Desert Landscape: A few notes

     From the time we left Dallas and just outside of Fort Worth, Texas the landscape flattens out and the roads become long and straight.  The western desert land is miles of open space, flat land, and big sky.  The colors are simple, beige with hints of dark green scrub and cactus plants.  I am not sure how far one can actually see but it feels like if I stood on my tip toes, I could see the curvature of the earth.  
The cactus plants are spiny and short, I need to research the names of some of them.  Jack found out how sharp the thorns can be when he decided to take a pee up close to one of them.

     We saw deer one evening around dusk just outside of Fort Davis. We were told about a clearing of Cottonwood trees where the deer and sometimes elk would wander around in the open space just before sunset.  We did not see elk but a herd of deer made their way into the clearing.  We got a beautiful look at these white tail deer.
 
   On a few occasions we spotted Road-Runners on the side of the road, some alive, some not.  They are actually very cute with their waddle.  It was sad to  see a few coyotes that had been hit by cars.

     The desert truly is its own beauty and part of the beauty, for me, is the silence.  The quietness at night is remarkable. I feel very small in the vastness of space that is all around.  Tonight the sky is dark with a few clouds so the stars are not all that visible but when we do see the entire night sky is sparkling with crystals.

     One of the sights we did not encounter was the so called Marfa Lights.  Evidently, at some times of the year and certain geological conditions the sky around Marfa gives off a light show.  It is similar to the northern lights, they say.  Some even say it is people from outer space.
   
     On our drive from Texas to New Mexico, the natural landscape does not change much but it is evident how humans are impacting it.  The land is now exploding with fracking companies.  Huge oil rigs, water pipes and containment facilities are everywhere.  Trucks in and out of the sites were busy carrying whatever they are transporting from one location to another.  Small motor home facilities were popping up to house the workers.  These trailer camps seem to be a modern day version of the coal patch towns of the early 20th century.  On a personal note, there is so much wind and sun here, I don’t understand why there aren’t giant wind or solar farms.  The energy these companies are using to find gas and oil is unbelievable, especially considering the lack of water here.

     The desert space is wide open, simple and flat, ginger colored grassses with dark green cactus dot the land.  The desert sky is deep blue with whispy clouds in daylight. The night sky is black with millions of glistening stars.  I would venture to guess that we are not alone in this vast universe.