May / June 2022 Vacation Day 5 · · PAGE 10.

May 27, 2022: This is the north edge of the US Customs border area where taxis and other ride share services pick up pedestrians crossing the border at this location.  The image is from February 2022 showing construction to control traffic flow building a traffic circle to pick up and drop off pedestrians crossing the border here.  We did not go down to this location as we were passing through the El Paso area.  I wanted to show this part of El Paso as it is a very active border town for local residents on both sides of the border.
 

This gate has a welcome sign for anyone crossing the border coming north into El Paso, Texas.  This area is a one way street north from the border from a pedestrian border crossing.  No vehicles cross the border here.  The vehicles seen here come from SIXTH STREET and must turn north on El Paso Street.

Not far from the intersection seen above is one of the routes from the Border Crossings to and from Mexico.  This is EL PASO street that comes from the Northbound crossing from Mexico into the USA.  The US highway marker signs in this photo below indicates the south ends of US 62 and US 85 ahead near the next major intersection. US 85 goes north from El Paso adjacent to the Rio Grand River to New Mexico and all the way to Canada.

Oregon Street in El Paso is where US 62 and US 85 come together for their southern END POINTS.  This image is looking East on Paisano Street.

Looking west from the intersection above reveals the first US 85 sign in El Paso.  This image from February 2022 has road construction signs and could explain why the sign can be electronically controlled.

The name EL PASO describes a PASSAGE WAY TO THE NORTH from Mexico since they owned this land until the Mexican / American War from 1846 to 1848.  The USA won that war and claimed all of Texas and the land seen here and much more north of here.  Those black lines are American railroads.  US 180, US 85 and Interstate 10 are very close with the railroads in the PASS next to the Rio Grand river.  
 

Here is the part of west Texas that earned the name "EL PASO" which in this instance is the PASS that shaped the Rio Grand river south of the Franklin Mountains.  I captured this Google Earth image to show the southernmost mountain and how Interstate 10 turns toward the river from this high spot.  We drove on I-10 going West through El Paso on May 27, 2022.

For those of you have been reading about my FLYING trips out this way in October 2005, this is the exit to get to the Dona Ana Airport where LOE5 was held.  The letters refer to the LAND OF ENCHANTMENT RV Fly-in which I have photos from that event on this web site at this LOE5 WEB LINK.  That web page is the first of 13 pages about traveling to and from the event from the Chattanooga area in October 2005 in my Van's Aircraft RV-9A.  This exit is less that 8 miles south of the New Mexico state line.

The motel where I stayed for the event is on the frontage road on the west side of Interstate 10 accessed from the exit to Texas Route 178 seen above.  

Here is the tourist sign advertisement for the exit at the Texas / New Mexico state line.  This route is I-10, US 180, and US 85 running north together.  Google Earth has placed the route number in the upper right corner of this image showing US 85.

Texas DOT is confirming I-10, US 85 and US 180 are running concurrently here.  If you are not aware, the GREEN circle with the letters H and M is about hazardous materials cargo can use this route.

Here is the last exit sign for I-10 in Texas heading west (north really) approaching the state line with New Mexico.  The state line runs East and West on the maps.  Exit Zero could be assigned for an exit between mile marker ONE and the state line.  After looking at the FRONTAGE ROAD on the East side of the freeway, I realized this exit is the last one in Texas with access to a truck stop and other restaurants, motels, etc. The end of the frontage road is at the REAL state line as you will see below.

I was NOT expecting to see this TEXAS mile marker at this point on Interstate 10!  How far is EXIT ZERO from here? (I wrote this before I realized the usage of Mile Zero.)

Exit ZERO has been passed and was just a name for an exit, and not related to the traditional usage at a state line.  Texas DOT has placed a real mile marker at the place that is ONE MILE from the state line where Texas meets New Mexico on Interstate highway 10.

Building the northbound FRONTAGE ROAD shows how the original exit ramp to the last I-10 exit went up to service the local area.  The YELLOW stripe and inclined area on the other side of the RED and WHITE barrier shows how Texas DOT ended direct access at this point.  Exit 0 would get you here by way of the frontage road.

This is the last overpass across I-10 before entering New Mexico.  If you missed EXIT 0, you can't get there from down here.

Since we are reaching the western END of I-10 in Texas, I wanted to grab an image from the other side of the state near the Texas welcome station where I-10 has crossed the Sabine River from Louisiana.  It really is 880 miles across Texas driving on Interstate 10.