We are heading to the Lone Star state at the end of the month ... flying into El Paso renting a 4wd and off to the Big Bend area for 6 days. Anything this Carolina transplant (southern by economics) shouldn't miss???
Location: Parker County, TX and Santa Fe County, NM
Posts: 1,955
Re: Texas
Lunch at La Posta de Mesilla. great restaurant in a 16 or 17th-century Spanish adobe post office. In Old Mesilla village, south of Las Cruces New Mexico. Not far from El Paso.
Walk across the Rio Grande bridge to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Good restaurants, great market.
Wheeling - try the Franklin Mountains nearby and Hueco Tanks state park. Not sure how much wheeling you can do in the park but it's a neat place to camp. Guadalupe Mountains Nat'l. Park is very cool also.
Haven't been back to El Paso del Norte in several years. Maybe some locals can chip in
Thanks ... flyin' into El Paso and renting a 4wd and heading out, have a coupla' night reserved in Big Bend ... too far to drive the FJ this trip, plans to drive to the left coast and back in june and play along the way ...
I did 2 years in El Paso during med school. That was about 10 years ago so alot can change in that time. Take what I have to say with a grain of salt.
Go to Hueco Tanks outside of El Paso and camp one night if you can. That is all you will need to see it, but it is a really neat site. It is a huge granite outcrop that you can climb. It is called Hueco Tanks because it has weathered and there are lots of depressions that water collects in. American Indians used it as a watering hole and there are petroglyphs there if I recall correctly.
La Posta is a good restaurant in Old Mesilla outside of Las Cruces, but it is in the opposite direction of Big Bend. If you are heading to California, it is on your way. Old Mesilla has alot of shops that the missus might enjoy. At one time, I heard that La Posta had closed, but the Double Eagle in Old Mesilla gets more stars than La Posta did in the gourmet rankings (FWIW, I still liked La Posta better. If it is still there, they have big aquariums with Pirrhanas in them, and indoor cage with birds, and parrots in smaller cages throughout the restaurant).
Trans Mountain Highway through the Franklin Mountains is pretty neat. Not sure of many places to go wheeling, but you mentioned not having the FJ so it may not matter. The highway cuts through several areas where you can stop and collect some stones. The rock there is green and white striped marbel with small garnet crystals imbedded in the rock. Taking the highway through the mountains might take an hour depending on how long you spend rock hounding. It basically takes you from East to West sides of El Paso, depending on which side you start from. The airport is on the East side.
The last time I was in El Paso, Juarez was dangerous. It is huge, something like 1.5 million people, not like most of the other border towns in Texas where you can easily walk across the bridge and see everything you need to see within site of the border. It was dangerous then due to drug wars. Don't know how dangerous it is now though. If you have experience in border towns, you might try it. If you have no experience in border towns, save the excursion for a smaller place like Nuevo Laredo or Ciudad Acuna. Just my 2 cents. I have been to every border town in Texas and Juarez was my least favorite.
If you are headed west, you might take an hour or so jog off the interstate and out of Las Cruces to White Sands. Pretty neat place that everyone ought to see once.
Marfa is out in that area. Google Marfa lights and see what you think. There is a pretty nice roadside site for viewing that the state set up.
As far as Big Bend, you might go to Lajitas to check it out. It is pretty much there for tourists, but at one time you could buy a beer for the town Mayor (a goat) and he would drink it. I don't know if that goat is still alive or not. Years ago, someone got mad that the goat got to drink a beer on Sunday (when you could not buy a beer) and castrated it. They charged a guy with the deed because the day before he told someone "that goat ought to be castrated".
The government travel website says to stay out of Juarez. I wouldn't go there myself.
I recently had an excellent meal at Fortis' Mexican Elder on Chelsea just south of I-10. I highly recommend it for Mexican. Cattleman's steakhouse in Fabens about 15 miles east of El Paso is an excellent place for beef. Absolute middle of nowhere, but worth the drive in my opinion.
As far as El Paso to Big Bend, make sure you take the drive from Presidio to Lajitas on in to Big Bend. It is called Camino del Rio. I have never done this, but have been told it is a very scenic trip and it is on my list of things to do. Big Bend is a pretty cool place. Drive, hike, do it all. I was there nearly 20 years ago and have been meaning to get back. The place is something like 800,000 acres. You should be able to keep busy.
From El Paso to Big Bend, Hueco Tanks (Nepheline Syenite, not a Granite) is a bit out of the way. If your want to see the Guadalupes(Hueco Tanks is on the way),they are really worth seeing, and the Guadalupes are only 40 miles from Carlsbad Caverns...if you do this side trip, eat a Lucy's resturant in Carlsbad..the best. If El Paso direct to Big Bend, you'll take i-10 east, and suggest 67 South at Marfa to Persideo, through the old mining area of Shafter, the BIG payoff is you get to 170 SE-the 'River Road'. Highway travels through spectacular senery along Rio Grande. You'll go through Lahitas, Terlingua and Study Butte before you get to the park. Once in the park, be sure to go back out to Terlingua for dinner one night, resturant name La Kiva(and buy a sticker for the FJ)....well worth the time. While in the park, tons to see, a few off road trails. Last time I was ther rangers advised all river crossings to Santa Elana and Boquillas were unauthorized as a result of boarder security, don't know current status. Plenty to see/do in park without risking a ticket or worse. On your way back to El Paso, north to either Marathon or Alpine, you can stop to see the Marfa lights if night time....really cool experience. From Marfa a slight detour north to Ft. Davis is worth the trip, a State Park, National Historic Site and University of Texas McDonald Observatory are there. Have fun, your visiting the best, most beautiful part of Texas. My favorite hikes in the park are up in the Basin down to the Window, the Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff (lost my wedding ring during a graduate field trip on that trail) and the Tuff Canyon trail. Wish I could go with you.
Thanks to all ... no FJ but hopefully Hertz will come up with the xterra or the like that they have promised, gotta love that "walk away" insurance ... we do these kinda trips often (lucky to be able to do so) no plans for mexico ... we have several nights booked in big bend but we typically use that as a "home base" and if we wind up too far to return we just stay wherever we wind up and return when we feel like it. I lived in oklahoma, worked in the oilfeild (mud logger) for a coupla years, worked some rigs in texas but never had a chance to explore, looking forward to it ...
Location: Parker County, TX and Santa Fe County, NM
Posts: 1,955
Re: Texas
Quote:
G&Ccruiser previously said:
I lived in oklahoma, worked in the oilfeild (mud logger) for a coupla years, worked some rigs in texas but never had a chance to explore, looking forward to it ...
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