That's not the case where we are now at Pancho Villa State Park. It's just 2½-miles north of the Mexican border in the town of Columbus, NM. Just over the border in Mexico, within walking distance of the border, is the tourist town of Puerto Palomas de Villa (also known simply as Palomas). It's a small town of 4,688 people in the municipality of Ascensión, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
David has offered to drive the 37-miles between Rockhound State Park and Pancho Villa State Park to treat us to a lunch in Mexico on Sunday. How could we say no to an offer like that?
Sunday also happens to be Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución) in Mexico. It's one of their annual Fiestas Patrias (public holidays), commemorating the declaration of their current National Constitution on February 5, 1917.
I'm hoping that creates a special festive atmosphere for our visit, something different than just an ordinary Sunday in Mexico.
IT SIMPLY READS:
FIRST MILITARY AIRBASE
Just across the highway from this point the United States Army established in 1916
it's first operational airbase in the United States. It used several cloth-coated biplanes
in it's unsuccessful punitive expedition against Mexican General Francisco (Pancho) Villa
after his forces raided this area.
David drove the 2½-miles down to the border where we parked his truck, put $5 in an envelope to pay for all day parking, then walked across the border checkpoint. Walking into Mexico was a cinch, we didn't have to show identification or even empty our pocket contents to be placed in the scanner. Just smiled, waved, and proceeded through without even breaking stride.
Once across the border we immediately found ourselves in a little plaza where David took this photo of Tricia and I behind the colorful city sign.
As you can see there were also a few Margaritas included with our Mexican lunch.
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