Day 8, May 29, 2016 - Deming to Willcox

Deserted (de' sert ed) - Saw a lot of desert today, some Border Patrol vehicles, and even a blimp.  On our way out of Deming, we ran across these critters out for their morning stroll:

We headed south past the Tres Hermanas Mountains. Our first stop was to be Columbus, site of Pancho Villa's 1916 raid.  It has a state park - reputedly the only one named for an invader of the U.S.  The museum at the park is in an old RR station and supposedly opens at 9 AM.  It didn't.  We did see the outdoor exhibits, such as this armored car.  Despite a nice little hill for a lookout post, armored cars and airplanes, Pershing didn't catch Villa. 

On to Hachita, shown on the NM map as a ghost town.  Let's just say some of the ghosts are not incorporal - while many of the buildings are deserted, the place is populated.  The 'ghosts' thoughtfully provided a rest area at the edge of town.

Among the deserted buildings are this Catholic church and the saloon - if they're empty, it is indeed a ghost town.

On to Lordsburg for lunch (trivia - the destination for a certain conveyance in a well-known 1939 John Ford western).  As has happened to so many towns bypassed by the interstate hiway, the downtown area on Main Street (next to the tracks) was full of empty buildings as the thriving ones moved out near the big highway.  We passed though here in 2012 when returning from the Las Vegas Libertarian convention.  We don't ask the welcome center what they recommend, we ask them where they like to eat.  We made a point to return to Ramona's, a small place on Main Street, with a strong local clientele.  We got there before the rush (luckily), and invited two ladies to share our table.   Turns out they were travelers, as well.  Folks were lined up outside when we left.  Best meal of the trip.

Got to Willcox about 12:45, unaware that we'd gained another hour.  We said we'd gallivant around the town, but they came up with a room early.  So we gallivanted anyway, ending up at Buffalo Sisters Trading Post, owned by a Comanche lady.  Told her of our visit to the cultural center in Lawton.  Dinner at a truck stop (the town shuts down on Sunday), a quick laundry, and process some photos.

Tomorrow it's about 300 miles through mountains to Holbrook, via US-191, US-60 and AZ-77, through towns like Safford, Clifton, Eager, and Show Low.  210 miles for today, 2036 for the trip.