We decided to sleep in this morning, since our sleep was disrupted last night with us trying to adjust our air conditioning to the comfortable temperature, then switching to the fan mode, and then back again to the air conditioning. Nights can get rather hot in Texas! When we woke up the sun was up and the cloudless sky signaled us that this was going to be another hot day.
Although the I-10 is one of the major thoroughfares that go through Texas, there are many sections of the highway where you hardly see any cars going either directions. Today I drove a total of 70 miles. I am still getting used the 23 feet long RV. I actually combined my driving with practice of yoga and meditation. Be mindful, pay attention to your breathing, and focus. Relaxing, however, is one thing I still find it difficult to do when I am driving. J.J., on the other hand, is very relaxed when he drives. He doesn't miss anything including rabbits and deer that are standing by the roadside. For me, I am too busy focusing on the road. At the end of my driving today, I found the knuckles on my fingers all tense and white.
Our lunch stop was a Mexican Sports Bar/Restaurant whose claim to fame was that John Madden wrote about the place in his book.
The interior had an interesting ambiance, but our choice of food was not the best.
J.J. needed a rest after my driving. Here is an interesting picnic area in Texas as we approached New Mexico!
El Paso (The Pass) is the 19th most populated city in the United States with 674,433 based on the last U.S. census. It is a border town city with Mexico. Downtown El Paso is challenging place to drive with confusing road directions for motorists who are unfamiliar with the city.
The very first time we visited the University of El Paso, we were awed by the architecture which the designer employed to resemble the Tibetan architectural design because the surrounding hills resembles the mountain of Tibet.
Ray at the New Mexico visitor center gave me a pin to press onto the large map on the wall to indicate where visitors are coming from.
It is very dry and the temperature was over 90 degrees F. An outdoor fountain gave travelers a little respite from the heat.
The Rio Grande River flows from Southwestern part of Colorado through New Mexico then runs along the border between Texas and Mexico emptying into Gulf of Mexico.
Jerry welcomed us to the Low-High RV Ranch in Deming, NM where he works as a manager. When I asked about coyotes he told me just to watch out for roadrunners.
With Jerry's recommendation, we found the absolutely best Mexican food ever for dinner. El Rey's is a meat market and restaurant. Photographed are Luis and Jesus behind the meat freezer. Frank in front is one of the owners of the business.
Melissa, our waitress is showing us the sun-motif tortilla warmer.
The secret to finding an excellent restaurant in a tiny town with population of 14,793 which no one has heard of, ask the locals. Don't rely on an internet search engine.
Aloha -- Cathi