Van Horn and John Madden connection

Woke up around 0530, cleaned up and got dressed..ate a little cereal..and sat outside to watch the sun come up over the mountains at Alamogordo one last time....I've really enjoyed my time here and wouldn' t mind at all going back to the Sand Dunes......great place to hike and get yourself lost ......

3 Rivers school house 1905 Horst Kelly Photographer

Got everything done  and buckled down by 0700 and was ready to roll...not really sure where I'm going to stop for the evening....somewhere around a 200 mile point...traveled south on US 54 for about 100 miles to El Paso....what a desolate  piece of road ...one town...and the only reason to call it a town is they have a Post Office....all the other buildings...all six of them are boarded up....name of the town is Orogrande..use to be a mining town and at one time ...had a population of 2000...but that was  long, looooong time ago...

Got to El Paso and what a zoo getting through town....and its a Saturday morning....how many garage sales can  they be having....Another 2 plus hours and I was in Van Horn, Tx...stopped for gas...saw a  park and decided this would be it for today...Eagles Nest RV, $29.00 and some change...full hook-ups, pull through.....basic gravel , each site had a small picnic table....woman who registered me....was playing on the computer, had a pint of Tequila...half empty....its five o'clock somewhere...ha....

Horst Kelly Photographer

I didn't unhitch....just stabilized the camper...plugged in the electric.....and I  was set up ...they have loaner bikes...reminded me of the one Paul Newman used in Butch Cassidy...even had a basket in front....Van Horn has one street....or so I thought...saw a Mexican place to eat...went in and that's where the story begins....John Madden use to stop here every time he was going to the other Coast...Chuy's Restaurant became his watering hole...he has mentioned it on TV, time magazine, etc...his favorite dish....Chicken Picado....guess what I had......the walls are covered with letters, cards, photo's jerseys, etc, from just about every sports figure in the USofA.....the trip back was was not fun...full stomach, up hill against the wind, and no gears and losing air in the rear tire....that was a work out.....

Thats about it...bed time is here.....until tomorrow...Horst sends