Darn it, we missed Opryland due to rain but we spent a lovely

afternoon in Memphis along the Mississippi River which is at it’s

highest flood level since 1937 and won’t crest for a few days.

Currently, we are driving through Lake Arkansas which extends

from the Mississippi to the Texas border.

We spent the day driving through Texas.  Dallas / Fort Worth area is really nice and modern.  Surprisingly, there is a huge lake with marinas on the outskirts of the city.  If one had to live in Texas, this would be the place.

Passed through the land of cotton , cattle ranches and oil rigs.  Sweetwater Texas is

known for the annual rattlesnake round up but we were

surprised to see huge wind farms stretching for dozens of miles.  The 

wind turbines were right by the side of the road and as far out to the horizon as  you could see on both sides of the highway.  Surrounding the turbines were fields of cotton or herds of cattle grazing.   Ate dinner in the saddest little town of Lamesa Texas, population 9,946.  It was the first time in years that we were asked if we wanted smoking or non smoking.  Most of the male patrons were wearing cowboy hats while they ate.  They had the smallest Walmart in the world in Lamesa.

 

On leaving the town, we drove towards Carlsbad New Mexico.  The depravity of Texas dramatically changed as soon as you cross the border into New Mexico and re-join civilization.