Today was Christmas, so Kathy and I decided that there would be no
surprises or hassles.  She was still hurting a little, so we finally got
out of bed around 9:30 AM and started the final stowing and organization
of the big 5th wheel.

We had taken a break for some breakfast when there was a knock on the door
and in walked one of Nidia's sisters, Sylvia, along with her current
boyfriend and her pregnant daughter.  They had driven all the way back
from Valle de Allende to say goodbye to us.  So there was another round of
hugs, kisses and adioses before we could get back to work.

We finally buttoned things up around 11:40 AM and headed out with our
parking tab paid up (130 pesos per day, full hookups) and a full tank of
Pemex diesel.

The trip through Chihuahua was uneventful.  We found Highway 45 north to
Juarez without effort.  The road was reasonably easy; traffic was very
light.  Kathy's meds kept her comfortable enough, although the roads were
just rough enough to stop her from really relaxing.

The approach to Juarez was interesting in an odd way -- both sides of the
road were lined for miles with "yonke" yards.  Broken cars, pickups, big
trucks, vehicles of every type and condition.

The first serious problem appeared at the toll booth on the international
bridge to El Paso.  After some consideration, I decided I could get the
rig through the gate, even though it looked like a tight squeeze.  We made
it with a few inches to spare on either size.

The bridge was fairly crowded, but the cars and trucks were moving at a
steady rate.  We were listening to a "Cadfael" mystery on audiotape, when
a policeman tapped at my window.  Seems they were concerned about the size
of the rig and wanted us to move into the inside bus lane.  It took a few
minutes of traffic shuffling before everything was arranged to their
satisfaction.

Ten minutes later four customs officials came over and told us we would
have to move from the inside lane to the outside lane.  Another 10 minutes
of traffic shuffling ensued.

Going through the customs check was another shoehorn job, but eventually
the inspectors confiscated a half-dozen Mexican oranges out of the truck
and turned us loose.  About an hour later we were pulling into this spot
at the Arvey RV Park in El Paso.

Kathy's still hurting, but the pills do help a lot. Tomorrow, we'll be
heading east along I-10...

Merry Christmas to everybody, John & Kathy