TACOS ON THE WIND

Driving along Highway 11, a few miles north of Poncho Villa State Park, Columbus, NM where the land is flat and dry and the winds carry aromas along the sand for distances, Jackie turns toward me and says, “Do you smell that?” I was busy keeping the rig between the lines, watching for soaring hawks and other birds to add to my growing sightings list. “No, what are you smelling, burning wires, a gas leak, human methane,” I replied. “Tacos, I smell tacos,” she said with a smile a mile wide. Jackie is the consummate taco aficionado and can sniff-out a roadside taco stand miles downwind with the best of them. Sure enough, a mile down the road and there it was on the side of the highway, a rather faded sign proclaiming, “Mexican Food” with an arrow pointing to the left.

We turned left onto a dirt road that took us to the fringes of Columbus proper, a community of 1,800 inhabitants that’s seeing hard times in the face of the Mexican border drug wars. Last year the Mayor and police chief were among 10 people arrested for gun smuggling. 
 
We pulled the rig up, across the narrow street from the brightly painted grocery-restaurant and Jackie was out the door and headed toward the taco counter before I had the shifter in park.  This was no 7-11, she had once again sniffed-out the real McCoy.  Sombreros off to you Jackie, you've scored the best tacos within a 100 miles.

After lunch Jackie reminisced, "Remember the tacos at that place in Tucson." 

Black throated Sparrow

Cactus Wren building a nest in the serrated edged Desert Spoon

The inner part of this plant and the core of the flower stems are edible and can be used to make an alcoholic beverage.  Noted!

Canyon Wren

Curved Billed Thrasher

Dasylirion wheeleri – Common Sotol or Desert Spoon

Immature White Crowned Sparrow

The spirit of Pancho Villa bids us all goodnight.