Day 43- 8/27/2004 - Next stop, Guadalupe Peak

Although it was tough saying goodbye to such an old friend as Craig, it was time to move on.  He and Linda showed us such gracious hospitality, I can't begin to thank them enough.  Hunter and I have been on the road for quite some time, and it was very refreshing to spend time with friends!

We drove down through Tucson and headed west toward El Paso.  On the way, we passed a number of interesting sights.  We saw a Ghost Town just into New Mexico.  The town (Steins) had been a stop on the railroad long ago where the engines would stop for water.  With the advent of diesel, they did not need to stop every 30-40 miles, and the town died in the 50's.  No long after that, most of the building burned.

Another sight from the road was "The Thing".  We were keyed onto this from billboards for miles.  When we finally reached the exit, our curiosity was piqued.  We pulled up to a Stuckeys-like gift shop and snack bar, and wandered inside.  A door at the back of the shops indicated, "This way to The Thing".  For $1.00 a person, you can't go wrong.  We paid our money and entered the inner sanctum and being told that "The Thing" will be in the third building and to "follow the bigfoot footprints" that were painted on the sidewalk.  The first warehouse had a combination of old cars and a scene of multiple torture events that were carved out of wood.  The second building was filled with ancient firearms and mysterious wood carvings that resembled snakes.  In the third building we found "The Thing", along with more torture victims and more weird snake carvings.  The Thing is apparently a mummy (date, origin, and means of acquisition unknown and/or not discussed) with a child.  Without being able to examine it closely, it was hard to tell if it was a fake of not.  Given the arid conditions I suppose it is possible to have "found" it.  I guess with no major cities, activities, or even rain, you need to find something to do.   

We headed through New Mexico and into Texas.  Upon reaching El Paso, we were treated to a clear view of the poverty of Mexico (Juarez) across the border.  It's hard to imagine the squalor that could exist so close to the US, but there it is - every day.  It makes you think about the way with live.  We as a country have immense wealth that could make a difference.  You see the hovels with their antennas rising upward as if trying to grasp some degree of hope from the fantasy of television.  You realize just how little money it would take to forever eliminate this scene.  We really should build a higher wall!

Into the dark toward the Guadalupe Mountains, we reached the campground and with the help of some young ladies wandering around in the dark, we were able to find a vacant campsite.  A quick night's sleep and we will get up early to start the climb up 2950 ft to the top of Texas.