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Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Pancho Villa State Park, NM

This morning, I headed out to visit Pancho Villa State Park and to tour the museum there. It is located in Columbus, NM, just about two miles from the border of Mexico.

The museum was very interesting, and well worth the visit. Columbus was attacked in the early hours of March 9, 1916, by Mexican Revolutionaries under the leadership of General Francisco Pancho Villa. There is a twenty minute documentary that features remembrances from folks that were children when the attack occurred. A number of Americans were killed, and about 90 of the Revolutionaries.

As I walked around the museum, I learned that "Blackjack" Pershing led the US Army on a retaliation campaign into Mexico looking for Pancho Villa. This was the first time airplanes were used by the military and the tactics involved in an extended campaign were learning experiences that would soon be used by the US in World War I. I especially found it interesting since I had visited the childhood home and museum of General Pershing while I was volunteering this summer in Missouri. How many of you know that this was the last time that the continental US has been attacked?

What a gem of a museum this was for me. I also took a drive around the campground. There are many (30) different kinds of cacti planted throughout the campground. There were many sites available with water and electric for a cost of $14/night. If I weren't signed up for the month at LoW-Hi, I'd certainly spend some time here.

It's been a while since I've posted some bird pictures. Every morning, a covey (?) of Gambel's Quails visit two sites down from me.

The males are especially striking in appearance. Notice that top knot.

Both males and females travel together and make a wonderful chattering sound amongst themselves as they scutter around.

Other than laundry, I'm not sure what I'm doing tomorrow. Maybe I can get a shot of the roadrunners that hover around my birdfeeder waiting to pounce upon an unsuspecting house sparrow or house finch. They are meat eaters, after all.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy

1 comment:

  1. "How many of you know that this was the last time that the continental US has been attacked?"

    This assumes that the September 11 attack on the Twin Towers was not an attack on the continental US but simply a domestic crime. Or if you believe the conspiracy theories, we did it to ourselves.

    I tend to believe it was an attack on the continental US, but that is just my opinion.

    ReplyDelete