Greetings from Balmorhea, Texas.  We have been traveling the last two days through Texas.  Big state!  Yesterday we started from Vicksburg, MS and drove 300+ miles to the west side of Dallas/Fort Worth where we stayed the night in the nicest Rv park of the trip.  Nice trees, grassy areas and paved sites.  And hardly any work campers.  It was obviously a place for traveling Rvr’s.

We wanted to get through Dallas on a Sunday as the traffic is legendary around the twin cities.  Not bad on the weekend.

Yesterday the entire trip reminded me of Oregon.  The trees were very green and the roadside landscaping was always grass with wild flowers.  The Texas Blue Bonnets were in full bloom with whole hillsides in a blaze of blue.  There were many stretches of I 20 where people were parked alongside the freeway and taking pictures of the flowers.  I thought it was really dangerous but it apparently is something they take in stride every spring.

This morning we got an early start as the weatherman forecast windy conditions.  And windy it was but we pressed on.  The landscape is totally different in central/west Texas.  It was really dry and dusty.  

It looked like Midland, Tx is booming with employment.  It’s all about oil.  From exploration to refining it to removing it from shale.  We stopped at Odessa for lunch and fuel and the place was full of workers on their lunch break.  I want to learn more about what is going on in this area.

Pres. Bush has a presidential museum outside of Midland and there is an oil museum there as well.  There is lots of money being spent and made in the oil business and politically it will be impossible to make any major changes in our energy policy.

Although just before we got to Midland we passed a huge wind energy farm that spread for miles.  It made the windmills in the gorge look like playthings.  Both in numbers and size.

We have stayed at Balmorhea state park a couple of times in our travels to so. Texas.  It is a historical place where the native indians first found springs in the hills.  They used their ingenuity to irrigate the land where they cultivated corn and other crops.  Today there is a large swimming pool and surrounding activities for the locals to enjoy.  The Rv section is very nice.

Tomorrow we will get through El Paso in the AM and then make our way into New Mexico.  We are making good time but still feel that we are able to “smell the roses” on the way.

Love

Grandpa