/17-
Back to El Paso for a walking tour of downtown and a visit to
a nice lake with mountain views where I did a junk run. I hoped to see the history museum but not
surprisingly, it was closed for MLK Day.
Out of things to do, I went to the airport early, which proved to be a
good call. My Dallas flight was delayed
but I was able to get on an earlier flight.
Not sure if I would have made my connection otherwise. Good trip overall but I could have done a few
things differently. One person asked why
a Bama boy would want to come to El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. WHY NOT?
The scenery is beautiful.
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