After some time in this state, I’ve gotten the impression that Texans view their home a little differently to how most Americans view theirs. People from other states tend to see themselves as US citizens first, and residents of their states second. Texans, by contrast, give the distinct impression that they view themselves as Texas citizens first and US citizens as almost a side effect of that. Locals like to call this attitude ‘Texas Pride' (WARNING: May be offensive). Those from nearby states tend to call it things that can’t be repeated in public. (WARNING: Not Safe For Work) Remember the Alamo Whatever one thinks of this way of looking at the world, it’s g... read more

Fredericksburg has a reputation within Texas as a place to escape. I spent most of the day relaxing, except for laundry and other chores. The Laundromat had two things that really showed where I am. Like most, it had a few TVs on for people to watch while waiting. In most parts of the country, they show soaps. Here, they showed football highlights. Not just any highlights either, HIGH SCHOOL football highlights. The other item was an editorial in the local paper. The long drought in the state has caused problems for local wildlife by reducing the food supply. The editorial stated that the logical solution was to increase the length of hunting season this year! Welcome to Texas.... read more

At first glance, Marfa Texas is like most other towns around here. It contains an elaborate beaux arts courthouse surrounded by a small business district, and then dry plains stretching to the horizon. Spend some time here, and the arty vibe other communities lack becomes apparent. That surreal building from last night, for example, was created as a piece of installation art, Prada Marfa. The scene is all due to minimalist sculptor Donald Judd, who founded a museum here called the Chinati Foundation in 1979. His ambition was to display his work and those of artists he liked on an unprecedented scale. The foundation is far from any large city, and has limi... read more

I left Artesia this morning heading south across the Llano Estacado: flat, featureless, and profoundly empty. I could be back in the rangeland of northern Wyoming (see , except that Wyoming has snow by now) with the same sapping effect on my sanity. I drove into this seemingly empty void for the same reason everyone does, to experience one of the most compelling natural features in the United States. Good thing it exists, because there’s almost nothing else for hours in all directions. Guadalupe Mountains Old signs started appearing along the road. They are a historic sight of a sort, because they have been there for over fifty years. They look it too. In glorious 1950s style graphics, the signs talk about various tourist facilities like food, motels, and gift shops. All of them end with ... read more

Smokey Bear State Park All drives through national forests, and I have been doing quite a bit on this trip, pass wooden signs of a bear wearing a forest service ranger hat and levis, holding a shovel (see ). The signs state the fire risk in the forest. Statues of this bear also appear outside many forest service ranger stations. The bear, of course, is Smokey Bear, the forest service mascot. (FYI, his middle name is NOT ‘The’, no matter how many tourists state otherwise.) People of a certain age remember that Smokey was once an actual bear. I drove to Smokey Bear State Park in Capitan to learn his story. In the years after World War II, the forest service had a huge problem. Large numbers ... read more