We woke early on our second day of travel with a goal of attending worship in El Paso, which was still another 3 hours away. And we were making very good time, until Sam needed a bathroom break, just one exit from where we ended up getting breakfast. The first stop worked for a bathroom, but was high priced gas and not much of a place for a bathroom...we did get a good double rainbow, but I think they were pointing at the next exit. At the next exit, we found a Wendy's and had a good breakfast, but I told the boys our window for the church service was growing small, and we had to keep moving. And then, just a little past this exit, we crossed an imaginary line where our apple phones gave us an extra hour. I guess I just assumed the whole state was central time zone, but apparently not in this little corner of Texas.
So we laughed as we now had a full hour before worship, so what should we do. Let's knock out the scenic drive lookout before church, which seemed a good idea until we arrived at the scenic drive lookout...which was closed to vehicles, and you had to walk up to the lookouts. The lookout looked amazing from the google pictures, but no way could we walk that far, with a worship window that was slowly closing yet again.
Google searches indicated the following: "Known as the best view of the city accessible by car, Scenic Drive wows visitors every time. The winding road skirts around the east side of the mountain offering up some of the most stunning views of the city. The road is cut along the edge of the mountains and traverses the southern tip of the Franklins. One side of the winding road is lined by beautiful stately homes while the other features fabulous views of El Paso and Juarez. Get the most out of your drive by pulling over at the small park and scenic overlook. To access Scenic Drive turn onto Rim Rd. from either Mesa St. or Alabama St."
Well Google, on a Sunday morning in July, you were WRONG, there is a big gate that will not allow vehicles! So me and the boys started treking up the mountain (at the high speeds caught below), and ended up just stopping at the first turn where we could see a large portion of Juarez Mexico, and the city of El Paso. It was neat, and not easily seen from the pictures below, but you could see a clear border and the wall at the edge of our country and Mexico. You could also see where people had created a sign for others to see on the mountain in Juarez reading "La Biblia es verdad, Leela." (The bible is truth, read it). But then, as our church service time padding began slipping away, we ran back to the car, put on some collared shirts and headed back to El Paso for church.
I think we saw about every corner of El Paso, as the Scenic Drive was on the West side of the city, and then we drove North, and back East to the church we attended, and after services going back through the city for a second time. The church service was really amazing, as the local group has a large hispanic number, and many of them that only spoke spanish. So the song service was led in English for one verse, then Spanish, and back and forth. Then the man doing the Lords Supper would provide some thoughts in English, then translate his own words for the spanish speakers. I met him later in the lobby, and he was from Florence Alabama (Chris Taylor) and had picked up fluent spanish while a missionary in Panama. He said their group (Montpoint) had 4 men that were fluent, and rotated each Sunday in that role of song leader or Lord's Supper lead. And as visitors, they gave us a Bundt Cake, yeah, can it get any better! The cake was so good.
After worship, we drove down to the original Rosa's Cantina, and Sam played the Marty Robbins classic as we pulled into the parking lot. And probably a super touristy attraction that will slowly die out with the old souls that force their kids to places like this, it was actually a really great mexican meal, and we all got a laugh out of the beer keg urinals. The menu had both Marty Robbins burgers and Felina tacos. What more can you ask for?
Sam took over driving after the New Mexico welcome center, which was clearly the worst state for welcome centers and rest areas in general. Sadly, we could not get any standard picture here. And the bathroom stall doors...what is up with half doors to a toilet? New Mexico is just failing all around here. I apparently missed the picture Davis took of the metal roadrunner of Las Cruces, as I also missed it while asleep in the back of the van. There was a hilarious moment when we came to a border crossing stop in New Mexico (I guess they do this at random places on the Interstate), and Davis seriously panicked and starting grabbing to find his wallet and ID. He just knew they would send him back to Mexico. Me and Sam laughed and told him all he had to do was start talking, and they would quickly learn he was from Alabama. And as I am looking at pictures below, I am realizing that poor welcome center was Arizona...and probably just this I10 one was lacking. If New Mexico is reading, I apologize, and appreciate you guys keeping the stall doors at normal height.
I took back over the wheel in Arizona, as Sam began to find us a place to visit with the little extra time we had in Arizona (Yep, they gave us yet another hour of time when we crossed into that state). We considered Tombstone, AZ, but it was about 1 hour out of the way, then shortly considered an old church south of Tucson, but then Sam found us an awesome place...the Saguaro National Park, which is home to giant cacti (or if you ever listen to any of the videos from this trip...cactuses). Sam found a great small hike within this park where we got to see many of the cacti, but then a really cool overlook. And then it was getting dark in North Tucson, and we still had a ways to go before we got to our hotel. A quick stop to pee (which we all needed since we first entered this national park...Sam and Davis will remember us skipping the "Sus" bathrooms at the park) and then subway and on to Phoenix.
The rest of the trip into the hotel was rather uneventful. But I was rubbing my head, indicative of me getting tired, and Davis noticed. He kept watching waze and making sure I was taking all the right turns, and informing me multiple times about upcoming turns. Haha...I was not that tired Davis, but I did appreciate you not sleeping and the periodic conversation. A few other memories from this day included Sam and I listening to the Audible Words and Music story of Smokey Robinson, which is an amazing story of the start of Motown records. A comedian that talked about guys in a room talking about the start of the special olympics..."You know what we need to do, we need to race these guys" (I know, not right, but to me and two boys half-delirious on the southside of Phoenix...tears were flowing after that laughter). And then we had arrived, checked into our resort and ready for the week. Davis brought one more funny tale as he came back to the room from returning the luggage cart. A little girl had used the rail in the elevator and grabbed a piece of old gum someone had put on the railing. She squealed to her mother and said "I am just going to have to sue someone". Us Alabama boys made it to the big city resort, where the little girls don't just say "yuck" and pull their hand away, they start looking to sue.
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