El Paso: A Week in Review

Sunday, 6 March 2016
Fort Bliss RV Park — El Paso, Texas
Temps: Hi 80F (27C) / Lo 59F (15C)

And a busy week it has been!  We stayed home on just two of the days since arriving in El Paso on the 28th of February — the 29th to do chores; and March 3 so that Mui could replace the Phaeton’s broken door handle … nice to have a working handle again and not fear being inadvertently locked out!  The remaining days we were out and about, exploring sights near and far to make the most of our short stay in El Paso … that was before we had to jiggle our plans and extend our stay due to high winds in the forecast for today.

February 28 … Our Wheels Roll to El Paso

After deciding to cut short our Balmorhea State Park stay (post here) due to forecasted high winds, we left the park bright and early for the 195-mile (312 km) drive to El Paso … mostly on I-10.  If there is a description to be applied to this stretch of the interstate, it would be “16-wheelers’ highway.”  I don’t think we saw anything but trucks until we got fairly close to El Paso and other vehicles started to join the traffic … and this was in addition to the long, long, long trains that chugged past us, carrying hundreds of cargo containers that would otherwise be on the backs of flatbeds wheeling down the road.

Thanks to our early departure, we arrived at the Fort Bliss RV Park early enough to grab one of the three available spots.  This is a fairly big campground with 133 very decently-spaced wide sites located outside the post.  They don’t take reservations, which was a bit stressful for us since we had our hearts set on staying here, but it did make extending for an additional week easier.

Our site — #124 is next to a picnic pavilion; so far no one has used it.

Once settled, we drove to Fort Bliss to get a quick bite to eat.  The Exchange area has the ambiance of a town square, with shops and restaurants lining both sides of the street — very different from other military installations we’ve been to thus far.  We ended up eating at the Texas Roadhouse … except for the number of people wandering around in uniform, it sure didn’t feel like we were at a restaurant on the post.

29 March … Chores and Errands

Nothing exciting about laundry and grocery shopping, so moving right along.

1 March … Blazing the Mission Trail

Several years ago, when Mui was on temporary duty with Customs and Border Patrol in El Paso, some of the agents he was working with took him to a ranch for lunch.  Since then, Mui’s been promising to take me there someday.  So, when the El Paso Guide suggested combining a meal at the restaurant on the ranch with sightseeing on the El Paso Mission Trail the plan for today was set.

The trail dates back to when the semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer Manso and Suma people occupied the area.  When the Spanish arrived, they brought with them the missionaries … their goal to convert the Indians.  To that end, they built several missions, the oldest of which was in El Paso del Norte … present day Ciudad Juárez.  We didn’t cross the border to visit that mission, focusing on the ones on our side of the border instead.

First was the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.  This is a federally-recognized Native American tribe and sovereign nation that was established by the Tigua in 1682.  The original mission was damaged by Rio Grande floods at least three times, and the current building from the 1850s, also saw damage — this time from a fire in 1907.  In each instance, the people persevered, repairing the building to serve their community.

Le Misión de Corpus Christi de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur

Unfortunately for us, the mission church is undergoing restoration inside, so I had to make do with just an exterior shot or two.  But I did get to see some murals — first here at the mission complex, and later at the Corn Village of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo a little ways down the trail.

Part of a mural at the mission complex.	Central mural at the Corn Village.

A surprise find en route are the Tile murals that decorate all four of the
on- and off-ramps where the mission trail intersects the highway.

From here we continued onto the next mission — La Purisima in Socorro.  The area was named by the Piro Indian and Spanish refugees for the homeland they left behind in New Mexico during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.  The first permanent church was built in 1691, but like the one in Ysleta, it fell to Rio Grande floods.

Behind the mission church, which is said to be the third and last one to be constructed by European colonists alongside Christianized Piro and Tigua Indians, is an outdoor prayer chapel.

With the church open to visitation, we take a peek inside.

Legend has it that in 1838 the statue of San Miguel Arcángel (Archangel Michael) [right] was
being transported from a church in Mexico to one in New Mexico.  The oxen cart got bogged
down in mud, and no matter what was done to free it, the cart remained mired.  Thus the people
took it as a sign that San Miguel wanted the shrine to be built in Socorro in his honor.

The cemetery was established in 1846.  The B&W treatment hides the state of
disrepair, and allows the color of the flowers — mostly silk ones — to pop.

