December 11, 2008

December 11, 2008

Midland is the nerve center of West Texas oil country. The flat countryside around here is dotted with oil pumpers everywhere. So it doesn’t seem right to leave town without visiting the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum. It doesn’t open till 10AM so we spend a few moments driving by the former house of Midland’s best-known oilmen, the George Bushes. The Bush family lived in this very modest home from 1950-55. We skip the house tour and head on to the oil museum. We have to hang loose on the grounds for a while waiting for the elderly volunteer to realize it is time to open the doors.

Whereas coal is derived from the fossilization of land plants, petroleum forms from marine organisms. Millions of years ago West Texas was at the bottom of a shallow sea and conditions were ideal for transformation of algae into petroleum. The museum gives an entertaining overview of how oil deposits are located, drilled, and pumped out of the ground. While I find it generally interesting Aimee is bored silly.

By noon we are on I-20 heading towards Dallas. Besides oil wells, I am surprised to see mile after mile of modern windmills along the highway. I guess West Texas is preparing for the time when the oil runs out. I am also surprised at the amount of traffic on this isolated stretch of highway. Texas doesn’t seem to realize the economy is hurting. After many hours of driving we spend the night in Stephenville, southwest of Dallas.