Guadalupe Mountains to Pancho Villa State Park

Gaila and Dick leading the way

What do cows eat out there?

El Paso, New Mexico

Boat made out of two car hoods welded together

Transport vehicles for drug trafficing

Gaila and Dick after we had a fun dinner at La Casita

Biking around the small town of Columbus

Pancho Villa State Park

Guadalupe Mountains to Pancho Villa State Park - March 5, Tuesday

It was good to wake up this morning and know that I survived another windstorm! My little trailer is very reactive to wind, which perhaps makes it a good idea to trade it in on a slightly bigger and heavier one with a separate bedroom, automatic vacuum, surround sound TV, a convection oven, games room, bike rack, dishwasher and hot tub. But perhaps that is going overboard.

Our convey headed out west on Highway 62/180 – and there were still wind gusts. The road had several warning signs -  Falling Rocks, Icy sections, High Wind Area, Blowing Dust, and then the final sign – obey highway warning signs – it’s the law.  We drove for a couple of hours through endless flat land and mountains that could barely be seen in the distance.  Abandoned buildings along the road provided the most interest as I thought about the people starting out their homesteading or café business with high hopes and wondered what happened to them.

We took the North loop around El Paso and Dick and I went in to check out the Border Patrol Museum. It had a lot of displays of confiscated items taken from “illegal aliens” as they are called in border patrol talk. I felt sad for the desperate people who were willing to risk all for a chance at what they perceived to be a great freedom, but happy for the capture of drug runners. There was also a wall with photos of Border Patrol Guards who had lost their lives in the line of duty and that too was sad to see their smiling faces, some holding small children in their arms.

When we left the museum, Gaila had homemade egg mcmuffins and fresh coffee waiting for us – so SCRUMPTIOUS!

We headed on the West loop around El Paso and turned onto Highway 9 and then drove for another 50miles and reached our next campground Pancho Villa State Park in the town of Columbus, just across the border from the Mexican town of Palomas Viejo. The campground is gravel with tidy sites outlined with rocks and cactus plants, many of which look like they are suffering in the long drought being experienced here.

I was so thankful to find that they had showers here to rinse off all the dust. The air is so dry in Texas and New Mexico that the ends of my fingers are cracking, just like the mud on the Rio Grande.

After setting up we walked around looking at the monuments marking the Pancho Villa Raid and then biked into the tiny town of Columbus (that means a couple of blocks) for dinner. We went to La Casita Restaurant where we tucked into Mexican Comfort food - $7.95 each for delicious burritos and fajitas. The cook was super friendly and told us she had been cooking there for 20 years. She whipped out our dinners in minutes.

                                                                                                                                    

Of course after all that food, we just had to top it off with ice cream so we biked to the small grocery store which I noticed contained almost all canned goods. After dessert we went to the library which was full of young people and kids using the many computers that lined the walls. And it was completely quiet, a result I think of the volunteer on duty. There were books for sale for $1.00 a bag.  An even quieter section if that is possible was reserved for adults over 21 where you could read books, magazines, and newspapers.

After that, we biked around the town reading about the infamous Villa before dawn raid  March 9^th  raid in 1916 on Columbus in which eight US soldiers and ten civilians were killed. Apparently there is still debate among historians as to the reasons behind this battle.

Coyotes were howling in the distance as we got back to camp. The stars were out. The lights of Palomos were shining in the South. Everything was peaceful until we got back to my trailer and then Baloo started lunging and barking at something near or under my trailer. Almost enough to pull me off my feet, and close to giving me heart failure. Dick walked around with his flashlight and saw nothing. Whatever it was, it had departed post haste.

Another awesome day on the road!