Continuing down the road, we arrived at the small town of San Elizario.  The church here is not really a mission, but a small presidio chapel built when San Eli was founded as a military post to protect Spain’s newly colonized region.  It was intended as a place of worship for the soldiers stationed at the presidio, and thus was named after “San Elceario,” the patron saint of the military.

The original chapel, built in 1770, was destroyed by the Rio Grande’s infamous
flood of 1829.  The current church, built in 1877, replaced the second church
constructed on the site after it became too small to serve the congregation.

The chapel has angelic murals, a lovely tin ceiling, and exquisite stained class windows.

The town has a historic trail that one can walk to see historic adobe buildings, including the Old El Paso County Jail.  Then there is Los Portales — an old family residence turned schoolhouse turned museum … small, but well done exhibits about the history of the area.  Across the street from the chapel is a town square where one can take a load off — especially nice when the trees leaf out and provide shade I imagine.  And last, but certainly not least for mural lovers … public art can be found in nooks and crannies.

Legend has it that William H Bonney — better known as Billy the Kid — broke
into the Old El Paso County Jail to free the only man to ever escape from here.

A quiet town square sits across the street from the Presidio Chapel of San Elceario.

From San Elizario, we moved on to the final stop of our day’s adventure —the Indian Cliffs Ranch … a working ranch in a lovely scenic setting that has been the scene of TV shows and movies — such as Courage Under Fire and The Day After Tomorrow.  The property is also home to the Cattleman’s Steakhouse.  Those who are dining at the restaurant are welcome to wander around the property and meet some of the animals — including the ones sculpted out of bronze.  And that’s exactly what we did on arrival.

Bronze animals that welcome us to the ranch …

… lead us to live animals that are raised on the ranch.
Top row: young llama suckling from mama.
Middle Row: Ostrich and Bison.
Bottom Row: Goat Kids.

At 6:00p our name was called over the P/A system that broadcasts across the ranch.  Our table was ready.  So, I reluctantly left the animals behind and followed Mui to the restaurant.  I’ll admit that I am not much of a beef-eater … in fact, if I am going to eat meat, it needs to be cooked until there is a no pinkness — ‘killed’ by most people’s standards.  There were K-bobs on the menu — shrimp skewers with a side of two small pieces of steak — so I didn’t go hungry.  Mui said the top sirloin he ordered was perfection.

The ranch gets its name from the Indian Cliffs nearby.  These cliffs are said to glow when the rays of the setting sun wash over them.  Not today, I’m afraid.  But we did have a gorgeous sunset anyway with the sky turning into an artist’s palate of colors.

A colorful sunset wraps up our day.

This was one terrific day that was thoroughly satisfying to both of us … and I don’t just mean the food.

[For more photos from this day, click here for my online gallery.]

2 March … A Hop Over to New Mexico and Stepping Back in History

One of the other things Mui had enjoyed in El Paso when he was seconded to the CBP for a few weeks was a trip to La Mesilla.  This small town in New Mexico is described as the “epitome of small town charm at its finest.”  I’m afraid I am going to have to disagree.  It might have been charming under different circumstances, but it was nearly dead as a doornail today … even the church was locked up tight.  If we were shoppers, we might have had some fun … but we aren’t, so we didn’t.  So, we wandered around a bit, had lunch, and then high-tailed back to El Paso.  Looking back on the trip, we decided that perhaps the reason Mui had enjoyed Mesilla so much the first time was because stopping there in the middle of a workday to have lunch probably felt a bit like playing hooky.

We take the scenic TransMountain Road over the Franklin Mountains to go to La Mesilla.

Left: La Mesilla Town Square and San Albino Basilica.  The “M” and the “54” painted on the Band-
stand commemorate the signing of the Gadsden Purchase, the last major territorial acquisition
within the contiguous U.S. in 1854.  Prior to that, La Mesilla was a Mexican holding.

Right: Josefina’s Old Gate is one of the most popular photo ops in La Mesilla.  Wish I could
say that the food at the restaurant hidden behind the gate held a candle to the photo op.

But the day was not a bust entirely.  On the way back to the campground, we stopped to visit two museums in El Paso — or rather, we each visited a different museum.  Mui went to the National Border Patrol Museum.  With his background working for Homeland Security, he enjoyed it and said it was well done.  But he didn’t take any photos for me to share with you.  Instead, here are two photos from the nature trail at the museum I visited.

