We’re starting to drop our g’s. We’re not driving and camping any more, we’re drivin’ and campin’. We can only hope that by the end of our three months in the US, we’ll have introduced a few British colloquialisms to American English, as revenge for our linguistic conditioning (“numpty” will likely be the first one).
Our last post ended in Cherry Creek campground in Gila National Forest, New Mexico, where we shared a delightful campfire with Pam (a kind Coloradan lady) and her dogs. From here, we travelled down to White Sands National Monument, which took us through a US army missile testing range – thankfully inactive at the time.
White Sands was, quite simply, otherworldly. We had been driving through mile upon mile of arid deserts and scrubland, pale yellow as far as the eye could see; then, as if conjured up by magic, here were snow-white dunes of sand, crisp as meringues. They turned out to be gypsum dunes, rather than magic, built up from broken down selenite crystals in the nearby Alkali Flat. Regardless, our next move was obvious: sledding.
This was easier said than done, to be fair, and we often ended up shuffling our bums down the dunes like caterpillars instead. Shuffling aside, the sands were undeniably impressive, cool to the touch and soft under our toes.
After White Sands, we wanted to head to Carlsbad which is the site of some famous caverns. En route, we decided to dip southwards into Texas, stopping in El Paso. This was the first of what we call our “Londoner” moments; knackered from roadtripping, we booked a room in the local Ramada and had Denny’s for dinner, all in the name of comfort and convenience. Fuelled by fast food we bucked up and got back into backpacker mode. We quizzed our waitress for recommendations for more authentic El Pasoan cuisine (if you’re unfamiliar with Denny’s, it’s a ubiquitous diner chain in the US). Armed with her advice, we set out a plan for our day to explore El Paso.
The first port of call was a seriously legit Mexican restaurant called Kiki’s, where we indulged in a variety of exciting dishes (for deets, watch out for an upcoming food-only post!), which we followed up with the Scenic Drive, giving us views across El Paso from an overlooking mountain. El Paso is on the border between the US and Mexico, which splits the city in two; the Mexican influence in the city was indisputable.
A toddle around Downtown El Paso was followed up by a trip to a brewery within walking distance of our hotel, called Blazing Tree. Word quickly got out, in this cosy little bar, that we were a couple of Brits, and this rapidly got the party started. By the end of the night the whole bar was chatting like a group of old friends; two of them even went out to get Aleks and I a sample of their favourite local Mexican takeaway. Our first taste of Texas was unprecedented friendliness – and this was just the beginning!
The Big Adventure 