"Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso . . ." August 23rd

We're off on another adventure. We'll only be gone until Labor Day weekend this time.  We left Havasu bright & early on the 23rd. Stopped in Phoenix so KYOTEE (my minivan) could get a checkup.  Then we were back on the road.

We drove through Tucson, AZ and then through New Mexico.

 Here we are entering the Lonestar State of Texas.

There's a fork in the road. Now which way do we go?

 

Decisions . . . Decisions . . . If I can talk Daddy into getting onto I-25, I can go to Albuquerque again.  Maybe I'll wait until October when Albuquerque has its big Balloon Fiesta. Yes - that's a much better idea. So we're going to El Paso, but just for the night.

Now that we know which way we're going, I can take a quick nap.

"Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl . . . "

Well . . . would you believe a cute, little Chihuahua?

Let me know if you see one, okay?

El Paso is just a stopping point along the way for us.

But it is a city that is rich in history.

The city of El Paso lies along the northern border of the Rio Grande.

Would someone PLEASE tell the JUSTICE Department that taking Firearms to Mexico is prohibited?

The Mexican border town that lies on the other side is Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

I think this is the third time I've seen the Rio Grande this summer. Water flow has tapered down greatly here. It looks more like the "Rio Puddle."

From 1598 until 1882, El Paso served as an important stop along the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (“The Royal [King's] Road of the Interior Land). This was a "ruff" 1,600 mile  road from Mexico City to Sante Fe, NM.  (If you want to see photos of Sante Fe - check the blog archive "Views from the Highest State Capital in the U.S. - July 11th".)

Texas became a part of the United States in 1845, but saw the error of its way and proudly joined the Confederate States of America in March, 1861. With a few changes in the lyrics, the "Yellow Rose of Texas" became their marching song.

Once the Civil War was over and Texas once again became a part of the Union, El Paso’s population grew. It became known as the "Six Shooter Capital" of Texas.  Just across the border, Ciudad Juárez has a high violent crime rate. Yet, El Paso (with a liberal gun law) has a low violent crime rate (Honolulu is about the only U.S. town where you could be safer.)  Go figure!  

Well, that's it for El Paso . . .  Next stop is San Antonio, Tx.