Early Bloomer	Mexican Golden Poppies

I went next door to the Museum of Archaeology (EPMA), which I enjoyed tremendously.  This is not a big museum, but it has two galleries filled with exhibits.  In one are dioramas about the native peoples of the region, and a wall exhibit documenting the “Settlement Legacy: Native Americans of the Pass of the North.”  This exhibit tells the story of the foundation of today’s El Paso/Ciudad Juárez region, originating with the Manso, Suma, Piro, and Tigua Indians.

Diorama of the Olla Cliff Dwelling, a Casas Grandes pueblo in the Sierra Madres in Mexico.

In the second gallery I found artifacts from the many different cultures of the American Southwest and Mexico.  There were baskets, ceramics, wood carvings, tools, textiles, and much more.  One of the things I really enjoyed was a series of graphics depicting the Pueblo Ideology of the Mimbres Twins as representations of the Mesoamerican creation saga.

Top Left: Kiaha (Burden Basket); Tohono O’odham
Top Right: Frog Effigy Bowl

Bottom left: Silver, Turquoise, and Bear Claw Necklace; Navajo
Bottom Center: Human Effigy Vessel
Bottom Right: Woven Pine Needle Pendant

The first two of a series of graphics depicting the Mesoamerican creation saga.
Click the first image to see the icons in sequence and read the story captured in the captions.

This small, but really fun museum ‘saved the day’ after our disappointing visit to Mesilla.  Mui joined me here and had time to wander through the exhibits as well, so he really got a two-fer on museums today.

[To see more photos from today, click here for my online gallery.]

3 March … Replacing the Door Handle

No photos … I didn’t want to distract Mui from the work at hand.  Suffice it to say that he had to tape down the bolt lock, remove the cover panel on the inside of the door to get to the handle and lock mechanisms; pop out the old handle; pop in the new handle; replace the cover panel.  Everything working A-OK again.

4 March … You Want Murals?  I Got Murals

After spending the morning jiggling our plans due to the wind forecast for our departure day, we headed into downtown El Paso to check out something that is near and dear to my heart — murals.  Our destination was the Segundo Barrio [Second Ward] Mural Trail.

This 26 by 22 foot (8x7 m) mural features two Aztec gods that represent La Leyenda de los
Volcanes [the legend of the volcanoes], which is a Nahua myth of the gods who fell in love and
were punished for visiting earth.  In the Nahuatl tongue she is called Iztaccíhuatl, meaning
“the woman of snow or sleeping woman;” and Popocatépetl means “the smoking mountain.”

The Second Ward has a distinctly south-of-the-border vibe … from the Mexican music blaring out of loudspeakers, to people smiling and calling out greetings of ¡Hola! and ¿Cómo estás? as we walked by … we definitely felt like we had crossed the border to visit our southern neighbors.

El Chuco y Qué [El Paso So What?] (1991): “El Chuco” is local slang for the city of El Paso.
This mural reflects how the world generally views the entire state of Texas as cowboy
country, and that this stereotype does not represent the city of El Paso.  Muralist Carlos
Callejo states: “We are much more than just cowboys — we are a unique blend of cultures.”

The brochure I had picked up at the visitor center described the murals I was seeking as “masterfully illustrated murals that embrace the neighborhood’s Chicano cultural ties, displaying the artistic talent that is evident among its people.”  Apt description I would say.  That the people take pride in these public works of art is evident in that they were all in quite good shape … some even recently restored.

Sections of a continuous mural that covers all the walls of a single building.  The section on
the right replicates a photo taken of a Chicano boy playing with a toy truck in a sandbox.

It took us over two hours to prowl the hot streets of Barrio Segundo and find the murals in the brochure — what a great treasure hunt.  And our reward at the end of it was a late lunch at Tabla, a tapas restaurant recommended to us by Marjie and Bill, friends who used to live in El Paso.  We shared several small dishes, including yummy bacon-wrapped dates, papas bravas [spicy potatoes], and prawns with rice.  The chocolate mousse cake that we wrapped up our meal with was topped with poached pear, and served with vanilla ice cream drizzled with a red wine reduction … oh my, was it ever so good!

[To see more of the murals, click here for my online gallery.]

5 March … Fort Bliss Museums

We decided to hide out at Fort Bliss today and check out the two museums on the post instead of joining the weekend crowds in El Paso and the nearby state parks. I don’t think I mentioned before that this Army installation is the second largest in the US, so there is plenty of space in which to lose yourself ;-)  (The largest installation, by the way, is the adjacent White Sands Missile Range.)

Our first stop was at Old Fort Bliss — a replica of the post as it appeared between 1854-1868.  Turns out that not only is this a cultural center and not a museum per se, but it was closed — no explanatory signage, so I don’t know whether permanently or for the season.

