Marfa, Tx

Just past Fort Davis I receive my second speeding ticket of the trip, this time for doing 87 in a 70. I negotiate the
ticket down to 85 which saves me $40. Pulling into Marfa, the sun is setting. It's New Year's Eve and freezing
when I check in at the Hotel Paisano.

Luckily, there's a fire going in the courtyard beside the fountain. I take an immediate liking to the place.

After putting my luggage in a comfortable room, I order an Oban and retire to the fire. Soon, I'm joined by my friend
from New York and some guests of the hotel. In the end twenty of us ring in the New Year with whiskey and cham-
pagne. I make a few friends and possibly one enemy as well. The next morning I explore the town.

On first appearances, with only a population of 2100 people, the town can seem quiet.

But Marfa doesn't reveal all of its secrets at once. The Masonic Temple, across the street from the Hotel Paisano.

The conveyance of choice...

...parked beside an aged Coca-Cola sign.

The view facing east.

The name Judd echos through the streets of Marfa. Clarence Judd Architectural...

...shares a building with Quintana's Barber Shop.

Crossing the tracks in Marfa, Tx.

Much sophistication of design exists in present day Marfa. I take some in at the Austin St. Cafe, where I have lunch.

The entryway to the cafe,

and one of the dining rooms.

The food was as delicious as the decor, and the hospitality was equally excellent. The

proprietors, Jack and Lisa, open the cafe just one day a month. It's a pretty good schedule

if you can manage it. After lunch, a nap at the hotel was in order.

It's a short walk, past the Presidio County Courthouse,

to a city landmark, the historic Hotel Paisano.

Position "A1".

All roads lead to the courtyard of the Hotel Paisano.

For much of its history it was known as the only fine hotel between San Antonio and El Paso.

Many distinguished guests have lodged at the hotel, including James Dean, Elizabeth
Taylor, and Rock Hudson, all of whom stayed here during the filming of Giant. More
recently, both "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" were filmed in Marfa.

After a lazy day with no riding to speak of, I have dinner at the Jett, then retire to the fire for a drink.

There Will Be Blood

Salt lakes in the Permian Basin, a desolate, oil producing region of New Mexico and Texas.

Because of the vast deposits of subterranean salt, it's here that the Federal Government has chosen as its primary
site for the disposal of Trans-Uranic waste. The waste arrives by truck and train...

...destined for everlasting interment thousands of feet beneath The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, outside Loving, NM.

I'm unable to visit the site for my Permanent Markers project, so I head south on the Jal Highway, looking for Twin 

Wells Road, nearby which is purported to be a plaque for Project Gnome, an underground atomic test site.

It doesn't take long before I discover the inspiration for the naming of Twin Wells Road.

Isolated derricks punctuate the endless, flat horizon.

Besides the dirt roads, they are the only signs of man.

I continue several dozen miles, into the scrub and wind, following my GPS with all the faith of the converted.

It leads me here.

I find out after a few miles why the sign exists when at 40 mph, I encounter deep sand. I'm lucky not to drop the bike.
I hold her up, mildly concerned by the fact that there is nowhere to turn around. I continue on, through the sand for
another mile before the road ends at a cattle watering. With a little effort, I turn around. It's a bit nerve-wracking
driving through sand, surrounded by such isolation. I'm glad to be back on the gravel of Twin Wells road heading
south to Jal.

You'll never mistake Jal for New York City. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

After a day of welding for oil field services, you can pick up a couple of six-packs of TNT.

I beat it south, to the Texas state line.

The first town I encounter is Kermit,

...where not much goes on.

I continue south, past Pecos, following Highway 17 to Fort Davis before stopping at this abandoned building.

I have no clue as to how long the structure has been in disrepair, but it seems like quite a while.

I use the facilities.

In my opinion, the place never looked better.

When my hands have warmed up, I get back on the bike and continue south, into the Fort Davis mountains.

Carlsbad Caverns

Deep beneath the foreboding landscape of the Delaware Basin...

...lies a vast, subterranean labyrinth.

Discovered by cow-hand Jim White in 1898, the site became known as Carlsbad Caverns. The above formation of
drapery is called The Whale's Mouth.

Situated nearly 800 feet underground...

...the cave is filled with many fascinating geological formations.

Stalactites hang from the ceilings...

...while elsewhere, impressive columns rise from the cave floor.

This type of formation is known as flowstone...

...while these features are typical of those found in the main chamber.

All them owe their existence to water...

...which deposits mineral content as it collects in crystalline pools. A tour of the caverns took the greater part of
a day...

...so extensive were the chambers and rooms.

After a long day underground, I took the elevators to the surface and returned to Carlsbad,
where the next day I would try to gain access to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.