A "HARE-RAISING" DAY

Tuesday, May 3 – We drove the car a few miles to the neighboring town of Odessa to do some sightseeing. Like Midland, Odessa is located in the geographic region known as the Permian Basin, where the discovery of oil in 1929 propelled the area into the center of the oil boom. It is still the center for service, workforce, transportation, supply and manufacturing to the oil industry. It is considered one of the major oil field technology centers in the world. Oil, Oil, everywhere....why is gas so expensive here.....JEESH!

Our main reason for visiting Odessa was for Marsha to see RABBITS. There are 37 brightly decorated hoppers at scattered locations throughout the city (Paul says: “Why couldn't they be in one park?”) The Jackrabbit is Odessa's official mascot. Why Jackrabbits you ask. It all started with the great Odessa Jackrabbit Roping Content back in 1932, as a “hare-brained” publicity stunt for the Rodeo. Although opposed by many, a judge ruled that the contest did not violate any Texas law. The competition was held and a cowgirl named Grace Hendricks roped a jackrabbit from horseback in 5 seconds flat, winning over all her embarrassed male competitors. For unknown reasons, the event disappeared in the following years.

This is Paul with the tallest of all the rabbits…8 feet!

Then in 1977, the notorious contest was revived, causing a coast-to-coast outcry. An animal lover from Midland successfully delayed the event by liberating the caged rabbits that had been captured for the rodeo. However, the event was back on schedule when the rabbits returned to their pen at dinner time. Seven ropers competed in the event with Jack Torian winning with a six-second scamper.

Today the only competition comes from the awards presented for the best entry in the “Hoppy Trails Collection” and the scholarships awarded to local students.

Don't worry, we didn't visit all 37 rabbits (Paul wouldn't stand for it), so here are only a few pictures. But, if you want to see them all, visit the official website.

HOP TO THE BEAT OF THE BASIN

UNCLE SAM RABBIT

BLOOMING BUNNY

BLUES BUNNY

TEXAS "HARE" TAGE…If you don't get it, say it fast.

PATCHWORK RABBIT

AN AMERICAN TRIBUTE

We also visited the Stonehenge replica on the University of Texas of the Permian Basis campus.

It is identical to the original; however, vertically it measures 70 percent of the original in size. Each stone weighs over 20,000 pounds and is composed of limestone slabs.

Our final stop for the day was the Odessa Meteor Crater. It is the second largest in the nation, approximately 550 feet in diameter and 100 feet deep.

Odessa Meteorite…Iron…70 lbs.

Unfortunately, the crater has been filled by silt and wind driven sand and today is only 6-feet deep. The circular impression is very obvious with a rock-buttressed rim sounding the crater. Luckily, admission to this National Landmark is free.

On the floor of the crater.

Two days is PLENTY of time to see Midland and Odessa. If you aren't planning to come this way, don't change your plans. Unless you like lots of dust and dirt, you won't miss anything. On a positive note…everyone is very friendly and helpful.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

OIL COUNTRY…MIDLAND/ODESSA TEXAS

Monday, May 2 – RAIN DELAY! We had rain overnight and it continues this morning delaying our departure from San Angelo. This area really need the rain so for the locals it's a welcome relief. We prefer not to drive in the rain - for safety reasons and because wet roads cause the MH and car to get absolutely FILTHY! We'll wait several hours and see how the weather develops.

Around 9:4 5a.m., we headed 130 miles west to Midland/Odessa, Texas area. We are staying in the Midland RV Campground in Midland, Texas. It's $22 per night with full hook-ups. That includes a 15% Escapee membership discount. We are in Site #67. The campground is nothing to write home about. There are very few places to stay in this area. This park has mostly people who are working in the oil or steel industry.

Down our road.

Prices seem high in this area. Granted, we are in the middle of no where, but everything seems unreasonably high. Diesel is $4.07, museum entry fees are around $10, and this CG is a little expensive for what you get. I asked the guy that directed us to our campsite why that was the case..."Everyone has money around here," he replied. “If you don't like your job, you can quit and get a new one tomorrow,” he added. Oil money is the reason. I've never seen sooooo many oil wells and new wells being drilled. Just about every vehicle we saw driving in from San Angelo was a huge semi-truck or pickup truck hauling oil equipment of some kind. We are definitely in oil country.

With that on our minds, our first sightseeing stop was the Petroleum Museum.

This is the nation's largest museum dedicated to the petroleum industry and its pioneers. It holds the world's largest collection of antique drilling equipment and modern drilling machinery. It features a fascinating 40-acre outdoor exhibit area and literally thousands of objects that both educate and entertain visitors.

We spent some time walking through the “Oil Patch” (the outdoor exhibits) which is dedicated to the men of the oil fields and the wells drilled at thousands of locations around the area.

