El Paso, Texas

In order to get to El Paso, Chris and I stayed up and drove through the night. I am not a fan of driving at night, but with a 12 hour drive ahead of us and an early arrival the next day, we though it would be a good idea. In order to stay alert, Chris and I abused the regular substances, coffee, junk food, but also decided to supplement the already brutal diet with some No Doz. We were up all night and for the next 32 hours with heart palpitations and an acute awareness of what being a zombie would actually feel like. I hereby swear I will never go near No Doz again.

In the late afternoon we arrived in El Paso. As some friends would later inform us, El Paso is not the same "Texas" most of us are accustomed to hearing about. The area actually has more in common with Mexico and the Southwest than Eastern Texas. This is partly because of the strong Mexican heritage here; a large part of the population has Mexican roots. Perhaps this is also because of the great stretch of barren desert between Eastern Texas and the largest border town in the United States tucked in the far Western corner of the state. Between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, the population in the area is close to 3 million. That may be the strongest trait the area shares with the rest of Texas, it’s just plain big.

The evening at El Paso was foggy for me without much sleep, but through the cloud shined a gem of an evening. A fantastic venue that has seen a lot of great acts come through. A friend of Colin’s, Ernie, promoted the show and along with his roommate Allan, put us up with a place to stay, a great guy, and we are all thankful for the hospitality. Tomorrow we have a day off and will spend it here in El Paso, and across the border in Juarez, it should be fun.