West Texas Dust

Image by amazingsdj from Pixabay

We've had an interesting trip so far—interesting in that it hasn't turned out as we expected.

However, it's been greatly beneficial for writing. I made notes along the way that will help with story settings. 

Fredericksburg and the Wine Trail were a delight. I'll blog about that another day.

The unexpected began with the dust storm we drove into as we approached Midland.

We'd noticed how the wind grew stronger with every hour that passed.

We drove on, passing prickly pear cactus and billboards advertising "fresh water" and crushed caliche (that's kuh-lee-chee), used on many county roads in Texas instead of gravel.

Up ahead on the horizon, the sky began to turn a pinkish beige. The beige color gradually overtook the blue until blue bracketed the extreme right and left sides of the sky. Wind began blowing sand and dirt from one side of the road to the other.

Sunny day in West Texas. Image: Laura Upshaw, Pixabay

Since we'd lived in the oil patch years ago, we knew what was happening. A dust storm.

Dreaded Dust Storm

I tried my best to capture the sky full of dust in a picture, but I couldn't do justice to it. I found the one above on Pixabay. It depicts a dust storm fairly well.

We arrived in Midland and fought the blowing dust as we carted our bags into the hotel. We met Darling Hubby's cousin who drove over from the New Mexico side and spent most of the afternoon outdoors, ignoring the blowing dust just as the locals do.

When I jumped into the shower later, the water hit the dust in my hair and made it look as if I were standing in muddy rain.

Scenic? Not Really

I'd forgotten how awful the wind and dust can be in West Texas. I'd also forgotten how, well, unattractive oil patch towns can be. Even Midland with its downtown business center and attractive subdivisions is basically an oil patch town.

Image by Laura Upshaw from Pixabay

Pump jacks, workover rigs, oilfield equipment, and oil companies of various kinds line the road into town.

What's missing are the trees, shrubbery, and flowers that adorns the rest of Texas.

Landscaping is xeriscape for the most part which can be very attractive, but the landscape around Midland is devoid of trees for the most part.

If you're a fan of sand, caliche, and gravel, you'll like that part of Texas.

The wind was still blowing when we awoke the next day, but the dust wasn't nearly as bad. The sky was gray, and the temperature was 62 degrees. I'd packed mostly clothes for a hot Texas summer. I was freezing.

Takeaway Truth

We abandoned our plans to visit a couple of the museums including the George Bush home and began our journey home. Next stop, Big Spring, Texas.