A day in Texas

On Monday, November 9, we entered New Mexico, still on I-10. We spent some time in Las Cruces. The city is nestled at the foot of the mountains and is quiet and lovely. It is named for the crosses that were put up after a massacre of a caravan by the Indians.

Unfortunately, we were there on Monday and most of the tourist attractions were closed.

So, after taking a brief stop to walk around, we got back on I-10 and before we knew it we were in Texas. We got lots of maps and information at the visitor center just across the border. We spent the rest of the day exploring a bit of El Paso. It was so interesting to realize that Mexico was just across the River. At dinner we asked the waiter if the lights we could see were in Ciudad Juarez. He said “Yes, and we like it because it makes El Paso seem so much bigger!”

On Tuesday, we decided it was time to head for Big Bend National Park. However, we got distracted by reading about all the little towns along TX 90 which goes south toward the park. They all sounded delightful, so we decided to spend the day in Alpine. It is named because it reminded the early settlers of the Swiss Alps. I think that is a bit exaggerated, but it was another lovely, quiet, southwestern town. They have a large state university built up on the hill. All the buildings are made of brick in a lovely shade of pink. We did part of the city walking tour and the driving tour and looked at all the old buildings. Quite a few of them feature brightly painted murals depicting scenes from movies that were shot in the area and other historic events. We searched for a Mexican restaurant, La Casita, that was recommended. We found it in a converted adobe home nestled in a residential part of town.