Have orders to Ft. Bliss....lots of questions!!!! (El Paso: for sale, crime rate)

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by BGoerner

Hi Malamut.....so what do I look for in the way of taking my son Ivan (John) fishing. I promised him that I would teach him how to fish....he's 5. And of course....he wants to ride horses because he knows I used to have them.

They've got fishing in the lake in Ascarate Park, or you could go up to Elephant Butte or Caballo. I'm not sure you're allowed to keep what you catch in Ascarate Lake.

[BGoerner]

Originally Posted by southernbliss

I think the 1st. thing is to get in contact with fort bliss in tell them about your son, they should be able to help get in a school.

The base is ok. you may want to live close to base do to the tra. in the mourning times.
To me all the homes are close togather but I live on post so someone will have to help you in that area. I am sure there are homes off base that will fit your need.

There has been a shooting, yeaterday we had one.there was one last month in the px. kinda scarey
I do not feel there is any thing to to worry about there always seem to be more shootings on a post when guys are deploying out. Maybe the stress of it all I do not know,but it gets this way at fort hood before deployments.
I think you will have nothing to worry about here I have been here over a year now and it is fine.

I love the food here and the weather is great here also.
The schools suck I will so happy to be rid of these schools!! but I have been told there are some nice one on the west side so you may want to check out that side of town.

Has for to rent or buy.......that depends on you, how long are you going to stay here?

Good Luck and welcome to El Paso and Fort Bliss.

So you think the west side is the best? I've been reading all the posts and it seems that the far north east side is supposed to be good also....I'm used to travel to the posts....when I was assigned to West Point, I lived in Northern NJ and traveled 51 miles each way....an hour or so in the morning and over 2 hours to get home because of traffic coming north from NYC. Here in Heidelberg I have a morning commute through the city of 45 minutes even though I live only 6 miles away from the post. I want Julia to be able to get to the post to do shopping and the hospital...etc without a long commute though.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by BGoerner

So you think the west side is the best? I've been reading all the posts and it seems that the far north east side is supposed to be good also....I'm used to travel to the posts....when I was assigned to West Point, I lived in Northern NJ and traveled 51 miles each way....an hour or so in the morning and over 2 hours to get home because of traffic coming north from NYC. Here in Heidelberg I have a morning commute through the city of 45 minutes even though I live only 6 miles away from the post. I want Julia to be able to get to the post to do shopping and the hospital...etc without a long commute though.

I'm not in El Paso, others here are, but from what I've heard, you would have fewer traffic hassles commuting from Northeast than from the West Side. I have heard of soldiers taking apartments on the West Side, but not too far out.

[malamute]

I wouldn't presume to tell anyone what is the best. Each part of town has it's fans. It all depends on what someone's wants and needs are. For horses I think the far NW of the West side, or Chapparal and the far NE and maybe still far East side. Bigger yards are found with the older homes or custom made homes put up on lots or plots of land.

Fort Bliss is pretty accessible from all parts of town, commutes shouldn't be anything like an hour -- unless there's an accident. We have a lot of those here and they can tie up traffic pretty bad and you can get caught where you can't exit and have to wait. Usually the police try their best to keep traffic moving but sometimes we refer to I-10 as "that parking lot named I-10", but that's because we like to exaggerate a bit here.

[BGoerner]

Originally Posted by malamute

Easy. Go up to Percha Dam -- about a 2 hour drive. Or Lake Roberts in the Gila -- awesome forests. It's not like other places where there are lakes and rivers and streams everywhere but you can still do all that.

Horses -- well El Paso is perfect for horses except that it's growing extremely fast and they're plowing up all the excellent farm land to build subdivisions. There are still horses though. There are mini-ranches that offer lessons, horse-camps. Underwood stables in the NE has cheap rates for riding and leasing a horse. The West side -- Upper Valley has horses and riding lessons.

The weather here actually makes horses more practical than in most places because there is almost never a bad weather day.

