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Wind Farm
near Sweetwater, TXAs we travel west, the landscape is changing. It’s getting hillier and there are some mesas in the distance. We’re seeing more cactus and yucca plants and they are in bloom. There is far less traffic on the highway, too. West of Abilene it’s getting drier and the trees are shorter. Near Sweetwater we see the first of the big wind turbines on the vast wind farms. Today is certainly a good day for generating electricity as the wind has been blowing steadily all day. Poor Milo (Gena and Bob’s dog) got into sand spurs at a rest area and they had to pick probably 200 of the stickers out of his fur.
Once past Hobbs, New Mexico, the oil wells are becoming more numerous. In places the skyline is cluttered with the pumps and the power poles that bring the electricity to run them. There are quite a few drilling derricks here, too. We see no animals other than the ones driving trucks, but the oil well pumps look like strange birds bobbing their heads. It’s quite a warm day and the heat and wind have formed more dust devils than I have ever seen. In places the sand
blows across the road in front of us. Just outside of Artesia, it changes, fields are cultivated and watered. Cattle are grazing.
We decided not to stop at Hobbs and are stopped for the night at Artesia, New Mexico, which is between Carlsbad and Roswell. It was pretty hot when we got here, but the wind and lack of humidity made it tolerable. It’s supposed to get down into the 50’s tonight.
It’s been a long day, nine hours on the road. Not the prettiest scenery today, but interesting.
More later…
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Babara
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We saw so many of those huge wind turbine farms on our trip tp Arizona. They really are an awesome sight! Continue to have fun on your westward adventure!!!!!