I was sure the alarm clock’s incessant beeping at zero-dark-thirty this morning was a mistake, but sure enough it was right on the time I had set it…unfortunately.
To arrive in Dalhart after driving from Austin with enough time to get oriented, possibly rig and then meet up with other folks arriving from Colorado and Texas did not permit my usually leisurely start of the day routine.
A quick shower, a bowl of cereal and at 6:15am I dropped the Suburban into gear, waved goodbye to the wife, eased my trailered glider out of the driveway and pointed the nose north. The adventure begins! Only 550 (give or take a few!) miles to go!
I love a trip with long distance driving…there’s something about a solo road trip across the Big Open Spaces of West Texas that allows one the time to think, relax, and enjoy the journey…essential, because places out here are so far apart you aren’t getting there in a hurry!
Climbing out of a foggy Texas Hill country morning after leaving Llano, the terrain and geography changes, especially after heading northwest out of San Angelo. As the elevation increases, the humidity lowers and visibility improves to practically unrestricted. I’m driving US 87 towards Big Spring which roughly follows the Concho River for a good portion of the trip. 40+ mile horizon to horizon views are the norm now, and as I approach Big Spring and start the climb to the Llano Estacado in earnest, at the tops of the ridges like sentinels standing guard are gigantic windmills…dozens of them, as far as the eye can see. In an interesting juxtapose of old energy/new energy I pass an an operating oilfield pumpjack located practically alongside a windmill with its blades turning silently and slowly. Puffy, flat-bottomed Cu dot the scene and I idly guesstimate the bases…but with no cell service and no internet…a guess is as good as it will be for now!
From Lamesa northwards the land is generally billiard table flat and under heavy agricultural use. Huge irrigation systems dot the scene, some of which are long enough and can throw enough water that they can keep a crop for an entire section (640 acres or 1 square mile) of land green and growing, even during a Texas summer.
Finally, the miles remaining to Dalhart count down on the GPS to double digits, then single…I make my way through town then as I exit US 54 and weave my way back towards the old-airbase-now-municipal-airport I recall that this old base was used by the US Army Air Force to train B-17 and B-29 crews in WW2. As I enter the ramp area looking for a spot to drop my trailer, I try to imagine the beehive of noise and bustle of activity that would have comprised this base and its very important mission 70 years ago. It’s hard to do, especially since today I’m witness mostly to only the sound of the wind and the occasional turbine whine of a departing crop duster.
I finally make contact with my other FLF buddies, some of whom are here already and some who will arrive shortly. A short reunion and then we get to meet our first SSB participant that’s arrived, the esteemed Bob Whelan! Bob apparently is acting as vanguard for the rest of the SSB crew; we learn most will be showing up tomorrow. A quick powwow and we decide that rigging on an empty stomach would be a very bad plan, especially when we are proximate to what we learn to be a decent Mexican food joint just down the road! We quickly stash and secure our trailers and make tracks to verify our newly acquired intel, which happily proves to be true.
Tomorrow officially starts Day 1 of the camp and it will be a busy one what with rigging, setup and startup. I will try to have an update of the day’s activities out tomorrow night, but if not I will get a report out Saturday morning…hopefully this one will have something to report about some great flights and will be less of a West Texas travelogue!
Rob Schroer
ZAP
