Camping at the rural police station

Tagged:  •  
With Armando in front of police station camping place
With Armando in front of police station camping place (View on flickr)

We stayed a police station last night. Evening came, and dark was nipping at our heels as we came to a intersection of two roads. The store and the gas station were the only thing around and they were both closed. The man with the little hot dog stand was closing up but had four hot dogs for sale which we gladly purchased and greedly wolfed down.

In the dark we noticed another building with a TV playing and a police car in front. We went to the door and knocked. We asked permission to camp there at the police station, a very safe place to stay.

Two of the policement asked if we needed anything.. I said yes - I would like two cans of beer. They went to the town many miles away 45 minutes later drove back with their lights flashing. The beer had arrived.

There are 5 guys who live at the station for a week to ten days, 24 hours a day. They make 100 dollars a month. Wow.

In the morning the commander Armando, "el commandante", welcomed us with such openess this had to be the friendliest person I ever meet. He turned on the warm water to the shower in the concrete shower stall so we could have a "regadera". We all talked and laughed in the morning. They let us use the kitchen and TV. One guy taught me Spanish and I taught him English. They police used their trucks to drive the kid to school.. I wish I had picture of 15 kids sitting in the back of a police pickup truck, with one girl. The kids parked their bikes at the police station and went to school. As we rode away the Commandante, Armado, followed us in his car, turned his megaphone on and said "God Bless Randy and Nancy in Spanish.