DAY 124: US 87, SOUTH OF LAMASA - BIG SPRING, TEXAS

Regardless of what us "little people" do or do not do, Ole Sol keeps coming up each morning. This photo is from the United Gin Company grounds, where SPIA, SAM & ME spent the night.

For me, it was an uncomfortable night at best. During my visit to the LUBBOCK Hospital, they pumped me full of water supplement, saying I was dehydrated. I may have been a bit dehydrated, but I consumed at least four (4) bags of IV water during my stay with them.

The hydration bags had to do with my Kidney Stone ! !

During the night, I got up to Pee at least every 10 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG. In the hospital, the nurses kept examining my urine, straining it, looking for that stone. They did not find it. So, each time I urinated I carefully examined my pee too. About 4:00am, no stone, but there was a deep colored cloud of thick liquid. I was shocked and mesmerized at the same time. The kidney pain instantly stopped.

10 minutes later, another full bladder; but, surprise surprise...the liquid was crystal clear. The 10 minute cycle continued until 6:00 am, clear liquid...NO pain.

Whatever the LUBBOCK hospital folks did, that stone disintegrated and was expelled, not as a stone, by as a thick liquid.

I write this, not to repulse anyone, but to share the quick end to an usually many-day painful experience (I had a kidney stone 20 years ago for which I was hospitalized for 3 days).

From the moment of the first pain while walking, the entire episode was OVER within 16 hours. I can only attribute that to the LUBBOCK Crew.

I walked 22 miles today. There was NO pain. The cycle of peeing was over when I started walking at 5:30 am and has remained that way all day and through the evening...it is now 10:30 pm. We are parked in an RV Park in BIG SPRING, TEXAS for the night, space # 2.

I walked past this oil pump two times today...this was in the early morning.

US 87 was nearly devoid of traffic until later in the morning. My first walk was 12 miles, taking a little over 3 hours. I wanted SAM to join me, but the wind was still blowing hard, so she remained on her SPIA perch.

The "forever flat" land is beginning to become rolling hills. The number of oil rigs is increasing ever since leaving ACKERLY, TEXAS.

Many small clusters of oil tanks dot the landscape. Each oil pump has from one to four tanks into which they store the pumped crude oil.

An usual event...an open gate with nothing going on on the other side. Almost NEVER does one see an open unattended gate out here.

Oil rig after Oil rig dot the landscape...alternating from sometimes flat to sometimes rolling hills.

US 87 stretches, as usual, into the far horizon...this day, that horizon is murky from SMOG, and the air is becoming heavy with moisture...i.e., humidity.

Rolling hills, increasing number of trees, and increasing moisture in the air...we are about to have a significant change as we walk South towards BIG SPRING, TEXAS.

Many fields still have last year's Cotton Plants standing in the fields, denuded of their Cotton BOLLS. It is an indication that as pointed out by Cornelius, more folks are taking a short cut by not plowing last years fields, but are planting right over the old plants...a BIG savings in $$ in these difficult dry years of increasing crop failures due to lack of water.

The following photographs show details of a "Planting" machine mounted on a tractor.

Looking closely, one can see the small "disc" that cuts the furrow for the Cotton Seed. It is a bit forward and to the right of the rubber tire.

This forked device drags soil over the disc slot where the seed was just planted.

The Yellow boxes contain Cotton Seed. This unit plants 8 rows of Cotton Seeds at once.

This photo shows the water hose connection from the Tank on the front of the tractor leading to each of the 8 planting rows...water to give a "kick start" to the seed, hoping it will begin germination in this moisture-less environment.

Cornelius has the distinct advantage over this farmer in that Cornelius has a moisture filled field thanks to his underground watering system. This farmer has NOTHING in the way of moisture enhancement. If it does not rain, he will have NO crop this year.

The water filled tank on the front of the tractor.

The entire tractor assembly...water tank in front...planting appendage for 8 rows in back. In the distance, is an oil rig.

Please say HELLO to Ernestus, driver of the planting tractor. Ernestus stopped for to and pointed out the various components of his equipment...we discussed the importance of water to growing the cotton...

Ernestus drives away, disc a-slicing, seed a-falling, soil a-filling, water a-spraying...all in the hope of rain in time to produce this years cotton crop. His partner in the distance, plants more seeds.

Some details of the Oil Rig standing behind Ernestus tractor.

This is the "mantis" head, bobbing up and down to pull oil up the pipe reaching as much as 7,000 feet below the surface. 15 feet rise with every stroke of the head.

The Drive Pully (wheel)- attached by a belt to an electric motor - which rotates the counterweights which move the mantis head up and down...much like a teeter totter we used to play on.

Lying on my back on the ground, the Sun shielded from the Camera, achieved this unique shot of the oil rig at the bottom of the Mantis Head stroke.

DAILY REPORT: Walked 22 miles in two walking sessions.

SEE YOUR IMPACT.ORG: Credit 22 miles @ $0.02 per mile = $0.44 for the day.

Drove early in the afternoon to the RV Park in BIG SPRING, TEXAS. Because of the hospital diversions the past two days, did not have the opportunity to create the Blogs. Needed massive amount of electricity to run the computer. Have spent the better part of the last 10 hours reviewing photographs, selecting a "story line", uploading photographs in the proper sequence, writing the narrative, and uploading the entire enchilada into Google and linking it all to FACEBOOK.

After walking each day for 6 - 10 hours or so, I invest another 3 - 5 hours in the evening designing and creating our "Show and Tell" for followers and friends to share the events of my day.

When setting out on my walk April 20, 2011 and over 7,000 miles ago, I did not foresee the evolution of my Blog into such an achievement. Walking is great...sharing it with the World is awesome.

In the morning, will walk South on US 87 out of BIG SPRING, heading to SILVER CITY, TEXAS, some 47 miles away. We will NOT do 47 miles tomorrow ! ! !

The next interim destination will be SAN ANGELO, TEXAS, another 43 miles South of SILVER CITY...still on US 87.

We will then turn East on US 84, heading for NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI

This route is not set in concrete, but is a good option for the moment.

OMG...as I post this Blog, lightning and thunder is approaching very quickly...already the electricity has flickered a time or two...my observation of a "change" is HERE ! ! !