We are now stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. It is absolutely beautiful here. There are mountains all around us in every direction. The sunsets and sunrises are spectacular because there aren’t a lot of tall buildings blocking the view.
I really didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never lived in the desert before. We’ve spent a lot of time on the East coast, so I knew it would be different. When we told people we were going to Fort Bliss, so many people were discouraging telling me all the reasons I wouldn’t like it. I usually just ignore those people. We really believe that each duty station has its pros and cons and we always set out to find the good in each place that we live. I really do believe that each post is what you make of it. If you get out and look for the good, you’ll find it. If you look for things to complain about, you’ll find those too.
So far, we absolutely love it here. Driving in from East Texas was an interesting drive. Gas stations and places to stop are few and far between after you get past Midland. But as you get closer and closer to El Paso, the mountains and the desert make for some beautiful views! Turns out, I love the desert views! It’s definitely different than the East coast with trees everywhere, but it’s beautiful here too – just different. I really like the landscape. When we were in North Carolina we always said it was nice being a few hours from the mountains. Here, we have mountains everywhere we look – just minutes away!
I’m looking forward to doing a lot of hiking here! There is a State Park right in El Paso, and so many different hiking trails available – we might never do them all. The city also has just about any store we could ever want. Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Chick-Fil-A, Barnes & Noble. The traffic here is so much better than other big cities we’ve lived in (Dallas!). The people are friendly. There’s lots of great Mexican food to be found, and we hear the food trucks have some delicious offerings, so we’ll have to check those out.
I’ll be back later to let you know some of our favorite things about the area. I can already tell you 2 of them. 1) The lack of humidity! 2) This is the first time in years that we won’t be running from any hurricanes!