What surprised me was the clouds. The West Texas mountains acted like a wool card, stretching the clouds into filaments as they blew towards the rest of the state.
You also don't realize how big El Paso is unless you go through it at night. During the day, the buildings blend into the desert landscape, and the city seems much smaller than it is.
We also had to go through border patrol checkpoints, once just west of El Paso and one in Arizona. At first, it confused DH. We hadn't gone anywhere near the bridge to Juarez. I had to remind him that not everyone passes into the U.S. via the bridge and are checked by customs.
On the other hand, I was more interested in the Border Patrol's change in techniques. We merely stopped on a plate in the highway before we were waved on, which confused DH further, but it's been twenty years since he's been out of the country. They either have infrared sensors or scanners like at the airports to check vehicles. Like I told DH, the B.P just makes sure we aren't smuggling five Mexican children in the trunk of our car.
The last time I went through a checkpoint was near McAllen, which is just a few miles north of Brownsville, another major crossing point. I was on my way home after a probate hearing in McAllen. That time, the B.P. agents ran a K-9 German Shepard around my car and checked under it with mirrors. Luckily, the German Shepard wasn't interested in my iced mocha from Starbucks. *grin*
But yeah, I need to find some 35 mm film for our next roadtrip. The sunset above was more beautiful than it appears.
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