There is an unmistakable connection between Andrews and oil. Two courthouse monuments devoted to oil milestones, a pump jack… Yeah, I think it’s a thing. There’s a virtual here inside the courthouse devoted to something other than oil. Apparently the first Kirby vacuum factory was in Andrews and, when it closed, they presented a special vacuum to the county that is on display. Unfortunately, it’s only available to be seen when the building is open and, thanks to New Mexico, I was long unable to enter this one. That’s alright, though. I needed a traditional anyway.
A bit away from the courthouse was this little pocket park and monument devoted to the first soldiers to come out to the area to make it safe for the future. Of course, my phone chose this time to go wonky on me. I’ve had a few occasions where it points itself in a completely different direction on me. Well, add one more to the pile. I ended up spending 10 or 15 minutes in the wrong corner of it because I was pointed right instead of left. Eventually, however, it corrected itself and I searched in the correct corner and found it. I signed and began to contemplate my next move. As you can tell, the sun was getting low. I was planning on spending the night in Midland, but I was a town behind. This would end up having ramifications that will be explained when I get to that point, but instead I began heading on down the road. As I watched an electrical light show play out in the clouds, I knew I would have to get some sleep. I had a big day tomorrow so I put my head down for the night in the same place I would begin the next morning…
Geocaching While Black 