El Paso, Texas
March 27, 2009
Our day in El Paso actually started out in Houston. We had a connecting flight in Houston that we missed because our plane circled Houston for almost two hours. It was very late, Kellisa was passed out in her wheelchair and we learned that the next flight was in the morning. After a short night at a hotel, we were on our way to El Paso.
We arrived around noon and enjoyed some authentic Mexican food. Then it was off to the Wyler Aerial Tramway in Franklin Mountains State Park. We learned a couple of years ago while on vacation in Gatlinbgurg, TN that Kellisa loves trams and ski lifts.
The tramway is a four minute, 2,600 foot ride up Ranger Peak (5,632 feet above sea level) on a 1 3/8 inch diameter steel cable suspended 240 feet above the mountain walls.
Kellisa enjoyed the ride as it was bumpy, which to her, is more important than the views. The tram was small and driven by a Park Ranger who narrates the ride. 
Below is the view from the summit looking out over El Paso, the Rio Grande River and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. We were tempted to cross into Mexico for a few hours and add a new country to our life lists, but I knew Ciudad Juarez had a reputation as being a dangerous city. After reviewing the facts: over 1,600 murders in 2008 and 400 sexual killings of young women in the last ten years, we decided to save Mexico for another trip.
Kellisa wheeling around the cold, windy, accessible summit platform. We somehow manage to avoid "global warming" on every vacation...no matter where and when we go, including the arid desert of western Texas in late March.
As one tram goes up, the other descends to balance the lines. The trams have to slow as they pass because this is the "bumpiest" part of the ride.
........................After the tramway, we headed to the El Paso Zoo for a few hours:
After much effort and considerable struggles, I managed to get Kellisa to the observation window in the middle of a prairie dogtown. This was one of the highlights for Kellisa and further proof that I have to get Kellisa to as many places as possible before I can't help her anymore.
Kellisa points to a "scary" tiger.
Kellisa riding a "scary" tiger. 
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