Columbus, New Mexico

 

 

Chris: Our time in New Mexico is short but memorable.  I was firing on all cylinders from El Paso to Columbus, New Mexico.  I had a sweet tailwind, I was so motivated to get out of the city and my newly serviced bike was riding like butter.  The next day I had a hard time getting my legs to move but I had that one great day!

Our campsite was three miles from one of the three US/Mexico border crossings in the state.  We were curious so biked to the border to see how close we could get.

On a Friday night we wrongly assumed that the traffic into the US would be heavier than the traffic into Mexico but we were wrong.

We learned from city officials that the town of Columbus has little to offer its citizens by way of services so they have to cross into Mexico to find restaurants that are consistently open and to visit a dentist, for example.

The largest employer in the town is the elementary school and more than 600 American school children cross the border from Mexico each day to attend school in the US.  Many of them were born in the states but a parent was deported so the children are allowed to attend school in Columbus.

The public library has a display on confronting stereotypes of border living.  There is an awareness in Columbus that the town is dependent on the flow of people, goods and services across the border and cooperation is necessary for their survival.  It’s been a most interesting trip through the very southern portion of the state.