Fossil Fueling Under Texas Skies :: Oct 1 ’15
We’re talking about 350 miles today, across the vast heart of Texas oil country.
9:10am – The moon’s setting and my pulse has finally started.
9:58am – Who wants a rabies shot?
10:06am – I do!
10:09am – House of seasonal preppers.
10:13am – Lone Star Car Wash.
10:17am – Clean Texas T-Bird.
10:22am – Since the global crash in oil prices, Texas Gold apparently don’t buy what it used to.
1:09pm – Around Midland and throughout this whole frackin’ region, speciality chemical companies rule.
2:28pm – Old-school rusty rig, Odessa.
2:34pm – You know your state park is hurting when the most exciting thing about it is the doormat.
3:07pm – In Notrees, you’ll find one of hundreds of SWD facilities to dispose of your salt water. It’s an oilman thing.
3:15pm – I believe they only fight grass fires in this town.
3:20pm
3:22pm – Behind Paw’s, this 1968 Corolla is in pretty good shape. My dad had one. Reclining seats = perfect for making out!
3:47pm – East of Kermit.
3:48pm – A founding father of the Professional Bull Riders Association, Jim “The Razor” Sharp was the first bull rider in the PRCA’s National Finals Rodeo history to ride each of his 10 bulls during champion-crowning event in 1988.
4:11pm – Ten miles northeast of Kermit, in Texas dune country, which extends below the south end of the Llano Estacado. Sand = sea bed = oil and more oil.
5:30pm – As a boy, Roy Orbison temporarily lived here in Wink, “The City That Oil And Friendship Built.”
6:02pm – Rush hour in oil country. Don’t even think about taking your Prius to work.
6:44pm – Gas flares are everywhere, like this one near Orla. Wonder if I can get any closer?
6:49pm – Oh yeah!
7:13pm – Then, heading west on FM 652, oil country suddenly ends.
7:23pm
7:36pm – This day conclues with the peaks of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the world’s premier example of a fossil reef from the Permian Era, featuring El Capitan on the left and, just to the right, Guadalupe Peak. At nearly 9,000 feet, it’s the highest point in Texas. Take that, Big Bend!
Next up: Carlsbad Cavern and up to the ABQ.