Thursday 2/1
A colorful sunrise on the desert. A hint of a chill. Daylight comes fast here. I took a shower last night! This is a nice little CG. If there was something to do I would of stayed awhile. The border is about 1/2 mile away. No hikes, no historical other than right here. So Guadeloupe NP tonight.
It’s about 70 miles to El Paso then another 90 or so to the park. Plenty of time to meander. Or maybe that’s, dilly-dally as there is only one road, NM9. Lot of tire draggers. I pull over to take care of some business this morning and before I got from Bill into the schooner I had one stop. I asked him politely if it was okay, he said sure, he had just seen me pull over. Safest road in America. I noticed after I had taken care of my business that he was parked two gully’s down the road tho. It raises my rebel blood this whole massive border check bullshit. But these guys don’t set policy. I understand the tire dragging, the 4-wheeling, the 4×4 patrols but these roadside…no, road stops irk me. But I’m calm.
El Paso, wow, big town and getting ready to get a whole lot bigger if the interstate ramps and crossovers are any indications. Fueled up and got 13.5 mpg, hmmm, I wonder if this loose hose had effected my mileage? We’ll see. If I got 11.5 before I was happy! But that was mountains, this is desert, we’ll see. Head out of El Paso looking for a place to lunch. Huerco Tanks 7 miles. Tanks are natural depressions where water gathers. Let’s do it. Get to my first Texas SP. Opt for the $70 year pass. It was $7 for day use. So I can stop at any SP I want, I like this. Anyways, I just want to eat lunch, maybe take a walk then get to Guadalupe NP, oh wait, the veteran being pulled by a dog team. 20-30 miles outside El Paso in the middle nowhere, I had just thought to myself I haven’t seen any touring bicycles on this road when I see one, way up on the left, coming at me. I slow Bill down even more and holy doodle it’s a thin grizzly looking oldster sitting in, a wheelchair I thought, but was a buggy with a chair and a canopy being pulled by two Malmutes!! WITW? Of course missed the picture! Damn, you don’t see that everyday.
So lunch. I pull in, go in and talk to Hector, who tells me I will have to watch a 20 minute video BEFORE I can use the picnic area for lunch. Requirement to enter the park. Really? Just to eat lunch? Yep. Again not a policy maker so I go to the next building down and Ramon sits me down and turns on the 40”. Ramon, is the CC on this thing working? Ramon thinks I’m kidding. No Ramon, what do you do for the hearing impaired? He’s going to follow up on that! So a nice film about the park, why it is required? Que sabe? So now I’m off to lunch….no picnic tables. So I end up eating in the schooner, in the parking lot! Oh well.
This road US62/180, runs NE to the park, Really a three lane road. The passing lane alternates from one direction to the other. Interesting and before I know it Guadalupe NP. A bit nippy, 5800’ . Tomorrow Big Bend State Park, right on the border.
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