From the Southwest to the Pacific Coast

If you have never been to the American Southwest, you may picture it as one vast desert offering only cacti, cowboys, and chile for entertainment.  But one of the joys of living in the Southwest is its geographical location within the United States.  A two hour flight from El Paso, Texas to Los Angeles, California takes you so quickly from the desert to the coast that it is hard for the mind to adjust.  

My husband, Wayne, and I took such a trip recently and pronounced it one of our easiest travels ever.  Leaving El Paso about 8:00 am, we were sitting at the Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, having a delicious crepe for lunch, that same afternoon.

Farmers Market, Los Angeles

 A major league baseball game at Dodgers Stadium on Saturday night provided us with a once in a lifetime experience in the big leagues.

An we weren't the only attendees at the game!  Great opportunity for people-watching!

Crowd at Dodger Stadium

Sunday morning found us at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles catching the Amtrak Coast Starlight train to Portland, Oregon.  We slept one night on the train and most of our waking hours were spent oohing and aahing over the scenery viewed from the large picture windows in the parlor car or our roomette.   

Coast Starlight rounding a curve

The ocean views, so close at times, were a delight for us desert dwellers.

Ocean view from train

And then we were treated to scenes with lots of greenery.  Another unusual scene for our eyes!

View from train

Arriving in Portland, Oregon all too soon, we admired the train station before catching an Uber ride to our hotel.

Portland, Oregon train station

A gondola ride high above the city gave us a chance to take a panoramic picture of Portland.

View of Portland, Oregon

We also enjoyed walking along the Willamette River, a special sight for those of us from a climate with only nine inches of rainfall in a good year.

Willamette River, Portland

Just imagine needing several large bridges to cross the water in Portland.  In my home town of El Paso, the Rio Grande is a mere trickle most of the year.

Bridge in Portland, Oregon

We found many enticing eating establishments in Portland, including Mother's for brunch.  But our favorite was a traditional restaurant, Huber's, where my husband ordered (and raved about for days) a full turkey and ham Thanksgiving dinner!

Huber's Restaurant, Portland 

In less than a week, we were back in the Desert Southwest, basking in the constant sunshine and craving Mexican food, but the realization that we can experience another part of our country with such ease is going to be a comforting thought when yearly spring dust storms make us long to be any place but home.

You know you are a Southwesterner if ...

Is the Southwest lifestyle unique?  Does it differ from other U.S. lifestyles?  Here is my take on those important questions.

You know you are a Southwesterner if ...

You start looking for the first spring blooms right after Valentine's Day each year.

Cactus bloom

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Wildflower

You put a little bit of chile on almost everything you eat.

Perhaps I should begin with the explanation that the southwestern spelling of the name of those hot peppers is  "chiles."  My word processor inevitably marks it as a spelling error. The concept of chile encompasses many varieties of peppers, some fresh, some dried, some whole, some powdered. At a basic level, we have red peppers and green peppers.  In New Mexico, my neighboring state, if you want both red and green sauce on your enchiladas, you ask for "Christmas."  

Both colors of peppers come in various degrees of  "bite," hot, medium and mild, although one man's medium may be another man's hot. I have learned this fact through painful personal experience.  Many times in my life I have had occasion to croak the Spanish phrase, "Me enchilé," which translates to something like "I just ate too much hot chile."

A small amount of chile can perk up almost any type of food —scrambled eggs, tuna salad, turkey sandwiches, corn on the cob, pozole, even chocolate bars. Eventually, Southwesterners find themselves saying, "This dish tastes great, but maybe it could use a little chile?" 

You don't own many winter clothes.

When my husband, Wayne, and I were preparing for a train trip across Canada in January of this year, I came to the realization that I was probably going to freeze to death if I didn't buy winter clothing to pack for the trip.  A person can survive in the Southwest with only a light coat, used only for a few weeks of the year.

I now have a closet full of down jackets, sweaters, boots, scarves, hats, gloves, and fleece-lined tights that will probably languish there until our next trip to another part of the country or the world. And I recently bought another light down jacket from a Canadian retailer just to be safe.  

You relish a multicultural atmosphere.

If you are a native Southwestern, you may identify yourself with any number of ethnic groups. Each culture adds uniqueness to Southwest culture.  You may wear stunning turquoise jewelry made by Native American artisans.  You may celebrate Christmas with a nacimiento  (nativity scene) as well as a Christmas tree.  Or you may mark special occasions with a chuck wagon barbecue dinner. And I'm only mentioning the cultures that I have first hand experience with. Why choose just one culture when you can enjoy the best of all cultures?

Are you a bona fide Southwesterner?  

There's no place like a Southwestern home

Travel is a good thing.  It broadens the mind (and sometimes the hips, depending on the food delicacies that you find).  Travel also provides novel images and thoughts you can use to make a comparison between life style at home and other life styles.

I recently spent a good bit of time in Los Angeles, California in a beautiful area near the historic Farmers Market and the upscale Grove Shopping Center.

Early morning in Los Angeles

My husband Wayne snapped this shot while sipping Cuban coffee in a Los Angeles cafe.  Very exotic to our Texan eyes!

Coffee customer with friend

Los Angeles can boast of palm trees, avocado trees, luxuriant bougainvillea vines, and gigantic, larger than life succulents.  What a feast for the eyes of a gardener!

But when I returned home to El Paso, Texas (located in the high desert), I also found treats for the senses in my own back yard.

View of  grapevines in late afternoon

The extra room we have dubbed "The Bunkhouse" is waiting for visitors to play dominoes, listen to music, or write a novel.

The Bunkhouse

The horno (oven) stands ready to bake a pizza or a recipe of camp bread.

The Horno

And when I arrived home on Good Friday, the plants told me it was springtime.  A large butterfly had found the claret cup cactus in the front yard.

Butterfly atop claret cup cactus

The honey mesquite trees had put on their bright green feathery finery.

Mesquite tree

 It was good to be home.