Day 59 - Cotton, Peanuts, Watermelon, and oil

Wednesday Oct 27, 2010

Today is a new state and no more lying around a motel room. I was up at 530, showered quickly, and down for breakfast at 6 when they opened. I packed most things last evening, so didn’t have a lot this morning. By 7, I was walking out the door and on the road toward Texas. I never saw the town of Hobbs, maybe the first town of the entire trip I haven't seen. The 62/180 bypass passed north of town, so not sure what the downtown area looks like.

Within a few miles I was off the bypass, and on Hwy 62/180 heading east. There were still some signs of oil wells, but fewer than west of the town. At around 845am, I left New Mexico and took my first steps in Texas. The first things I noticed were these huge crop circles, mostly cotton. Things out this way are planted in circles, I assume because of the way the crops are irrigated. I tried to calculate the approx size of one circle, and I’d guess about 800-1000 feet diameter. (just a guess based on the size of the irrigation device.) Planting in circles appears to waste space, but out here, there’s plenty to waste.

As I walked along I could hear a plane in the distance, and it sounded like it was crop dusting…..but I never could see it. I walked a little farther and encountered 3 guys doing some work on a well. One guy introduced himself as David Kemp, and said they were test the quality of the oil coming from the pump. Three products come from 1 hole….water, gas, and oil. They had a machine that can separate the 3, and from that they determine how many barrels of oil per day the well is producing. David also told me there is no big reservoir of oil underground, but the oil, water, and gas actually seep from the rock into holes in the oil pipe. Am I the only one that didn’t know that? I asked David about the crop dusting and he said thethe cotton is sprayed to get it to dry more quickly so it can be picked. We humans just don't like the speed at which Mother Nature does things, do we? Are we unique in this trait among all living things?

As I continued walking, there were fewer wells, and most of those were in the distance. They were replaced by agriculture…..primarily cotton, peanuts, and watermelon in this area. Also, the businesses in the area became those that support these products…..cotton gins, peanut processing plants, seed producers, etc. This is unlike the area from Artesia to Hobbs, where everything seemed to support oil production. There are also numerous pecan groves in the area, one of the larger being Bass Pecan Farm. The numerous trucks passing me on the road were hauling cotton to the gin. Previously it was oil to the refinery, and prior to that, copper from the mines.

I lost another hour of walking time today……(students, do you know why?) and the road didn’t have mile markers, so I never was sure how many miles I covered. Around 530 or so, I began looking for a suitable campsite. I finally found a business with an empty lot beside it, and was given permission to put the tent up there. Before long it was up, and I was inside, ready for my first night in Texas. Early tomorrow I will be in Seminole, and next headed toward Lamesa.