A "Christmas Tree" wheelhead assembly controls the flow of gas and oil from a high pressure well. The collection of valves and chokes allows the rate of flow to be maintained at the optimum level and directed to various pipelines, storage tanks, or processing facilities.   I believe this was the type of valve that failed in the Gulf Oil Disaster.

The Santa Rita #2 has been restored to its 1923 appearance. It is was used to drill the first well in Texas.

The wrenches they use are huge!

The Wichita Sudder is a cable tool rig that was used in the early 1900's.

Because we are originally from Canton, Ohio, we were particularly interested in the next one. The Timken Roller Bearing Company main factory is in Canton. The bearing bowls on this unit are a Timken product.

Marsha thought she would lend a hand.

This huge fly wheel….18-20 feet in diameter……was used to provide power to five or six pumping units.

This Modern Rotary Drilling Rig would be capable of drilling down over 14,000 ft. It stands 1448 ft. high and would weigh over one million pounds fully rigged and operative.

It has three engines.

We then visited the home of one of the most famous Midland, TX former residents. The childhood home of George W. Bush. The modest home has been restored to the early 1950's and reflects the lives of the young family. Never have so many prominent political figures lived in one home – two presidents, two governors, two first ladies, two ambassadors, and a CIA director. Due to the fact that the house is closed on Monday which we did not know, we only have pictures of the outside.

That is his original dog house.

The downtown area is unusual in that it is rather compact with quite a few tall buildings. They appear to have built UP rather than OUT. Just about everything seems to be related to the oil industry in one way or another.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

HISTORIC FORT CONCHO IN SAN ANGELO

Saturday, April 30 – We did NOTHING! Rode our bikes, took a hike, sat outside, ate Pizza Rolls and watched the Indians win! Perfect day.

This is our favorite bird. The Double-Tailed Fly Catcher. Look how long the tail is. It is so fast…amazed we got this picture.

Sunday, May 1 – WOW….. has the weather changed. Yesterday we had 100 degrees, and now today it is 55 with winds that could get as high as 50 mph. Crazy.

We were at the busiest Laundromat we have ever seen. People just kept coming and going. We were seated right next to the gal that works the desk and could not believe what they charge to do people’s laundry. One gentleman brought in his laundry…one basket and one carry-in pile…$67.00. He then gave her a $10 tip. She said it was so expensive because he had so many jeans. They charge by the pound. We were amazed!

We all know what a BIG fan Marsha is of the Cleveland Indians. A gentleman seated next to us noticed she had on a Cleveland Indians Spring Training t-shirt. He told us that he used to be one of the cooks from 1973-79 for the team when they did spring training in Tucson. We asked him how many autographs he got. He looked, smiled and said NONE. Marsha just about lost it. He said he never even thought about it. He was a Boston Red Sox fan. How do you like that, Ed and Linda? One of your kind.

Do you know what this is?

It is mistletoe. It grows in the Mesquite trees in this area. Pretty neat to see it growing on the tree next to our MH.

Flashback to Friday -  Our last visit was the Historic Fort Concho. Founded in 1867 as a frontier outpost to protect early Texans against unfriendly Indians, it is now a National Historic Landmark. Fort Concho served as regimental headquarters for some of the most famous frontier units like the 4th and 10th Cavalry. Seventeen buildings on the fort grounds have been restored and offer a glimpse at life in early San Angelo.

We toured the Museum first. We watched a short movie about the Fort which was very informative. Marsha found some interesting items.

This quilt was made in 1897 from ties. This picture is for Marsha’s friend, Louise, who makes beautiful quilts.

Did you know that General George McClellan, Union Army officer during the Civil War, was responsible for the design of the military saddle. This saddle became the standard issue saddle for the US Army from 1859-1943.

This item is a man’s harness used for harnessing men to the tongue of the cannon when horses could not be used to maneuver in tight quarters.  It was 18 ft. in length and usually took ten men to pull one cannon or piece of equipment.

Constructed for the most part of native limestone, Fort Concho consisted of at least forty buildings and covered more than 1600 acres.  This is the main drill field.  See the surrounding buildings.  Notice how dry the grass is in west Texas.

One of the cannons.

Paul explains how the cannon is attached to this piece for hauling. Yes it is a bit windy! Hold on to your hat Paul.

Enlisted Men's Barrack - August 1869.  Each of the barracks was built for two squadrons of men.   Each squadron room was 82' long with a sally port (bathroom) between the rooms. A single company occupied each squadron room.

Behind all barracks were the company mess halls.

The Adjutant Officer was the administrative assistant to the commanding officer of the post.

The Clerk and Orderly room served as the main business and record office for the post.

They actually had one room dedicated to Court Martial cases.

The Hospital was the first and finest building to be built.

Looks like cleaning up cat litter.

The Officer’s Quarters were actually pretty nice.

The School/Chapel was the last building built. It doubled as the school during the week and place of worship on the weekend.

We had a nice visit stepping back in time. We are glad we didn’t have to live during this time.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya’ll back real soon. Have a great day!