Paid time off is awesome. I went to El Paso for vacation. Cool things:
- Saw Carlsbad Caverns, which is one of the largest cavern systems in the western hemisphere. There is a developed part that goes 800 feet underground, including a 1.2 mile path surrounding the main chamber, then further miles of wild caves accessible through the non-public 90-foot drop. They are STILL discovering new chambers in the caverns today.
- Hopped the border to Juarez for an evening of delicious, authentic Mexican food, a driving tour of the downtown and outskirts area, and some great shopping. It was fascinating, all the residential neighborhoods have huge iron fences and are enclosed. Residents have keys to drive in to the neighborhoods, and all yardage is located behind houses. Each block is kinda like a mini-fort. Oh, and I wasn't murdered horrifically as everyone (hoped) expected. TAKE THAT, FUCKERS.
- Mesilla, a small neighborhood just outside of Las Cruces where Billy the Kid was hanged. Visited there and saw the sights, including several historic buildings and the slightly creepy Billy the Kid "museum" (AKA: gift shop with an animatronic Billy the Kid suggesting you put coins in his slot to hear more about his fascinating story. Needless to say, I did not put coins in the slot).
- Horchata... it's been too long since I tasted you, oh sweet, sweet nectar.
- Thunderbird. I didn't include a picture, but it's clearly depicted in the first google image result. It's a natural clay deposit on the west side of the Franklin Mountain Range that El Paso is built around that looks like a thunderbird in the mountains. Cool.
- Pictured below: the tenacity of the life surrounding the drive up to Carlsbad Caverns. Even though the landscape has been horribly marred by fire as of last June, plant life prevails.