Parked at the Horse Race Track

We left Van Horn, Texas early and filled up with diesel at the local Chevron.  We were pretty excited about the $2.59 per gallon price--the lowest we have ever found. We had heard that the winds in the desert can make driving Interstate 10 treacherous in a motorhome, so we left early to beat the afternoon winds.  We are glad to report the winds never kicked up, and we had a smooth trip to our destination in El Paso.  Two different RVers had recommended an interesting place to stay while we were visiting here.  So we pulled into our new home alongside a horse race track.

This picture shows the entry gate of our parking lot, and you can also see one of the roller coasters of the amusement park across the street.  At the very top of the mountain that is framed by the entry way is a 30 foot cross sculpture.  That is Mount Christo Rey, and we hope to be hiking there before we leave.

Our main reason for coming to the city was to get several things fixed on the motorhome.  The motor on our automatic steps quit on the day we took our driving tests over a month ago.  Mark took apart our television antenna to make some temporary fixes, but it needed to be replaced.  Our residential refrigerator has a recall that needs to be done.  We have a warranty that should cover all of that, but it has to be done by a certified repairman that doesn't mind the extra paperwork of dealing with a warranty company.  We found Double T RV Repair in El Paso and had made an appointment with them.  They arrived Monday afternoon.  So this was Denisa's view from her perch at the computer inside the motorhome.

The repairman was getting information about the parts that needed to be ordered, while the race crew was setting up for the Monday afternoon horse races.  Our parking place was just ten yards from the race track, and Denisa snapped this picture just as the horses were off to the races.

After meeting some of our neighbors and giving away more tomatoes, we took advantage of the cooler temperatures and headed out on a hike in the Franklin Mountains State Park. Within the city limits of El Paso is the largest urban state park in the country.  The city curls around the Franklin Mountains, so there is mountain hiking available from all sides of town. It was good to be hiking again!  There were some wildflowers, but Denisa was more impressed with the cactus flowers today. The blooms are so bright that they look like fake plastic flowers.

This cactus was especially interesting with its pineapple-shaped blooms.  It was also naturally decorated with pink streamers that looked like grosgrain ribbon.  Such an interesting cactus!

It was hard to believe that we were in the middle of the city when hiking in the mountains.  When we finally got to the top, we could finally get a view of the metropolitan area around us.

But Denisa's favorite view of the day includes her favorite two things--Mark and flowers!

After the hike, we went back to our home at the race track, with the setting sun lighting up the mountains in our back yard.

So far, we sure like living in El Paso!