New Mexico

---

After 2 weeks in Mexico, I got a flight out to the Mexico/El Paso, Texas border called "Ciudad Juarez". Family bit concerned as is in the midst of a drug war and is also the place where hundreds of young women's bodies have been found in the outskirts after being raped and murdered. The police are believed to be involved in these rings. In the end, I got a bus from the airport to El Paso in the middle of the day so no real story to tell.

Purpose of trip to New Mexico was to visit my sister and brother-in-law. Had a good week that involved hiking, sledding down white gypsum dunes (formed from gypsum being absorbed in the mountain water, drying and blowing down into this area) and eating lots of Tex-Mex food. In Hillsboro's glory days in the late 19th century, it had a 5,000 pop and 5 brothels, brick courthouse and the Chinaman restaurant. Like many of the other old towns around Las Cruces the silver mine that all the prospectors were coming for stopped producing the goods and people moved on. Kind of sad to see how the fortunes of a town/city can change so.

Had a nice afternoon shooting rifles and handguns at cans, rocks, bottles a discarded barbie doll at a shooting range.

---

Photos

Mex Nov 08 025
Mean street of Juarez. In the midst of a drug war between the Juarez cartel and another cartel from elsewhere who are muscling in. A journalist was killed ont he morning of my arrival when taking his kid to school. Didn't hang around for long.

Liz and Neil
IHOP - International House of Pancakes