West of Interstate 35, Texas is sparsely traveled country, a rugged and sub-humid land that transitions into semi-arid desert country in the western Concho Valley as one nears the Rio Pecos. There are no clear boundaries to define what is desert and what is not. But those who travel the area to San Angelo will notice a subtle difference near the town of Eden-- to the east, live oaks dot the landscape. Mesquites become more numerous to the west and shrubs such as graythorn and desert sumac show up in increasing numbers...
I travel a stretch of U S Highway 87 toward Eden occasionally. The road leads me down to Interstate 10 and family living in areas that receive quite a bit of rain each year. Journeys often taken lead to rituals that make the trip a more comfortable routine. For my wife and me, one of these is a stop at a small rest area near Eden. It signals the first hour and a half of the eight hours it takes us to reach Houston where we will rest for the evening. On the return trip, we know that we are on the final leg of a long day's ride...
The rest stop at Eden is small. It rests in the center of the four lanes of U S Highway 87 and rarely do we encounter other travelers. When we do, they are tired and hours away from where they plan to be when they do sleep. Yet this rest stop at Eden, like those throughout Texas, is a place where flowers have been planted. Some are native, others exotic. All remind us that beauty lurks close at hand even when we play the hustle and bustle game...
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