The Wind

Windmills in the Delaware Mountains of west Texas.

Texas can be a windy place, especially in the western part of the state. In several places around the state giant wind farms have sprung up where dozens or hundreds of windmills harness the wind to create electricity. Texas leads the country in the generation of wind power and is set to take the next step forward with even more huge wind projects.

These mills have been up for several years and line the ridgeline of the Delawares. The Delawares are just south of the Guadalupes and the wind can howl through this area so these are sure to be generating power almost non-stop. To let you know how windy it can be here I have camped at GMNP when the National Weather Service has clocked 75mph winds in Guadalupe Pass (yes, that is hurricane force). I sure am glad I have a good tent!

Mule Ears Peak

Mule Ears Peak in Big Bend National Park as seen through the spindly shadows of an ocotillo.

I had looked for different vantage points to photograph this peak with it's distinctive "ears". The overlook parking lot is the standard view, but I bushwacked through a lot of lechiguilla up one of the nearby hills (was it ever fun coming down in the dark) and found this view.

Autumn Path

Trail through the fall woods of McKittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The fall colors of the Guadalupes a vivid hidden surprise of these desert mountains. Maples from the last ice age, still survive in a few remote west Texas ranges. McKittrick Canyon is the best area in the park and has been called "the prettiest spot in Texas".

This scene is deep in the canyon near the Grotto.

Abandoned on the Roadside

Abandoned buildings and an old adobe wall in Culberson County.

There are places in the desert where people once tried to make a go of it and then decided it was not worth it. A few abandoned buildings are all that remain.

This is the remains of a old motel. Perhaps it was a thriving location on the highway once, but with the coming of the interstate things changed. Now it is a quiet ruin.

Moonset

Moonset on the sand at Monahans Sandhills State Park.

I arrived in the park early one morning to see the moonset right before the sunrose. I was only able to make a couple of frames before it was gone.

Dune Sunrise

Sunrise on the dunes at Monahans Sandhills State Park.

The Sandhills are found in the Permian Basin west of Odessa near the town of Monahans. From the Interstate one can see some sand but most of the highway roadside area has been stabilized by vegetation. It is not until you take the exit and get into the state park you see the open sand and the larger dunes. There you will find that some of the dunes are 60+ ft tall.

Western Chisos at Sunset

The western Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park at sunset.

This image was made off the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive of the western side of the Chisos on a clear afternoon.

The rock of the Chisos is reddish to begin with and the early and late light on it makes it glow orange.