Las Cruces, New Mexico

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I could have stayed another night in Marfa, if for nothing else the calm and quiet of the rustic roadside stop.

We only had about a 200 mile journey to Las Cruces. On the way out of Marfa, just a mile outside of Valentine (smaller than Marfa, if thats possible), we pulled off the Highway 90 for a few snaps of the Prada Store front, a pop art permanently installed sculpture put there in 2005 by artists Elmgreen and Dragset. A reminder for those coming or going to Marfa of what it represents; the strange and slightly contrasting mix of expensive and modern art alongside dusty roads and old airstreams in junkyards. It stands there all by itself with nothing else around but open plains and mountains in the distance.

The drive to Las Cruces was mostly quite with gorgeous views and the odd Train making its way through the arid land. That is until we came closer to El Paso and the bordering Ciudad Juarez, the bustling Mexico city in Chihuahua that once held the highest murder rate in the world with unforgettable violence and dismembering of bodies. The wall visible as we drove by with the recognizable Mexican Casitas littered across the hillsides. El Paso is a busy city and traffic came to a standstill, not for long but enough to get the blood pressure rising.

We arrived safely now on Mountain time now in New Mexico and came to "Coach Light Motel and Rv Park" just off I-10. It was a relief to see the gravel parking lot addition to the hotel, large flat and easy to park. Lets just say they have some interesting characters staying in the Motel! The towering Organ mountains in the distance added to the view and a quiet night was in order.

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