el.paso 9/17 - 10/3

El Paso - Killing Time
Looking out over El Paso from Transmountain Drive - Franklin Mountains State Park. There's not much to be said about El Paso, a sprawling city, lacking in charm, and dominated on the east side of Franklin Mountain by sprawling Fort Bliss.
Fort Bliss occupies a big part of El Paso. Looking down the mountain side towards the city, we see remnants of a firing range.
The city looks surreal at night - another view from Franklin Mountain.
Just west of El Paso is Las Cruzes, New Mexico. This giant sculpture of a road runner, made from scrap iron, along hwy. I-10.
Here's another view with people in the foreground to give a sense of scale.
Italian restaurant near the camp ground we stayed at on Fort Bliss. The decore was better than the food - thousands of Chianti bottles.
We had a much better meal on the western fringe of El Paso - actually just across the border in Las Cruces, NM —- a great steak dinner. On the last night of the trip, we had our best meal.
The Tigua Indians have a very small "reservation" in El Paso. We visited it and saw some nice pottery shown in a subsequent set of slides.
The old Ysleta Mission was just down the street from the Tigua museum.
Brother Gene in the mission church.
A window in the mission church.
Immediately across the border was the huge X, part of what is said to be a huge "Mexico" sign. The border "wall" (fence) is visible on the other side of the chain link fence.
THE "WALL" Running along a side street is the fence separating El Paso from Mexico.
A bridge crossing into Mexico. We did not cross because it takes an average of four hours to get back into the States. And, traveling in an RV could have complicated things even more.
A close-up: A chain link fence and canal carries irrigation water from the Rio Grande River. On the other side of the canal is the border fence.