We thought we might stop at an art gallery in El Paso as a change of pace. It was closed
The Mission Church Visitors Center was also closed. While we were sitting in their parking lot, a security guard came out to check on us.
When we said we were looking for the Missions, he said we could come in and gave us a brochure for them.
The brochure noted that all four of the mission churches were originally on the south side of the Rio Grande. After the floods of 1829, only the Guadeloupe Mission remained in Mexico.
We started with Mission Ysleta, the church across from the Visitors Center. However it was closed to the public for a funeral when we first arrived. When we returned later it was closed untill it could be cleaned.
We did like the drive through shrine in the parking lot.
We then drove to the San Elizario chapel. The outer door was open but the center inner door was not. We discovered the side doors were open with a sign requiring a mask and for us to sanitize our hands.
In Socorro, the main door to the church was locked. We walked around the church hoping another door might be open like the one at San Elizario.
As we approached our van, we hear, “Thank you again for the matches!”
Once again we met someone again travelling. Unlike smoke lady, matches was happy to see us again.
We opted not to go over the border to the Guadeloupe Mission.