Adventure 105: El Paso, Texas/Post A

Home Sweet Home, Mission RV Park, El Paso, Texas

On our run in from the Guadalupe Mountains, thirty miles northeast of El Paso, Texas, the scenery turned especially bleak. Assorted sand rusted trailers dotted the landscape. Their tumbleweed yards were skirted with a mixture of corrugated metal and mesquite faggots ribbed with barb wire. Occasionally, a mangy three legged dog struggled along, dragging its tail in the dust. The Bunny couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly started whimpering. I never like to see the Bunny whimper, so I asked, "What's wrong?" Warbling like a love lost canary she said, "I just want to see some sign of home." Not five minutes later, her prayers were answered. We passed a desert pine tree (We have  a few pine trees in Washington), and then, miraculously, we passed a cross street that read: Snoqualmie! If that isn't a sign from home, I'll eat a yellow snow cone. After the squall passed, we entered the freeway traffic in El Paso, which focused Judy's attention on navigating. Like many places, the freeway is under construction. Back home, for example, there is a constant state of construction between Spokane and Coeurd 'Alene (I think they just turn around when they get to one end or the other). Anyway, the construction gave our GPS fits and it took us a Texas turn around and five extra miles to reach Mission RV Park. The RV park is quite good: our host was welcoming, the site is level, the showers are clean, the power, water, and cable are sufficient, and if it weren't for the sketchy wifi, the place would suit our needs perfectly. In addition, even though it's quite close to the freeway, the noise isn't really noticeable. As soon as we got Frac settled, Judy took a shower (She feels much better after a hot shower), and then we dashed off to Costco (My favorite) to check out Frac's tires. It turns out they were a little low, and perhaps the right front has a leak (We'll know tomorrow morning), but a nice young man named Hector topped the tires off with air, and then we were off. My niece, Tina (Valentine) Pitts gave us a recommendation for Mexican food (So did her father, Dr. Valentine-we'll try his tomorrow), so we typed in the address to Kiki's, which is in the northeast part of El Paso near Austin High School. It was fabulous. Not only was the food and service great, but the decor brought back visions of my youth (I'm sure the place was a tavern in another life). The lamp above our booth was an old Hamm's Beer advertisement, which brought back visions of talking bears and mountain living. Even though the GPS squealed like an injured teen girl, we made three stops before we got to Kiki's: Guadalajara Tortillaria for fresh tortillas, Gussie's Bakery for fresh chicken and green chile tamales, and O'neill's Auto for a couple of cans of Fix-a-Flat. Just because the fates shined on me today (We travelled across the desert for one hundred and thirty miles  on under inflated tires) doesn't mean I should push my luck. We still have plenty of nowhere to traverse before we get home. After dinner, we chose to be adventurous (As usual). We decided to find our way home using intuition on the surface roads (I avoid the freeway when i can). It was a lovely winter night, the setting sun casting shadows in a way that made El Paso look enticing. We turned off the GPS, and started wandering eastward. I believe there are always roads the locals use that can get me back to where I want to go, and we always find things we want to find by accident. So, naturally when we spotted a Starbuck's we stopped to replenish our coffee supply. Close to the RV park, I didn't trust myself, which caused one rabbit turn around move, but on the second try I found RV Road right where I thought it would be the first time, which brought a chortle of glee from my Bunny. I like that much better than whimpers of homesickness, which means of course, that life is good, especially today.

 It's clear that this bakery is a very successful enterprise.

 We didn't realize El Paso has about a million residents. This neighborhood is one of the older ones, but every house is neat and tidy. The only thing unusual is the excess number of cars at every house. Clearly, El Paso is a town that requires an automobile.

  A Cell Palm, a ubiquitous new genus.

One quarter of Gussie's bakery showcase. The sign above says, "Please help yourself." While we were there three sets of customers grabbed a lunch tray, piled it with an assortment of bakery treats, and paid up front. It's a good system that encourages impulse buying.

 Fresh (Hot) tamales to order (Made daily). We bought six chicken with green chile and two sweet with raisins and anis.

 Kiki's Chicken Muchacas were recently featured on the Food Channel, but we didn't know that. We just trusted Tina's recommendation. New mother's to be are always good guides.

 Some of you, I know, have sipped a Hamm's, most likely when your were a poor sky blue college student (Well maybe not at Bethel or Goshen, but most certainly at Central Washington University).

 Home made tortilla chips.

 Burrito special filled with tender beef, perfectly cooked potatoes, and covered with an exquisite poblano chile sauce.

 Chicken Enchiladas filled with tender chicken and a plethora of green chiles.

 My point and shoot camera couldn't quite capture the pleasant feeling the setting sun put on the evening. Just let your mind stretch the image the full one eighty, and imagine also the light bathing the city in its most favorable light.

Guadalupe Church and school, a nice example of the Spanish motif, but tomorrow we're going to First Presbyterian to see what our Southwestern counterparts are like. Stay tuned.