March 12
Monday
The last day of an incredible trip! After a quick breakfast, we check out of the Tierra Blanca Hotel and motor north to the Battle of Sacramento site. Part of the Mexican-American War, this contest resulted in 300 Mexican casualties. Just one American, Samuel Owens died. Apparently this soldier harbored a death wish. He wore white and was an easy mark. We wander about the lonely, desolate terrain, snap photos and board our bus for the final stretch toward home.
Before and after lunch at the Arizona Restaurant, Hal, Luis, Michael and Steve entertain and inform us with lectures. Inez leads us in “The Ballad of El Camino Real,”* to which nearly everyone contributed a line or stanza. By four p.m. we reach the Mexico/America border at Ciudad Juarez, still hours from home. Cars are in gridlock and it takes nearly five hours to pass from Mexico to the U.S. At last, however, we pass inspection, enter El Paso, and wearily check into La Quinta Motel.
Having the background of my Santa Fe Trail research, now I know “the rest of the story,” or do I? The journey to Zacatecas has only strengthened my fascination with Mexico’s Royal Road. There are rumors of a 2008 trip, led by Hal Jackson, along El Camino from Zacatecas to Mexico City. If it does indeed materialize, I’ll be the first to sign up!