What) The world's largest bronze equestrian statue was bolted into place on October 25, 2006 at the entrance to El Paso's international airport. It stands 36 feet tall on an eight-foot base, and is the second-tallest statue in Texas, overshadowed only by a titanic Sam Houston in Huntsville.

    The statue, first proposed in the mid-1990's, is of a horse-riding Spanish conquistador named Don Juan de Oñate. It initially drew approval from city officials because Oñate was known for celebrating the first Thanksgiving in The New World, near present-day El Paso, a good twenty years before the Pilgrims did the same in New England. As the project dragged on however, Oñate's legacy grew more spotty. It turned out that he was known for other things, too, such as taking local Indians who didn't obey his rules and having their feet cut off. In 2003, with construction already underway, the statue's name was changed as a compromise. It became the generic "The Equestrian," even though it was still a statue of Don Juan de Oñate. (1)

    Where) Airway Boulevard I-10 exit 25, then North a little over one mile to El Paso International Airport.

    Why) I would have scheduled just about any Buckys to fill the 550 mile drive to San Antonio but I would also drive out of the way to see this monumental horse statue so that makes our response to it that much more interesting.

When we passed a sign like this on our way through New Mexico we had a chuckle and didn't think much else about it until ... (2)

... we had to drive through a dust storm just as we were entering El Paso.

That meant that neither of us wanted to stop and see John Sherrill Houser's monumental creation because ... (3)

... we would not have seen anything like this view or even ... (4)

... this nearly colourless view. I suppose it is possible that I could have used ... (5)

... my fingers to feel the nice details that went into the statue. (6)

I'll close with one final image but I will spare you the details about the why. (5)