752 March 18, 2022 Deep In The Heart Of Texas

We left El Paso at 8am, eager to be on the road and chipping away at the miles that are Texas. Texas is big.

This javelina was nosing around in the trash at a rest stop. We watched a tractor trailer driver feed it.

We traveled about 400 miles today, arrving in the small town of Sonora after 4pm.

This evening we went into the market for a few things. We passed the local elementary school. There was a sign in front of the school that stated that some school staff were armed. I did some reading and about 30% of Texas school districts have implemented programs allowing teachers and other personnel to carry weapons during the school day. These teachers receive special training.

At the grocery we picked up a brochure about predator management on ranches. Coyotes and feral pigs are killing young deer, turkey, and quail. On one 1200 acre ranch where trappers worked to manage the predator population; 43 coyotes were killed in one season.

Every place that we visit has its own struggles. It might be immigration or earthquakes or wildfires or homelessness or drought or a myriad of other problems. As visitors we cannot even hope to fully comprehend the complexities of the issues and we shouldn’t endeavor to judge solutions. We don’t live here.