September 14th and 15th, 2008 CHIHUAHUA

Chihuahua in the rain. It rained on and off the whole time we were here. The capital for the state with the same name. Not named after the dog, Chihuahua means something like flat sandy place(my guess would have been "rainy place" ha ha). In spite of the rain decorations were going up for the Independence celebrations. We did not go into town in the evening as we heard that the fireworks were postponed to a later date. Just our luck they went ahead without us. I was able to hear them, but not see them from our hotel room.

A city of statures. The clock is counting down the time to the 200 year anniversary of Mexico's Independence. The rider with a pistol is Poncho Villa an Independence hero who lived in Chihuahua.

The cathedral and an old mission.

The area is a center for ranching and farming, with cowboy boots a big item. On this street, in a town just west of Chihuahua there were several stores devoted just to these boots. BIL Barry checks them out and ends up buying a pair.

September 13th and 17th, 2008 EL FOURTE

Views from the fort / museum at the top of the hill. the actual location of the original fort is unknown. The museum "fort" was built around the water reservoir on the highest hill, overlooking the river. The Commanding views make it a likely location for the original.


The garden and stature of El Zoro at one of the hotels.



Restored colonial municipal hall, with courtyard, fountain and murals.

The Church, with the square decked out for Independence celebrations.

Our Hotel, Real de Carapoa, on a quiet lane, off the main square. A small (6 room) hotel run by Erasmo Briceno Mondaca and his wife. Clean, with king sized beds and great air conditioning, right in the center of town. A great deal, with off season rate of $50 US per night for the two of us. Dinner out with Sandra's mom, sister and BIL. Cow looked over our eating her relatives. One of the best meals we have had in Mexico.

The main square at night.