Saturday, February 3, 2018
The alarm clock went off far too early for the first day of vacation. With a grumble, I threw off the covers and started getting my act together. The flight out of Atlanta was scheduled to leave at 7:10A. Why so early? If everything went as planned I would be in Midland, Texas and hitting the road by noon. Yeah, it was worth it.
The last time I flew this early, there were no Uber drivers out and about and I wound up calling a cab. This time, I just called ahead the night before and arranged for a pick-up. Forty-five minutes before they were due, I heard the phone ring downstairs. The driver was checking in and left a voicemail. I called back and got her voicemail. The allotted time came and went. So, I called the cab company. They said they had no record of my reservation. Somehow I wasn’t surprised. But, they sent a car over. By this time, I was leaving for the airport forty minutes later than I had wanted. Let’s face it, we all know that feeling of worry that you might not be in time for the flight.
Boarding pass in hand, I walked into the terminal. The regular TSA checkpoint said a half hour wait. Thank goodness for TSA Pre-check. No drama at security and I made it to the gate about fifteen minutes before they started boarding.
The United flight out of Atlanta wasn’t fully booked and I lucked out with no one next to me. Next stop, Houston. This would be my first time changing planes here. Since we arrived on time, I had about forty-five minutes to find my connecting flight.
Naturally, the next flight was in another concourse. But, the tram system worked really well and I had just enough time to grab a sandwich before boarding started. The flight to Midland was painless and the line at the Alamo car rental counter was short. Yes, I was on the road before noon.
I had requested a midsize SUV, but they had given me an upgrade to a full size. There was no need that much space and the bigger the vehicle, the more gas it uses. Instead, they gave me a new Nissan Rogue. With only 168 miles on the odometer, it still had the new car smell. While that’s always welcome, it makes me a little more cautious where I would potentially take it.
One thing I noticed that did impress me. At this point, back-up cameras are no longer a new thing. This was the first with a simulated overhead view though. They got the curb placement correct, as well as the driveway I was trying to avoid blocking. Even more impressive, they even got the vehicle’s shadow right. Later in the trip, I parked at a trailhead next to a van that had a towel draped over a side mirror to dry. That was in the overhead view as well. Now if I could only figure out how to make the radio stop coming on whenever I started the car, or turned the engine off.
The city of Midland was founded as a railroad depot for the Texas and Pacific Railway. It sits at the midpoint between El Paso and Fort Worth. It’s named Midland, because Midway, Texas was already taken.
One town west of Midland is Odessa site the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. I only mention this because there’s something there I just had to see. After seeing the real Stonehenge, Carhenge and even Foamhenge, I couldn’t pass up one of two replicas in the state. The other one is in Kerrville and a little out of my way.
The replica at the university is the creation of Connie and Brenda Edwards and was built here in 2004 using discarded rock slabs that were donated by TexaStone, operator of a local quarry.
I left Odessa and turned south on Hwy 385. If you tried counting the oil derricks and pumping stations off the side the highway, you'd probably give up. It was one after another.
The first town I passed was named Crane, after William Crane, founder of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Next to the seemingly obligatory Dollar General(seriously, they are everywhere) sits a hardware/feed store with large metal animal sculptures. Of course there was a crane.
In McCamey, I picked up Hwy 67 west. To I-10 and back on Hwy 67 South. My goal for the night was an easy half day drive to Alpine and the Travelodge. Oddly, once I made the turn in McCamey, I no longer saw oil fields. Instead, I was seeing wide open spaces with the occasional cow pasture.
I found the Travelodge and was surprised to find it’s what used to be the Oak Tree Inn. That’s where I stayed last year. They were bought out only a month ago. After checking in, grabbing a bite and writing up some notes from the day, it was off to a favorite spot, Railroad Blues. My first time here I had a delicious Big Bend Porter Ale. The brewery is moving to a significantly larger facility and their beers are not currently available. Instead, I had a White Fang which was delicious in its own way. While I was sipping it in a corner, TJ Broscoff was hauling in their gear. They were going on at 10P, a little late for me. Here's their video for "Devil's Done With Me."
By now it was a little past 6P. Sunset was at the bottom of the hour. So, I finished my beer and took Hwy 118 south from downtown a half mile or so. I found a convenient pullout to settle in and wait for sunset.
One last beer at Railroad Blues, chatting with some locals and watching the band haul in even more gear. It was time for me to call it a day.
Coming Up on Day 2,
"Warning, end of pavement."
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