texas

On Saturday we traveled through the Texas panhandle. The geography is starting to change from the green lushness of the Ozarks to the reds, browns, and greys of the dessert.  It’s also hot, over 90 degrees. 

The other interesting thing about the landscape all along I40 from the Arkansas state line to the New Mexico state line are the wind turbines. Thousands of wind turbines as far as the eye can see.  Texas is not part of the Eastern or Western power grid, preferring, for political not technical reasons, to have its own electrical grid. (They are the “Lone Star State, after all.) This means they do not share or receive power from any other states outside of Texas in times of need. You may remember the winter of 2021 when an unusually cold winter caused the grid to go down and millions of Texas consumers lost power. 

The admirable part is, Texas leads the nation in wind power production and is second in solar power production. I think it would be fun to be a fly on the wall when Texas state officials discuss expanding renewable energy sources since they are also the country’s largest oil and gas producer. Hum….

One stop was to see Cadillac Ranch just outside Amarillo.  The photos speak for themselves. Recent rains left the sculptures surrounded in mud, frustrating the many people who came with spray paint cans in hand ready to leave their mark. Instead, they were spraying everything in sight, concrete barriers, the road, the NO PAINTING signs, the fences even the ground. We got out of there as fast as possible before someone decided to paint our camper. 

P.S. That is not a typo in the title. Just my small protest.