We met an 83 year old woman who has been a full time RV'er for 26 years when we were at Rockhound. She had just moved up from her 21 day stay at Pancho Villa. She was just getting over a viral infection and was unable to walk her dog so we offered to take over the job while we were there.
While she was at Pancho Villa somebody started banging on the outside of her home one night. She promptly pulled her gun and threatened to shoot him while she was calling the cops. When they showed up the guy was gone, but Mickey still had her gun in her hand and was still pissed.
She showed the cop the gun and said if she had to call them back to bring the coroner. The cop looked the gun over and said it should be able to get the job done.
I got to thinking about this, and it came to me that in so many places in America today that the cop would have drawn his weapon and made her get on the ground and handcuffed her. Every cop out there knows the almost every one of us living out here are armed to the teeth, and here, at least, they think it is a very good idea.
Here, unless you are in a town the police have a very small profile, excluding border patrol, and there is a ton of area to cover.
I think the Borderlands are a living part of the Old America and I am glad for it.