Florida Spring Training 2018 - Day 9

After what seemed like a short night, we got going this morning around 9:00 am, stopped for gas and a mocha and got through El Paso morning traffic without any problems.  It seems like every time we came through here the last 4 years, the road was under construction.  Well, it still is.  The urban border wall with Mexico is very visible downtown and frankly, it doesn't look like much of a deterrent.

We were expecting relatively high crosswinds today but they never materialized.  It turned out to be an easy drive, but long.  After a few stops for a border patrol checkpoint, gas, lunch, construction delays and a time zone change, we arrived in Midland, TX about 5:30 pm local.

The Midland /Odessa area (they are about 10 miles apart) is in the mist of an "Oil Boom". The market is apparently good and heavy drilling (fracking and direct drilling) and distribution is going on in the area. The area is located in the middle of what is called the Permian Basin.

It is so named because it has one of the world's thickest deposits of rocks from the Permian geologic period. The Permian Basin gives its name to a large oil and natural gas producing area, part of the Mid-Continent Oil Producing Area.  Over the past century, the Permian has yielded 39 billion barrels of oil and is presently producing around 3.5 million barrels a day.  It could also pump another 70 billion barrels in the future if oil prices remain financially feasible.

The towns of Midland and Odessa serve as the headquarters for oil production activities in the basin. The area is essentially a large industrial area with numerous oil well rigs, supporting businesses and lots of pick-up trucks. There is sprawl, oil business equipment - new and used all over the place and a fair amount of local traffic.  We also didn't see any BMWs or Priuses on the road.  It is definitely a working class area.

It looks like there a lot of jobs available (hard outside physical work) and local housing is scarce.  The person checking us in at the park said they keep several sites for overnight travelers but are full for extended stays.  She said they had 19 calls today for monthly/6 month stays which is typical each day.  The RV park we are staying in nice, not a destination resort, but adequate for an overnight stop.

We didn't unhook, had a light dinner and are retiring early tonight for another long drive tomorrow to Fort Worth, TX.  We will spend two nights there and try and do some "Texas Things" while there.

Pictures - Day 9