What an absolute exclamation point to mark the end of summer?!?  

Most everyone knows I travel “home” to West Texas to hunt the opening of Dove season with my friends.  This year, I added a few days to the trip and arrived early – for POTA.  Instead of Monahans, I drove 40 miles further to Pecos.  You know what a snow globe looks like when you shake it?  That’s Pecos, only it ain’t snow.

Up before dawn the first day, I drove Northwest 100 miles to US-0012 Carlsbad Caverns National Park. 

I found the highest point on the main park road, screwed in the ATAS, and got a quick 10 contacts on 40 meters while sitting flat out in the open sun. 

Natural shade seldom exists West of Midland.  You either make your own or do without.  CSMO, Close Station March Order – That’s Artillery speak for pack up and get on the road.

A short 15 miles to the base of the mountains brought me to a new-ish park, US-12591 Sunset Reef Campground BLM Recreation Management Area.  There are more words in the name of this park than there are interesting things to say about it.  Not complaining but it was about 5 acres of covered picnic tables fenced into the middle of a giant, flat plane like a tiny raft on a vast ocean of dirt and scrub brush. 

I used the ATAS for a bit with no answers then shifted to my 17ft vertical and radial ground plane.  With that antenna system in place, I collected 15 QSOs in short order and called this very lonesome park activated.  CSMO

30 miles Southwest brought me back in Texas and at US-0035 Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  A Butterfield stage site called Pinery Station is located on the park, as well as the official US-9757 Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail.  I raised the 17ft vertical next to the ruins of the Butterfield station and gathered 11 QSOs on 20 meters for both parks.  A twofer!

152 Miles back to the Pecos Hampton Inn to upload my logs and download the videos.  47 contacts from four parks, and counting the drive from Anna, 720 miles of windshield. It’s something you have to experience to truly appreciate.  I hope to go farther next year.

The next morning I drove 36 miles to US-2985 Balmorhea State Park and again with my trusty vertical, made 22 contacts.  

I learned a funny thing.  I grew up in those flat lands, I cowboyed and wrangled horses all across that country, hearing the history of it from the cowboys who made it.  The swimming pool at Balmorhea State Park is formed from a natural spring.  Basically, a concrete sidewalk around a natural “swimmin’ hole” that’s 25 feet deep.  I guess I always assumed the name, Balmorhea, was an Indian word.  Something noble and nature-oriented like, cool waters, or spring of life.  Nope.  The name Balmorhea is disappointingly the mishmash of three family names.  I kinda wish I hadn’t asked.

Then 81 miles to Monahans to meet my oldest friends for a few days of guns and laughs.  A new-to-me 1967 Colt National Match 1911 followed me home, but that’s a story for another day.

Going “wester” than Monahans just drove home a fact I’d rather ignore because it’s shameful.  I’m not tough enough to live there anymore.  It’s a joke, but it’s also true, everything either bites, stings, or stabs. Innocently walking, you reflexively slide away from a nest of red hornets only to back into a prickly pear cactus. Those cactus spines to the back of your calves will nearly launch you out of your boots and into a mesquite bush that not only grabs your T Shirt with inch-long thorns that rake blood trails across your skin, but is currently offering shade to a diamondback rattlesnake who’s a little put out that you’d disturbed his mid-day snooze. You could run, but you’d just die tired.

This POTA Adventure earned me three new parks and a 15^th state for my POTA Stats Page.  This is what I mean when I say POTA isn’t a contest, but it’s certainly a competition.  All the stats they collect do exactly what they’re designed to do – constantly drive me to surpass my own achievements.

Further, this trip to the lonesome part of Texas helps to level-set my own expectations.  All too often, we POTA ops look at the rest of the country and moan about how others live in a swarm of yellow dots on the POTA map like the corn kernels in a pot of beef stew.  – how we only have a dozen Well, be thankful and enjoy what you have. It could be worse … and certainly dustier.

You can see the video here.https://youtu.be/-aJ7tNRsj6g

As always,
73 and see you in the park
KA5TXN, Mark