Sounds good. I'm a primarily stream fisherman....you know...trout, steelhead, salmon....because I'm a northerner. But I also loved to fish on lakes for bass and cats. I assume that we're talking about bass and catfish down there. That's ok. I love that too and I will teach him and if we settle....then I've heard about the deer and although I never hunted down there (the farthest southwest that I've been was Ft. Sill, OK)....I've heard that the hunting for deer in Texas is fantastic. Now we're talking about a 5 year old so.....he's got a few years before we go to that stage. Yes....Julia has conceded that so I'm going to hold her to it.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by BGoerner

Sounds good. I'm a primarily stream fisherman....you know...trout, steelhead, salmon....because I'm a northerner. But I also loved to fish on lakes for bass and cats. I assume that we're talking about bass and catfish down there. That's ok. I love that too and I will teach him and if we settle....then I've heard about the deer and although I never hunted down there (the farthest southwest that I've been was Ft. Sill, OK)....I've heard that the hunting for deer in Texas is fantastic. Now we're talking about a 5 year old so.....he's got a few years before we go to that stage. Yes....Julia has conceded that so I'm going to hold her to it.

Fishing in Ascarate Lake (http://www.co.el-paso.tx.us/parksandrec/ascaratepark/fishing.htm - broken link) apparently includes bass and catfish, as well as some other species. I think the same is true for Elephant Butte and Caballo Lakes.

I think they just have mule deer in the El Paso area (here's hunting info for Hudspeth County and for El Paso County).

[BGoerner]

Mulies in the El Paso area???? OMG....my dream. I'm not just a sport hunter....I'm a practical hunter....practical first because that's how I was brought up. You can take all that shopping market stuff....but....have you ever had a REAL turkey.....a real deer...not the gamey acorn fat thing.....the one you had to track through a swamp....a mountain meadow...away from the acorns.....completely different....better than the best beef in a store that you don't know what chemicals were fed to it or if it was sick or whatever.....and it's hard to do. Only luck or experience gets one of those...they have the advantage, not you even with a rifle. Anyone can find a deer around acorns...if you want to taste that bitter crap. If you want to really hunt....you have to HUNT...track....think....patience....and a lot of exercise and ....of course....sometimes....disappointment.

[BGoerner]

Ok....getting back to the family. This will be Julia's first trip to the U.S. but I think she'll be ok....it's John...he needs to be tutored in Russian to learn English and needs kids his age around him. Kids pick up languages fast, I know that....not me. I hope he takes after his mother. So, you think ACS might help in that area? I pretty much understand that everything is geared toward Spanish to English and vice versa. What's the international community make up other than Mexican?

[Ashivon]

Originally Posted by BGoerner

Ok....getting back to the family. This will be Julia's first trip to the U.S. but I think she'll be ok....it's John...he needs to be tutored in Russian to learn English and needs kids his age around him. Kids pick up languages fast, I know that....not me. I hope he takes after his mother. So, you think ACS might help in that area? I pretty much understand that everything is geared toward Spanish to English and vice versa. What's the international community make up other than Mexican?

I've been reading ur posts. We're in Ansbach headed for Bliss some of my German friends here have told me there are a lot of german spouses there and a few resturants, but thats all I know so far.

Hope you don't mind me lurking on your posts but you seem to be asking all the right questions, horseback riding and fishing included.

[BGoerner]

Originally Posted by Ashivon

I've been reading ur posts. We're in Ansbach headed for Bliss some of my German friends here have told me there are a lot of german spouses there and a few resturants, but thats all I know so far.

Hope you don't mind me lurking on your posts but you seem to be asking all the right questions, horseback riding and fishing included.

You're not lurking. I think we all have the same concerns. We want to go to a place that we'll be satisfied with....at work.....and at home. I'm half German and my father taught us German ways and values....the old German values in NJ. Now Julia grew up under the Russian Soviet era in Ukraine....her father was in the military with the Russian army and they traveled to Russia, Mongolia, the Kuriles, Poland and East Germany. He was in Afghanistan and then back to Ukraine. He wound up dying from his last post. He was at Chernobyl when it went. Julia and her sister Olga were at home with their mother....their older brother was at school. The Army came one day to their homes and took everyone out with just what they could carry and put them on a bus south. They went to Nikolaev where their mother's sister and brother were living. The father and son came over a month later. The father was very sick and wound up dying after a year. The brother died of cancer in September 2004....a month before my son was born so we named him Ivan (John) after the father and brother. No problems with Julia, her sister and mother so far because....I assume....that they were inside when the plant went up and they were evacuated. Ivan was outside playing at the school so Mama says.