Desert darkness - Ozona, TX

A few miles outside of Ozona Texas, known as the Biggest Little Town in Texas and the ONLY town in the entire county of Crockett - The Texas night is uuber dark...you can only see the briefest of outlines of the squat and scrappy trees by the glow of the headlights. The darkness literally flows as far as you can see. Quite a change from the daytime when you cannot escape the searing sun...it is in everything and everywhere, burning, scorching all in sight. We keep crossing bridges for nonexistent creeks. Herds of goats scavange for the tinest morsel of grass. As the miles and the ranches fly by, I wonder how anything continues to live out here.

Seriously. It is 10 pm and 95 degrees. No really, I just saw the bank sign in Ozona. Elsie is unhappy in the heat. Man, it really is dark out here save the occassional cell antenna, which honestly does me no good. I haven't had service for near on 8 hours. They slowly flash red on and off just to mock me.

Now the outlines are completely gone unless they fall in the path of our headlights. Wow, this is what it must have been like for the pioneers minus the headlights, Ozona, flashy cell towers, and hotels in the next town. We both sit lost in our own thoughts, partly cause the wind through the open windows makes it hard to hear but mostly cause there is not much to say about the darkness. So I stick my head out the window and look at the stars...the big dipper is right above me and so bright. I am grateful for the silence and the window breeze to cool the heat and the darkness. I am grateful for the darkness cause it also brings light. I reach for the fig newtons, my go to comfort food, and eat them as I hang out the window. The night wind whips through my already tangled hair. Only 69 miles left to go.