Southwest 2016 (SW16): Six Days and Six States Part 1

Six Days and Six States
Sunset View
I think this trip will be filled with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, so that will be the opening theme. Here’s the best sunset so far from Hueco Tanks State Park, Texas:

Day 1: February 6
We left at 2:56 AM amidst fluffy snow. We flew through to London in the sun and little traffic or weather. It was an easy border crossing at Detroit with a cat-loving female (Mandy, the traitor, purred and made nice). The flags were in the greens on golf courses in Ohio, we saw Swans in Cygnet, and the warmest temperature was, of course, in Miami, Ohio (48F). We stayed overnight at the Pilot in Pembleton, KY (642 miles!) after a good long day of driving.
Day 2: February 7
We left at 5:00 AM in the dark and the sun rose to a cold 30F. Fuel is SO cheap. We filled the tank with Diesel for exactly 1/2 of what we paid in North Carolina three months ago! We got through Nashville, and they were spraying de-icer on Highway 40W! A snowstorm was in the forecast, and the woman at the WalMart said people were in buying milk, eggs and bread! But no bad weather for us.
I did see one Daffodil in bloom at a Rest Stop in Arkansas. In Wheatley, Arkansas, hundreds of small white Geese landed in a field. After 585 miles, we stopped at a Truck Stop with this view from my chair:

Day 3: February 8
Lots more driving with these observations:

• Ta Molly’s Mexican Kitchen
• 1st Brahma Bull in Mount Vernon, TX
• Dallas hurricane or tornado damage in one spot near the entrance to the President George Bush Toll Road (hmmm…)
• big city life:

• first Great Egret in Fort Worth
• CHEAP gas ($1.39) and Diesel ($1.69)
• BBQ stop
• 1st cottonfields in Merkel along with 1st working oil drill
• nice juxtaposition in Sweetwater, “The Wind Energy Capital of North Texas” (note the oil drills as well):

We stayed at the Pilot in Big Spring after 576 miles:

Day 4: February 9
We left later to drive in the daylight and the sights and smells of oil refining (not a pretty part of Texas):

But by Toyah, we started to see mountains in the distance:

At Van Horn, we headed north on Highway 54 for a scenic drive with mountains and salt flats:


…and pulled into Hueco Tanks State Park after a mere 362 miles! After lots of rules and a mandatory video (this place has Rock Climbers and Native American pictographs that they have recently-1960’s-started to protect), we settled into Site 9 ($16 E/W with Texas Park Pass). We got our bearings and knew we would love this pretty place.