Two things are very much more in evidence in South Texas than years ago: the Border Patrol and oil drilling.
The Border Patrol has always had checkpoints on the major roads going north from the border. You'd pull over, the agent would ask "American citizen?" and that was it, unless I was with my father. He'd show his resident alien card and off we'd go. It was usually a step van with a couple of agents. They'd move them up and down the highways from time to time.
Now they've got permanent structures with all kinds of high-tech detection devices. They're not just looking for undocumented non-citizens, but drugs, and weapons of mass destruction. There are several agents. At least two or three talk to those passing through. They had a sniffer dog check out me and the bike yesterday. Poor pooch. I think I saw tears in his eyes as he backed away.
They have these creepy looking trucks that they use to haul detainees. And other vehicles are all over the roads. They cut the brush back from the roadsides so that there are rough dirt tracks on each side. They use their pickups to drag three tractor tires. This is to smooth the dirt so any new foot or tire tracks will be more detectable.
That would be the low tech version.
Drilling company trucks and equipment are everywhere. Every few miles there's a secured gate, usually with a very nice RV parked there. I suppose that's for the round the clock guard.
Then there's that smell. SO2 I believe George said it was. Like natural gas but much stronger. It reminds me of Big Spring where my grandparents lived. There was a refinery and it always smelled that way.
There were also wildflowers along the roads. This shot doesn't do them justice. And butterflies. Millions of butterflies. My bike and gear are encrusted with their viscera. Ugh. Gonna wash the bike in Austin.
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