Day 10: Rest Day - El Paso, TX
Nau mai
Yesterday we had a rest day in El Paso, Texas.
Old Butterblock was parked behind the Staybridge Suites El Paso Airport Area yesterday and this decided the flavour of our day of leisure. We were walled in by the freeway on one side, the mighty Interstate 10, and on the other side the literal border wall a few miles away that separates southwest Texas from Juárez, Mexico.
Tristan and I ventured bravely out past the freeway to get breakfast, walking the footpath until it ended, and then traipsing through whichever parking lots had the bad luck of getting in our way. Of all the terrible chain restaurants in the vicinity of our lodgings Jimmy John’s seemed like the safest option to provide sustenance for the first part of the day and I ordered myself a toasted Club Tuna, with provolone, tuna salad, cucumber lettuce and tomato. On the side I had a Picklwich, a stunning creation made from a hollowed out dill pickle filled with tomato, cucumber, cheese, and lettuce.
The day was filled with exciting pursuits like computer work, meetings, and going to the gym. We even made use of the hotel pool, enjoying a sunset swim in the warm water as the stars came out and the border surveillance drones diligently began on their patrol routes.
For dinner we decided to venture a little further from the bus with the goal of obtaining a healthier meal than what was in the immediate vicinity. We enjoyed exploring some of the thrilling footpaths that paralleled the roaring interstate highway and ducking down the gritty light industrial backroads that were the most direct path to our destination.
There were bold light shows to witness on this warm night in El Paso. The Airway Gateway Light Sculptures were alive and shining their glorious magenta glow across the freeway, and on the other side of the bus the Marathon El Paso Refinery had ignited its many flare stacks, these fragrant candles burning high above the city lights that stretched towards the mountains and the horizon.
