Amarillo to El Paso

Bridge over the Pecos River, New Mexico

We have finally arrived in El Paso. We were not able to secure accommodations on Base this time, so we are staying at a hotel near the airport, about 2-3 miles from Jes and Di. As usual when we are in El Paso, the internet is “down” and so we are unable to post pictures and blog in the usual manner. So I'm just going to have to supply a narrative and drop pictures in whenever it is possible, at a later time.


We left Amarillo bright and early Tuesday morning, knowing we still had a pretty long day of driving ahead. We continued on I-40 across the remainder of the Texas panhandle ... and the flat barren land stretched on and on as far as my eye could see, all the way to the horizon, where dozens of tall straight wind turbines, their white blades rotating with hypnotic rhythm against the cloudless sky, seemed to go on forever. Graceful deer and antelope wandered among the horses and cows, all grazing together. We were listening to High Plains Public Radio almost all the way to the border, and then the sign said we were now in New Mexico, “The Land of Enchantment.” About a half hour before the border, the landscape suddenly changed and we were in the foothills of the table-topped, red-rocked mountains ... a welcomed transformation from the almost nothingness of the panhandle.

We drove through Tucumcari, “The Gateway to New Mexico,” Santa Rosa, Vaughn, Corona, and finally stopped in Carrizozo for lunch. We listened to our novel on CD for much of the drive yesterday and it helped to very pleasantly pass the time. There is railroad track right next to much of 54 all throughout New Mexico, so Mr. Jones had his eyes ready and waiting for any trains. This part of the country is so harsh in its beauty, and the mountains so foreign to me (I never get used to them!), I am quite satisfied to just ride along, camera in hand, and take it all in.

Finally, we were in El Paso! We checked into our hotel and called Jesse to meet us at the gate so that we could get proper papers for our van to be allowed on base. And then we went to the house, hugged and kissed and laughed with the little ones for a glorious little awhile, and then they got tucked in and we drove back to the hotel for the night. We've called the front desk of the hotel about being unable to connect to the internet and have been told they just have to “push a button and all will be well.” We were told this last night as well as this morning, so we'll have to see. Otherwise, we'll hook up to the internet over at

Di's this morning and I'll post this narrative as is, without pictures.

[These few pictures have been inserted Thursday morning ... the first time the internet has actually worked at our hotel]