Rewinding Texas
On Sunday in Las Cruces, I took a look at the calendar and at a map, and started working from both ends toward the middle of my route back home to see how much time I had to play with and still get back home when I want to.
There are some routes I took on my way West that I want to retrace on my way back East, and routes I want to change up. Today I drove back the same way I had come about two months ago.
The first part of my drive through Western Texas today was a lot like New Mexico, with interesting mountains and similar desert vegetation. Now I'm in Pecos, about 40 miles past the Davis Mountains into the flat lands, the land of oil and cotton and flaming smokestacks. (It turns out the real name for a flaming smokestack is "gas flare" or "flare stack" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_flare but I like my name for them better.)
I am starting to have thoughts of home, but I'm going to miss the desert and mountain landscape. I felt sadness today when the mountains dropped behind me. I do have some fond memories of my drive across Texas in January, and I hope to have more fun adventures before I'm back home, but today and tomorrow are mainly about covering some ground.
Remember the grackles making noise the first time I was here in Pecos? Here's the link if you want to refresh your memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h37c9BPDqO8 They are still in town, and today it seems that there are different groups of grackles that have sorted themselves out by how social they feel like being at the end of the day. In this video, the first group is in the same location is the previous video; the second group are in the courtyard and seem to prefer a slightly less boisterous social scene; the third group are behind the motel and seem to be attracted to a more mellow end to their day. https://youtu.be/0OPdxskKPKo
While doing my field research on grackles this evening, I noticed a great many big, masculine-looking trucks in the parking lot here. I remember from last time through that there are a lot of oil industry workers who stay here, and their vehicles often have company names on the side that reinforce that impression. Still I was surprised by the front wheels on the truck parked next to my van:
I'm really surprised something like that is legal on the roads. It looks more than a little bit extra dangerous than regular driving to me.
One more thought about Pecos before I sign off for the night. In 2012, Forbes named it as the second-fastest growing small town in the United States, increasing from 8,000+ in 2010 to 13,000+ in 2012. According to Google maps, it's about 210 miles to El Paso and 75 miles to Odessa. As far as I can tell, those are the two closest bigger towns and they're both far enough away that it takes some resources to get there -- a vehicle and more than just a little money for gas. I'm sure all those guys working for the oil industry can head to the city any time they aren't too busy working, but this is a pretty isolated place for a teenager, and there's nothing to hide just how far away they are from everything -- no trees or hills to block the view of seemingly endless desert stretching out in all directions. I'm reminded of this song recorded by Hal Ketchum in 1991. I'd never seen the video before -- it is rather odd. If you'd rather skip the singing and visuals and just read the lyrics, I'm including them below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFRkH_3ZmbU
Small Town Saturday Night
Hal Ketchum
There's an Elvis movie on the marquee sign,
We've all seen at least three times
Everybody's broke, Bobby's got a buck
Put a dollar's worth of gas in his pickup truck
We're going' ninety miles an hour down a dead end road
What's the hurry, son, where you gonna go?
We're gonna howl at the moon, shoot out the light
It's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
Lucy's got her lipstick on a little too bright
Bobby's gettin' drunk and lookin' for a fight
Liquor on his breath, trouble on his mind
And Lucy's just a kid along for the ride
Got a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine
Gotta be bad just to have a good time
They're gonna howl at the moon, shoot out the light
It's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
Bobby told Lucy: "The world ain't round
Drops off sharp at the edge of town
Lucy, you know the world must be flat
'Cause when people leave town, they never come back"
They go ninety miles an hour to the city limits sign
Put the pedal to the metal 'fore they change their mind
They howl at the moon, shoot out the light
It's a small town Saturday night
Yeah, howl at the moon, shoot out the light
Yeah, it's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
Songwriters: Hank Devito / Patrick Alger
Small Town Saturday Night lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management US, LLC
There are some routes I took on my way West that I want to retrace on my way back East, and routes I want to change up. Today I drove back the same way I had come about two months ago.
The first part of my drive through Western Texas today was a lot like New Mexico, with interesting mountains and similar desert vegetation. Now I'm in Pecos, about 40 miles past the Davis Mountains into the flat lands, the land of oil and cotton and flaming smokestacks. (It turns out the real name for a flaming smokestack is "gas flare" or "flare stack" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_flare but I like my name for them better.)
I am starting to have thoughts of home, but I'm going to miss the desert and mountain landscape. I felt sadness today when the mountains dropped behind me. I do have some fond memories of my drive across Texas in January, and I hope to have more fun adventures before I'm back home, but today and tomorrow are mainly about covering some ground.
Remember the grackles making noise the first time I was here in Pecos? Here's the link if you want to refresh your memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h37c9BPDqO8 They are still in town, and today it seems that there are different groups of grackles that have sorted themselves out by how social they feel like being at the end of the day. In this video, the first group is in the same location is the previous video; the second group are in the courtyard and seem to prefer a slightly less boisterous social scene; the third group are behind the motel and seem to be attracted to a more mellow end to their day. https://youtu.be/0OPdxskKPKo
While doing my field research on grackles this evening, I noticed a great many big, masculine-looking trucks in the parking lot here. I remember from last time through that there are a lot of oil industry workers who stay here, and their vehicles often have company names on the side that reinforce that impression. Still I was surprised by the front wheels on the truck parked next to my van:
I'm really surprised something like that is legal on the roads. It looks more than a little bit extra dangerous than regular driving to me.
One more thought about Pecos before I sign off for the night. In 2012, Forbes named it as the second-fastest growing small town in the United States, increasing from 8,000+ in 2010 to 13,000+ in 2012. According to Google maps, it's about 210 miles to El Paso and 75 miles to Odessa. As far as I can tell, those are the two closest bigger towns and they're both far enough away that it takes some resources to get there -- a vehicle and more than just a little money for gas. I'm sure all those guys working for the oil industry can head to the city any time they aren't too busy working, but this is a pretty isolated place for a teenager, and there's nothing to hide just how far away they are from everything -- no trees or hills to block the view of seemingly endless desert stretching out in all directions. I'm reminded of this song recorded by Hal Ketchum in 1991. I'd never seen the video before -- it is rather odd. If you'd rather skip the singing and visuals and just read the lyrics, I'm including them below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFRkH_3ZmbU
Small Town Saturday Night
Hal Ketchum
There's an Elvis movie on the marquee sign,
We've all seen at least three times
Everybody's broke, Bobby's got a buck
Put a dollar's worth of gas in his pickup truck
We're going' ninety miles an hour down a dead end road
What's the hurry, son, where you gonna go?
We're gonna howl at the moon, shoot out the light
It's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
Lucy's got her lipstick on a little too bright
Bobby's gettin' drunk and lookin' for a fight
Liquor on his breath, trouble on his mind
And Lucy's just a kid along for the ride
Got a six-pack of beer and a bottle of wine
Gotta be bad just to have a good time
They're gonna howl at the moon, shoot out the light
It's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
Bobby told Lucy: "The world ain't round
Drops off sharp at the edge of town
Lucy, you know the world must be flat
'Cause when people leave town, they never come back"
They go ninety miles an hour to the city limits sign
Put the pedal to the metal 'fore they change their mind
They howl at the moon, shoot out the light
It's a small town Saturday night
Yeah, howl at the moon, shoot out the light
Yeah, it's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
It's a small town Saturday night
Songwriters: Hank Devito / Patrick Alger
Small Town Saturday Night lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management US, LLC
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