So yesterday, driving back from a 24 hour hiatus in Truth or Consequences, my lady and I were lured by a sign that beckoned us to go see the "El Camino Real International Heritage Center" located near but not in San Antonio, New Mexico off Interstate 25. We're total suckers for memorials and roadside attractions of any kind, but the turn-off looked so desolate we were certain we were headed for a big let-down, you know, maybe a plaque by the side of the road with some old geezer handing out brochures about the "wonders of Socorro County."
We couldn't have been more wrong.
The Heritage Center is in fact a real state of the art building with a totally kick ass interpretative display room inside detailing (and I mean detailing) the impact of the El Camino Real on North American trade. But something that really brought it all home for me was a display as you walked in the door, an art show by Christina Preston. Preston spent about a year or more travelling up and down the El Camino Real on foot, horseback and by car taking pictures of the middle of nowhere Camino Real and the modern one alongside I-25.
The El Camino Real International Heritage Center is located in the middle of nowhere along I-25. It costs $5 to get in and it's well worth it. But don't miss those pictures. They're real winners.
