[CH] back from Hatch (and Texas)
Rich McCormack (macknet@pacbell.net)
Mon, 08 Oct 2001 06:38:52 -0700
We made the trek to central Texas, successfully picked up our new
travel trailer from the factory and towed it back to sorta sunny
SoCal. Texas is a lot greener than I'd imagined...as well as a lot
more buggy. But, we've decided there's a lot to see and do in Texas
and we'll go back...hopefully when it's not so hot and humid.
In an earlier post to the C-H list, I mentioned my intention of
stopping in Hatch, New Mexico on our way back home to pick up some
fresh green chiles. We got there a couple of weeks after the Labor
Day Chile Festival and the woman at Flores Farms said the festival
had pretty much consumed the season's chile crop...but, there were
still chiles to be had. With a couple gunny sacks of fresh chiles
stowed in the shower compartment of the trailer, we headed back
to California.
As I mentioned in that previous post, I was concerned about state
agricultural inspection checks going into Arizona and California.
I can report that while Arizona has 'em at the borders on I-8 and
I-10, they are closed. Perhaps they're only open at certain times
of the year...I don't know. Plenty of U.S. Customs and Immigration
checkpoints though, well beyond the US/Mex border.
On our way east a week or so earlier as we approached the Colorado
River and CA-AZ border at Yuma, I could see the CA ag inspection
station on the other side of I-8 was open with a couple lines
of cars and trucks waiting to be queried and scrutinized by ag
inspectors. I thought about this as we headed west a week later
toward the setting sun and Yuma, where I'd once again cross the
CA-AZ border. Was it OK to bring fresh chiles from New Mexico
into California? Would I tell the inspector that I had 35-40
pounds of fresh chiles in my trailer? I slowed as we approached
the ag station in the left traffic lane, still pondering what
I'd say if asked whether I was carrying any plants, fresh fruit
or veggies.
Surprise...with only a couple of cars ahead of me, the inspector
started moving traffic cones and waving cars through without
stopping. She was closing the left lane station. As I headed
west, in my rearview mirror I could see the cars in the right
lane still being individually stopped and queried...and, perhaps,
inspected. I'll never know whether my chiles would have at least
been inspected if not confiscated...oh, well. Once we were back
home, it took me two days to roast, peel and freeze all them
green chiles...but, it was worth it.
PS: While we went to Texas and back (as well as while we spent the
next week camping in the eastern Sierra Nevada with our new trailer)
we left the kitchen counter piled with assorted green and starting
to ripen chiles from my garden with instructions for my oldest
daughter to put them in the fridge as they ripened to red. I spent
the day after our return from the Sierras roasting another 10-15
pounds of ripe red Anaheim and Italian Gourmet chiles. I'm in
roasted chile heaven...
--
Rich McCormack (Poway, CA) macknet@pacbell.net
Who is Rich McCormack? Find out at...
http://home.pacbell.net/macknet/