H-91 El Paso L H 69 L 55 RAIN H H 70 L 57 M H 76 L 58 RAIN
L-72 C H 95 L 75
Bear update: The Bear says General Bearus Says We Must Get The Money. TR says, “Whoever has the most money will control the pirates.” Moose say, “You can’t control anything, Bear!” Lou says we will have a Money Grabbing Party. We will serve All The Most Expensive Foods.
We woke up to sun. Will it last? It lasted, and the temperature in El Paso climbed to 91.
Tucson 96/73 Brooklyn 81/69
We woke up at 7:30AM. We got dressed and took the pets for a walk. We went to McDonalds for breakfast. We checked out of room 45 at 10:41 CT. We got back on I-10 going W. Almost immediately we entered the mountain time zone. Our 1st pit stop was at exit 107 Sierra Blanca. We got gas at the Exxon/Subway and used the ATM. The man standing next to me waited for my money to come out of the machine to get the rest of his torn receipt. I told him he was lucky I came along. I saw a cat on the windshield of a lady’s car. She was getting gas. I snapped a photo. The 2nd pit stop was at exit 72 Fort Hancock at a Shell mini mart. The competition for bathrooms at these small places is severe. I had to use the men’s room. At Sierra Blanca Gary didn’t get to go at all. At least I found plastic bowls! The 3rd pit stop was at the rest area at Fabens exit 49. The dog didn’t like it. He balked when he got out of the car when we tried to drag him into the dirt lot. There was no grass. He’s gotten spoiled. The 4th pit stop was at exit 28b McDonalds for lunch in El Paso. We had salads for the first time in awhile. The 5th pit stop was at exit 13 Petsmart at the Sunland Park Mall. It was the same place I got the Petsmart card I now use back on June 17, the day we drove from Las Cruces to Van Horn. We got back on I-10 only for 2 more miles to exit 11. That was La Quinta Bartlett. We checked into room 114 on the ground floor across from the motel laundry. We’re now on mountain time. We have to wait longer to go to dinner. We walked across the parking lot to Chilis. We brought chicken crispers back to the dog and cat. Then we took them for a walk. We met other dogs. This was the last day I had to drive somewhere I didn’t like. Tomorrow we’re back in familiar territory.
The Haunted Pool At The America’s Best Value Inn Van Horn, TX 8/25/12
When we pulled in my husband said, “I see somebody in the pool.” We looked, and nobody was there. The pool has a CLOSED sign. It was closed the last time we were here in June. It’s closed now. Last time we thought we saw people milling around the pool in the dark right before we went to bed. My son looked up the history of the town. Apparently some years ago the mayor of Van Horn was trying to get British Airways to locate a hub in Van Horn for the Concorde. BA didn’t go for it. Van Horn remained a place where tourists come through town on I-10. That’s all. There’s nothing much to it. It looks almost like a ghost town with a population of only 2500 with only one main street and a few houses two streets down from it. The motel had only one other couple staying at it last night along with our group of three. This was the place where we went to breakfast on June 18 only to find the place locked up and no one there.
No wonder we thought we heard somebody at the CLOSED pool. No wonder my husband thought he saw somebody swimming there. It’s an eerie place in the West Texas Mountains.
Postcard:
We drove from Van Horn to El Paso. It was the last long drive through Texas. We’ll be out of Texas tomorrow. We’re only 11 miles away from New Mexico. It’s 316 miles to Tucson (509 km).
Dog/Cat Report:
Sabaka didn’t like the rest area today. Gary tried to pull him towards the dirt at Fabens exit 49. He balked. He’s gotten used to grass. He gobbled down the chicken crispers from Chilis.
The cat also ate chicken crispers from Chilis. He’s not to be outdone.
I’m glad we’re not in Florida. No Hurricane Isaac here.
During the past year we’ve spent 98 days in motel rooms. That includes the trip last September, the one in May, and everything since June 15 through and including August 25.
One month ago today we boarded the QM2 in Hamburg to sail back to Brooklyn.
Still no contract . . .
What next?
Saturday, August 25, ’12 (The last time you were in El Paso was June 17)
1)McDonalds Van Horn breakfast Bear Cash $21.93
2)Sierra Blanca Exxon gas cash $25.00
3)Dan’s Shell Fort Hancock bowls Bear Cash $4.75
4)McDonalds El Paso lunch Bear Cash $27.64
5)Petsmart El Paso Sunland Park Mall Bear Cash $60.91
6)La Quinta Bartlett El Paso cash $85.47
7)Chili’s El Paso dinner Bear Cash $69.82
8)laundry $3.75
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TOT: $299.27