Texarkana, Texas to Odessa, Texas
Took off from Texarkana at 815am today. It was sunny and 39 degrees. We observed high water levels in the rivers in this area due to rain. While the weather and roads were clear, we did pass through some curious spots of heavy fog. We weren’t sure of the source - Maybe from the lake nearby.
A few cattle ranches started to pop up as well as ranches for pretty spotted ponies (aka Palominos) and other horses. Not much traffic. The trees thinned out and started to look more like Scrub Oak and Juniper.
Passed next to and over the Rockwall Reservoir (I-30 traffic in the background of the lighthouse on the Reservoir shown in the photo) just outside Dallas. With the Sun sparkling on the water, it looked like a great day for Bass fishing and leisurely boating.
Went through the Dallas (skyline shown in the photo) mixing bowl and on to Ft. Worth to pick up Interstate 20. West of Ft. Worth was hill country with scrub oaks, mesquite, and prickly pear cactus. Long horns too.
The scenario was that of the Texas Hill Country in Autumn. Lovely rolling hills, with great vistas out over the oaks and surrounding landscape.
Don't need long sleeves and jackets any more. Saw first oil pumper.
West of Eastland, the wind kicked up. Saw several windmill farms with cotton plants growing in the surrounding fields as shown in the photo. The biggest being at Roscoe, TX largest in the nation and world. (NPR Story)
The first oil well in this area was drilled in 1920 is near where we passed on I-20 in the Permian Basin near Odessa (the home of George W. and Laura Bush at one time). The locations of Odessa and the Permian Basin are shown the on this map.
The Permian Basin "{} is so named because it has one of the world's thickest deposits of rocks from the Permian geologic period". [Wikipedia, Permian Basin (North America)]
Temperature was going up in the late afternoon and the vegetation shrinking and thinning out. Now 81 degrees.
Route today: I-30 and I-20 for 530 miles.
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