As you fly through the nothing-filled, interstate-landscape of West Texas, try not to run over her spirit.
Weary trailers, holy from a decade of sacrifice and solitude will greet you. Vacant towns count hours until the sun spills its yolk onto the horizon. To appreciate West Texas you will surrender your pace to her unconventional beauty. Her desolate solitude is a porthole. “Where my spirit can be free“ -Willie Nelson
At roughly 773 miles wide with an area of 268,820 square miles (696,200 km), Wikipedia tells me that Texas is twice as large as Germany. The under hyped, under appreciated, West Texas drive usually weighs heavy over our tramp-life. However, this time we motioned to go at it differently.
We set out to find a West Texas worth rolling around in a bit.
The road stretches out for miles in front of you. It’s not only cool to see the curvature of the earth, you can also see storms brewing, animals roaming, and hours of mountain ranges that seem to travel alongside you.
Meander off the interstate; drive slower, things will appear- differently. We drove to Marfa; it’s artsy, historical, mysterious, tree bearing and refreshing. It’s in West Texas, beaming above Big Bend National Park.
We enjoyed entire albums with our hours of road time. Ride into Texas bumpin’ some of these native sons & daughters:
Dennis is evangelical about Texas gangster rap; Geto Boys, Ganksta Nip, and The Convicts. I grew up with some classic Texas folk country like Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. You can easily pay homage to the influential blues rockers from Texas as well: Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Miller Band, Joplin, and ZZ Top. Or try on something newer, with Austin Indy sounds like Spoon and the Octopus Project.
Share your West Texas wanderings or favorite Texan Musicians with us.
The next drive is inevitable.
Photo: “Prada Marfa is a permanently installed sculpture by artists Elmgreen and Dragset, situated 2.3 km (1.4 mi) northwest of Valentine, Texas, just off U.S. Route 90, and about 60 km (37 mi) northwest of the city of Marfa.” More from Wikipedia