Our next stop on our westward trek was for an overnight stop in Van Horn, Texas. We don’t often stay for just one night but we have been to Van Horn many times and there really is much worth revisiting in this area so we didn’t even disconnect the CRV.
The next morning we drove into El Paso and over to the Sunalnd Casino. The casino has 8 first-come first-served RV sites with water and 30/50 amp service and we were hoping to snag one for an extended stay in El Paso. Lucky for us there were several available so we hooked up and went into the casino to pay. Wow, only $15 per night to stay here!
It was nice to be in civilization once again after several remote stays in a row. We even found a nice disc golf course called Nations Tobin we played. Also it was nice to be able to shop in real grocery stores and go out for happy hour. The Union Draft House and Aurellias Brewery were our favorites.
Also nearby was a TruFit fitness center, the same company we became members of in College Station Texas. We are really glad we took advantage of becoming members for FREE via the Silver Sneakers program giving us access to such a nice gym.
While here we took a drive through the Franklin Mountains, the largest urban park in the U.S. There are a few pullouts that provide some scenic panoramic views of the city and surrounding landscape. We didn’t stay until sunset but we imagine it's especially picturesque during sunset or sunrise.
Lucky for us not too far from Sunland Casino we found a few places to hike and to birdwatch. One was a heritage park and another was a hike along the Rio Grande. Both places were fun and were quite scenic for hiking with views of the Franklin Mts.
Our next planned stop was in Las Cruces NM but the reviews of the park we normally stay at were scathingly bad as it appears the homeless and druggies have discovered the nearby hotel. We decided to drive to Las Cruces in our CRV and see if the reviews had any merit.
When we arrived at the RV park we saw that the reviews were spot on. The only other park in our budget really wasn’t our cup of tea so we decided we would add a few more days in El Paso and skip staying In Las Cruces. However, while there we went to our favorite New Mexican restaurant, Andeles, for some green and red chili!
We also went for a hike in Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park while in Las Cruces. So even though we weren’t going to stay we did find things we wanted to do had we gone there.
Back in El Paso we were treated to a beautiful rainbow before leaving.With the weather getting colder in the forecast it was time to move on…
I had to laugh at the title of your post, John. After just driving through El Paso this fall, it took two days to get that song out of my head! Gorgeous scenery!
ReplyDeleteYes, that song was stuck in my head too, hence, the title!
DeleteBoy am I telling my age—wasn’t that a Marty Robbins’ song?
DeleteSorry, this is Dee Tillotson, CharlestonSouthern
DeleteYes, I believe it is.
Deletewhich park were you referring to, we go through Las Cruces once in a while and don't want to stumble into it accidently! We've stayed at the KOA (beautiful views, but pricey) and at one right in town that is nice, but sites are very close together. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteIt's called the Coachlight Inn RV park. It never had great reviews but we always liked it locationand sites. The hotel was never a nice one but it was never a problem. Looks pretty seedy now.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteI too ended up with an ear worm! Not knowing all the words, i did a Google search.
ReplyDeleteAwesome rainbow!
Sorry Jeff!
Delete