Tripometer – 13,385 mi
Gas Gauge – 1002.257 gal
Location – El Paso West RV Park, Anthony, NM
Lodging – $40
Cans of OFF – 4
We learned more about our RV park neighbors this morning, they have 6 miniature dachshunds in their trailer with them. This couple is on their way to being legendary on this trip. This little RV park didn’t get any more attractive in the daylight. We’re not in a very affluent area and this RV park reflects the state of the surrounding community.
We typically don’t eat breakfast and a Mexican breakfast is almost unheard of on this trip, but the Mexican influence in this area is so strong we simply couldn’t resist trying a little local restaurant enthusiastically recommended by the employees at the RV park. Ernesto’s Mexican food served us the most flavorful breakfast that either of us have had in many months. Paul can’t say enough about the salsas used to make his breakfast burrito and Kelly’s huevos rancheros was phenomenal. We really enjoy patronizing local shops, even more so when the gamble pays off and we’re rewarded like we were this morning.
When Kelly finished work this afternoon we hopped in the car and drove to the little town of Mesilla, NM. Mesilla was one of the earliest towns in this area and was, at one time, the capital of the Confederate territory of Arizona. The town grew up around the intersection of two of the largest stage coach routes of the day, the Butterfield Stagecoach and the El Camino Real, at the time was known as ‘The crossroads of the southwest’. During its heyday this little town attracted visits from some of the biggest names of the old west such as Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and Pancho Villa. When the Santa Fe Railroad was being planned, the residents of Mesilla wanted too much money for the land rights. The Santa Fe chose a northern route through Las Cruces and the rest is history. Las Cruces became a very large town and Mesilla didn’t grow much beyond that point in history.
Today the Plaza de Mesilla is a lovely little arts community sporting several restaurants, landmarks, and enough shops to keep Kelly busy for hours. Paul and Ranger quickly located a corner café that served good beer and chips with salsa and Kelly hit the town. We had a lovely evening enjoying fantastic temperatures and a delicious sun. Some of the older structures in town displayed the original construction used in the area, the classic adobe building techniques. We were fascinated by the rafters in a couple of the old buildings. See the picture above. The crossed branches on top of the rafters hold the roofing over the interior, mostly terra cotta shingles.
Our shopping haul for the day included a new picture to hang in the trailer and a couple of jars of local salsa.