The Chamizal park marks the peaceful resolution of a US-Mexico border dispute. In 1848, the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War and surrendered around half of Mexico’s territory to the US. The new border was placed at the Rio Grande River, and since this river was shallow … More Chamizal National Memorial

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these how-to posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] If you are going to be living and traveling in a camper van, then selecting the right vehicle for you … More Life in the Van: Selecting a Van

So after a (relatively) uncomplicated and painless maneuver through the bureaucracy of the Social Security Administration, I finally got my first Social Security retirement benefits this week. The Social Security is enough to cover all my monthly bills including those for my Florida mobile home base camp (which I am only actually in for a … More I Am Officially “Retired”. Woo Hoo!

This is a very nice park in downtown El Paso. It’s a nice place to sit and have lunch while exploring the city. Some photos.

This very nice little museum focuses on Native American artifacts, mostly from the Southwest. There is also an outdoors Desert Garden and a nature trail. Some photos from a visit.

This is a very nice state park just outside of El Paso TX. Lots of walking trails, lots of desert plants, and critters. I spent the whole day here. Some photos.

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these how-to posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] “Can I bring my dog or cat along in the van?” is one of the most common questions asked by … More Life in the Van: Pets

It’s been a while since I have been out West. One thing I like about it is that nearly all of the critters and plants I see here are different from the ones I usually see back East, and the western desert has a surprising number of flowering plants. So here are same native Texas … More Some Texas Flowers

Okay, everyone knows that I like visiting zoos. 🙂 Some photos from the El Paso Zoo in Texas.  It’s not very big, but it has a nice collection, and most of it is in nice open outdoor pens.

Or, as one of the locals on the bus told me, it’s also called “El Chuco Town”.  I’m in El Paso for a few weeks, then working my way up north where it’s cooler. (It’s already starting to get pretty warm here). Some photos from an afternoon walking around El Paso.