Mexico

As we departed from Teotihuacan, we began our descent down from the Sierra Madre Oriental Range to the Central Plateau. Apparently, the Mexico city climate is ideal because of the southern location combined with its altitude. During the day the temperature gets up into the 30's, but the evenings cool down to a comfortable level because of the altitude. The Central Plateau to the north gets unbearably hot (up to 45 C) in the summer because it is alot lower in altitude. It was kind of neat coming off the mountain range and you can literaly see the moutain ranges split with the Occidental Range in the west and the Oriental Range on the East with flatlands in between.

We passed through the states Hidalgo, Queratero, and Guanajuato before reaching the State of San Luis Potosi where we stayed for two nights. The land on the Central Plateau is full of thorns and thistles and cactus and yuka plants with low shrubbery, not very suitible for anything to live. I stopped along the hyway and did not have to venture very far before I was impaled by very aggressive thistles.

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:17-19).

From San Luis Potosi we headed north through the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas before we reached the United States. We saw a few dozen small tornados along the way.

One happen just when we pulled into a military checkpoint. The soldiers were doing all they could to keep the dust and sand out of their eyes and mouth and so waved us through. It makes me wonder what may have happen otherwise.

There were alot of copper crafts set up on the side of the highway. Strawberries were also a major crop in this area. We bought a basket and they were not pretty, but they were sure sweet. It looks like they use drip irrigation to grow these.

"The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men" (Proverbs 8:22-31). This Old Testament Passage is no doubt speaking of Jesus Chirst who is both "the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24).

The ride from Saltillo to Monterrey took us between two mountain ranges that were most spectacular in my opinion. The flood strata was very exposed. I wish we only had the time to do a little fossil hunting. Most people today, including myself have a hard time comprehending how great a catastrophe occured when the Lord had to destroy every living thing that had breath in the days of Noah because of the wickedness of man. The Bible tells us "all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11). "And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark" (Genesis 7:21-23).

After about a year the waters began to descend as the Lord uplifted these mountain ranges, exposing billions of dead things in the layers (called fossils), and so the waters ran down through the valleys to the place that God prepared for them, that is, in the oceans of the world. It is interesting to note, that if the world was a little flatter, and the mountains were pushed into the oceans, there would be about 2 miles of water covering the face of the earth.

April 11, 11:52AM we crossed the Tropic of Cancer once again. The "Tropic of Cancer, the parallel of latitude, or imaginary line around the earth, that marks the northern limit of the tropics or Torrid Zone, a region where the climate is consistently warm. The Tropic of Cancer lies 23°27’ north of the equator and is the northern solstice—that is, it is the northernmost point where the sun appears directly overhead at least one day a year. The sun reaches this apparent position at noon on or about June 22 of each year; at this time it appears at its highest point in the sky as seen from the northern hemisphere, and at its lowest point as seen from the southern hemisphere. This date marks the start of summer for the northern hemisphere and is therefore called the summer solstice. In the southern hemisphere, however, the seasons are reversed; this date marks the start of winter in the southern hemisphere, and it is known there as the winter solstice. For the next six months the sun at noon appears lower each day in the northern hemisphere and higher each day in the southern hemisphere." (Microsoft Encarta)

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Our Mexican Field Trip 2005

Day 26: San Luis Potosi