Odds and Ends

Before leaving Texas I do have to mention the wonderful little town of San Elizario located about 20 miles south of El Paso. It is part of the Historic Mission Trail. It has one of the oldest churches on the trail, nicely preserved with a few blocks of the town including a very good museum, many art stores, the jail that Billy the Kid broke into to save his buddy, and some touristy shops. The lady at the museum invited us to stay in the church parking lot for the night and sweetened the deal by telling us about the live music at the local hangout, El Desperado. The people we met during the day were super friendly, almost all of them mentioning the musical evening and encouraging us to stay. The music was not great, a local garage band, but every person we had met during the day came up and talked with us during the evening. Rene, the group leader, introduced us and made a big deal so we felt very special. The next day we visited several more churches on the Historic Trail but they were closed.

On the Mission Trail...

Funky Adobe

San Elizario Church

San Elizario Church

San Elizario Jail

We spent 3 nights at a Boondocker just north of El Paso. They have a dusty 8 acre ranch with some horses and a cow. Thayer worked on getting a new hard drive up and running while I enjoyed the sun and read books. Just across the road is the Rio Grande River and it's Biking/Hiking Trail, a wide, smooth trail which follows the mighty Rio Grande down the valley. They haven't seen much water in the river in the past few years, no surprises there.

 We have had a very nice couple of weeks exploring New Mexico. The camping is free and easy in the many BLM sites, the state parks are cheap and have all the amenities, and the scenery is wonderful. It is still cool and there is quite a breeze every day. If any of you are thinking of trying RVing sometime this is the place to have a great experience. For $225 you can buy an annual state park pass which allows you access to all of the state parks and camping with no fees. We did not do this because we will only be here for a month but you could spend a lot of time here and never get bored. Not only is the natural beauty spectacular but the history of the state is really interesting, from the Native peoples, the Spanish explorers, the Missionaries, Billy the Kid, to the atomic age, rocket development and the beginnings of the space program.

Outback macho rig!!!

Our boondocker host, Robert, recommended a stop at Old Mesilla, located just south of the larger town of Las Cruzes. We were delighted to find an old town square, dating back to the mid 1800's, with an old church on one side, a plaza in the middle, surrounded by restored, old adobe buildings.  They contain a variety of stores, tourist, art, jewelry, restaurants, and a wonderful book store filled with books about the SW. Robert had recommended the Double Eagle Restaurant and from the outside I was quite dubious, it was just an old adobe alley that led to the door. I went in though and was delighted to find an ornate old bar with sparkling chandeliers and a spacious, garden-like restaurant located in an interior atrium. In smaller rooms off the main atrium were dining areas beautifully decorated, where they could accommodate private parties. Later we both came back and had margaritas and a nice meal. I learned not to judge buildings from the outside! Especially adobe, they look very earthy and plain from the outside but are very beautiful and interesting inside. We spent the night on a quiet street nearby and in the morning went to Josephina's for breakfast, they have a wonderful outdoor patio with fountains and big shady trees.

Old Mesilla

Old Mesilla characters

Old Mesilla

Old Mesilla church

Double Eagle Restaurant

Double Eagle Restaurant

Double Eagle Restaurant

Double Eagle Bar

Josephina's

Love the colors!

We've been having great weather, blue skies, reasonable temperatures, cool breezes and chilly nights. We are looking forward to getting into the National Forests and BLM sites for some real camping!