So, we moved on to check out the Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museums.  At first we thought we had struck out.  There was construction out front and the museum gave every appearance of being closed.  But when we walked up to the door, it miraculously opened to let us in ;-)

A Miniature model representing the Axis Surrender of Italy in 1945.  The unconditional
surrender of the German troops ended the bitterly fought Italian Campaign of WWII.

Left: Diorama showing an M16A1 Halftrack at the Bridge at Remagen and a historic photo of the men whose story is recounted here in part.  On 7 March 1945, American troops seized the Ludendorff bridge over the Rhine.  German troop attempts to destroy it had failed.  The Americans rapidly concentrated antiaircraft units to defend the bridgehead.  It was one of the most intensive tactical grouping of antiaircraft weapons in the European theater during the course of the war.  Despite later attempts by the enemy to destroy the bridge, it was never hit, but it collapsed on 17 March.  By that time, however, the US troops were east of the Rhine.

Left: The signing of the Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri ended the war in the Pacific Theater.  This photo always reminds me of our visit to that grand dame of the US Navy when she was moored in Bremerton, Washington.  A plaque on the deck marks the spot of the surrender.

Right: Victory in the WWII European Theater of War.

I’d have to describe this museum as a work-in-progress.  This was borne out by the young man at the front desk who told us that once the exterior construction work is completed, they are going to work on the interior and the exhibits.  That’s not to say that there isn’t plenty to see here … but this museum is probably best appreciated by those who have an interest in military history and the artifacts that go along with it.

[More photos from our Fort Bliss museum visits are in this online gallery.]

Back to Today … Bridging the Divide and Defining the Course

When we left the Phaeton today, we had an entirely different destination in mind.  But the GPS wasn’t cooperating and the Google Maps app on the iPhone was doing no better … so we got lost.  Turned out to be a good thing as we ended up going to Chamizal National Memorial instead.

I have to admit that the reason I told Mui to take the exit for Chamizal was because I caught a tiny glimpse of color that could only be a mural.  And I was right, but this ‘peace park’ turned out to be so much more that I categorize it as a gem.

The American and Mexican Heritage panels of the Carlos Flores Mural …
Nuestra Herencia (Our Heritage).

This panel of Nuestra Herencia shows the blending of cultures between the US and Mexico.  The panel on the far right depicts the Spanish and their impact on the Southwestern cultures.

We knew nothing about Chamizal before today … had no idea of how it improved relations with our neighbor to the south through cooperation and dialogue … and how, as a result, “immediate and long-term consequences emerged that would be felt for generations to come.”  The gist of the story is that after the Rio Grande was designated the border between the two countries in 1848, the river continued to meander.  It was essentially a flowing border that flooded and retreated, and never remained the same.  As the Rio Grande changed, so did maps … not to mention lives.  Central in this was a piece of land known as Chamizal.  With one meander of the river is was on the Mexican side of the border; with the next meander it was on the US side of the border.  Thus began the dispute … until finally, in 1964, with mutual cooperation, the river was shifted into a man-made canal, paid for jointly by the two countries.

Having fun adding ourselves to historic photos.

Left: Hands across the border – Presidents marking the formal transfer of lands.
Right: Aerial image showing the west section of Chamizal and the relocated Rio Grande.

The bottom left image is from the 1940s; it shows the fence posts on Paisano Drive that surrounded Chamizal (Cordova Island).  The photo on the left is some of the remaining posts from that time; in the distance is the exit one would take off Paisano Drive to cross into Mexico.

Noticing my interest in the Nuestra Herencia mural earlier, the ranger on duty stopped us as we were leaving the visitor center and asked if we’d like to see more paintings by the same artist.  The special exhibit was closed, but “I will be happy to unlock the door,” she offered.  How nice … and that’s how we got to wander around Carlos Flores’ La Revolución exhibit.

Refugiados [Refugees]

La Siesta [The Nap]

The unexpected twists and turns of life — in this case a day of sightseeing — often yield unexpected pleasures.  Today was one such day … even if it was windy.  Yes, the forecasted high winds did arrive — good thing we changed our plans to leave as it would not have been a pleasant day for driving the Phaeton.

[For more photos from today’s outing, click here for my online gallery.]

What does next week hold in store for us?  We have to wait and see, but we have a lot planned.

© 2004-2016 Two to Travel's Phaeton Journeys.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED by ERIN ERKUN.