The sky's the limit when you're traveling through West Texas . While February is still a cold winter month in Texas, just wait about ten minutes and the weather is likely to change. At least that's partly true in West Texas. Narrowing the microscope a bit to focus on a rather interesting area, seniors will find the Permian Basin area intriguing. Housing Midland, Odessa, Big Spring, Fort Stockton, Balmorhea, Monahans, Pecos, Stanton, Fort Davis, and Carlsbad, New Mexico there are so many attractions for the active senior, you'll ask yourself ìwhy didn't I buy that extra bottle of Geritol with Iron?

Perhaps, the anti-acid for the Mexican food?

The city of Midland shares a superb international airport with the city of Odessa. It is small but classy and extremely functional. Getting through the process of checking in, baggage claims, and all the new security woes is relatively painless. Signs are well marked and entrance/exits are easy to navigate. Both cities have an abundance of rental vehicles available should you desire to send for tour information, fly out to the area and rent a vehicle to travel in. One note of caution though, West Texas is a vast area and most of the tours will require one to three hours travel one way to your destination. So be prepared to rack up some mileage, plan ahead to stay overnight on some of these day trips unless you like driving back late at night to home base. Otherwise, this Permian Basin area is an oasis of fun and filled with attractions that draw seniors from all across the country to experience a taste of the Southwest, the Wild West, the Desert, and everything in between.

Both Midland and Odessa enlist tour groups and make available chartered bus services for group tours. Details on bus services can be found by visiting these websites www.visitmidlandtx.com or www.odessacvb.com .

During the WWI era Midland functioned primarily as a ranching town. However, that abruptly came to an end when the Santa Rita No. 1 blew out while men were drilling for oil. In 1923 the Santa Rita changed Midland forever. Twenty-two percent of the nation's oil reserve is found in the Permian Basin and Midland is the geographical center of this reserve.

Midland has found a way to diversify itself. Being the ìcity of the president,î historians travel to Midland to visit the museum and residence areas of President George W. and First Lady Laura Bush. Then there is the most treasured Aviation Art Gallery museum. Housing the nose art from the WWII aircraft, thirty-three are very rare original nose art panels that represented the artistic expressions of the United States young men at war. Designated by the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the nose art is the world's largest collection. Any one interested in our Veterans and the heritage of what our men and women did for our country should go to Midland just to see the nose art gallery and the WWII museum adjacent to it. Besides museums, Midland hosts theatres, art galleries, upper end shopping centers, race car driving, golf, bowling, a shooting range, numerous tennis courts, and athletic clubs. Some of these events are held mid way between Midland and Odessa, thereby called Midessa and unusual term but it seems to work way here in the Wild West. West Texas, with extremes in distance, gives two cities as close as Midland and Odessa (approximately twenty miles apart) the chance to share and make each a better city.

Odessa known for the  tallest rabbit in the world Jack Ben Rabbit (fictitious) and the (very real) hockey team  Jackalopes has come a long way. The Permian Basin, Paleozoic Era  of 280 million years ago, was once an ocean filled with marine life. As the ocean dried up, the dying animals and plants helped develop the huge underground pools of oil that are to this day still being found. Today, Odessa is one of the gems of the major oil field technology centers throughout the world.

Tourist, especially seniors, will enjoy visiting the Globe Theatre, experience Shakespeare, walk through the Presidential museum and review the artifacts of national and historical importance (including the events surrounding President John F. Kennedy's assassination). Visit the Odessa-Midland Symphony and enjoy a musical performance at its best.

There are numerous hiking trails and water parks throughout the city, golf courses, tennis courts, historical houses to view, and of course the meteor crater site to discover for yourself! Who knows you may find a piece of that iron and nickel buried treasure! (Credit for photos to Midland and Odessa Chambers of Commerce).    Happy Traveling.

If you have questions you may contact me at:

Rhonda@photoandtravel.com