For the last two years of being married, J and I have never made it to El Paso for Thanksgiving with his family. It's a 20 hour drive and plane tickets are always super expensive. In March we ran across plane tickets to El Paso for the cheapest we had seen, so of course we had to get them!
I had never been to the desert so had no clue what to expect. It was warmer than we had thought and dryer than I could have imagined.... next time we will pack a light jacket, lots of lotion and chapstick!
We had so much fun spending time with J's family and being tourists in El Paso. There's much to see and do that we couldn't do it all in one trip, but thankfully we're planning on visiting again next Thanksgiving!
Here's Our Top Five Things We Did in El Paso
1. Whataburger
Okay, hear me out. We don't have Whataburger in Missouri so it was our first stop off the plane and our last stop before we headed back home. BUT, rumor has it that El Paso was only place you can get fresh green chilis on your burgers... and they are amazing! As are their honey butter chicken biscuits, chorizo taquittos, and the number one. Go ahead and treat yo self!
2. Scenic Drive... or as his brothers call it, "Make-out Point"
I am aware that I looked like a crazy person trying to round up all 14 of our Oliver family in the middle of a mall during Black Friday, shouting that we were going to miss sunset on Scenic Drive... but when we got there and these were our views, I like to believe they were glad I did.
3. Dripping Springs, Las Cruses, New Mexico
https://www.recreation.gov/recreationalAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=10051
I had never been to New Mexico so I made our caravan of four vehicles pull over so we could jump out and take a picture... I'm thankful for family that puts up with my need to take capture memories of everything.
About an hour or so out of El Paso is Dripping Springs Trail in Las Cruses, New Mexico. The terrain was rocky, but the views made up for it. There were plenty of trees along the way for you to stop and cool off and a really nice picnic area near the top. Bonus- there were even clean bathrooms. The three miles round trip made it an easy, gorgeous hike.
4. Downtown El Paso- San Jacinto Plaza
https://www.elpasotexas.gov/holiday/san-jacinto
I did not get the best picture of the Coffee Box, but it does not mean that it was not a really neat coffee shop. The building was made from two shipping containers stacked together. The coffee was good, but the atmosphere of the downtown area made it really neat.
The plaza had games (horseshoes, washers, ping pong, and chess) you could borrow to play through out the park. It was really neat watching the families come together to play, laugh, and enjoy all the decorated trees.
5. El Paso Mission Trail
http://visitelpasomissiontrail.com/article/follow-the-trail.html
Towards the end of our trip, we went through El Paso Mission Trail! I had never been to a mission before, but there was so much history and beauty in each one of them. If we could do it again, I wouldn't go on a Monday when the rest of the town is closed, but the missions were still open.
El Paso, thanks for sharing your city with us for a few days. We loved the laid back, at-home feel every where had... and all of the great Mexican food! We can't wait to visit again soon! <3
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