December 1, 2013 El Paso, Texas

We had heard that Interstate 10 through west Texas could be boring and tedious so we were prepared to be bored as we drove from San Antonio to El Paso. 4-IMG_20131204_205559 I never knew Texas was so huge!  We found the drive anything but boring.  Once we were outside of the San Antonio city limits the traffic thinned out and we had little traffic to contend with the rest of the way, which is always nice.  Perhaps it is because the terrain is so new and different, but we were fascinated with the changing terrain and the time passed quickly.  So much open land and we were entertained with the 80 mph speed limit signs, 1-IMG_20131130_125631the windmills in the middle of oil fields, the oil derricks, and the breathtaking mesas and scenery around us. 5-IMG_20131201_173313 03-P1030246 At points along Interstate 10 the road had been but through towering cliffs of limestone.

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Mexico as it appears from the U.S. side

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Mexico

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Mexico

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a dried up Rio Grande River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a one night stopover in Fort Stockton, we arrived in El Paso for a one night stay.  We had originally planned to stay several nights, but the cold weather changed our plans.  We arrived early enough to get in some quick sightseeing before dark.  Since our campground was a quick 5 minute drive from the Mexican border, we decided to drive down to the border.  We drove along the tall fence and river separating the two countries and noticed the border patrol vehicles.  We could see through the fence into Mexico with many many small houses crammed very close together dotting the hillsides.   We rode along a dried up Rio Grande River.  There was a very long line of cars on both sides of the border waiting to get into or out of the United States.  It wasn’t a surprise since it was the end of a holiday weekend.  We grabbed a quick geocache near the El Paso airport before heading home.