Oil Wells, Wind Farms, and Roadkill Heaven

When you drive your rig 386 miles in a day with no one to talk to, it gives you plenty of time to talk to yourself. ;) What a road trip it was today! I started out from Fort Stockton, TX, and headed east on I-10. I've been trying to find a good word to describe western Texas...desolate?, seemingly uninhabited by humans?, starkly scenic with buttes and mesas?. Probably, all of those things apply. It seems that man has found a way to take advantage of this landscape by drilling below for oil and grasping the power of the wind above ground. I saw lots of oil wells pumping away and numerous wind farms with turbines plying the air.

As I got closer to San Antonio, I entered the "Texas Hill Country". Some steep grades, marvelous fall colors from atop the hills, and increased traffic were surrounding me. Since Emma was in her traveling crate, she didn't seem to appreciate my comments on the passing scenery.

A common factor to the changing terrains was the abundance of roadkill. Mangled deer were abundant enough throughout the trip to remind me of I-90 in Wisconsin. There were also raccoons, a few skunks, and an armadillo (now I really know I'm in Texas). It wasn't until my second trip to Texas that I saw a live armadillo.

The passing traffic, that left me in their dust, seemed to be dominated by deer hunters. I saw many buck racks in the backs of pickups going by. Each pickup also had several coolers on board. I'm sure these were packed with the butchered deer. That was quite unlike driving the roads in Minnesota and Wisconsin at this time of year. Hunters there just drape the deer over their pickups as they motor on down the road. Because of the warm temps in Texas, hunters must butcher their kills right away and transport the parts in coolers.

As I merged back onto I-10 after a stretch break for both Emma and me, I ended up right in the middle of the other four ladies (Maxine, Connie, Jo, and the fourth lady) from LoW-Hi. I waved and tooted as I moved around them, but don't know if they recognized me.

Eventually, I ended up at River Bend RV Park in Luling, TX, about 50 miles east of San Antonio. I had put the park's address in my GPS and it led me right to a cow pasture! Luckily, I had studied the map and knew that my destination was about five miles down the road. The cost for this Passport America Park is $12.50/night. I have full hookups and even ran into the resident goat, Sam, who has figured out how to get out of his pen to partake of the greener grass on the other side of the fence. ;)

Rain is forecast for tonight, but as long as it's not severe, I'll head out in the morning. I think it's under 250 miles to Anahuac NWR from here, so I should be able to get through Houston and settle in tomorrow. Since it will be my third time volunteering there, it should feel like arriving home.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy