My online activity will be sporadic for the next few weeks. I’ll be deploying soon and to maintain the proper OPSEC, I’m minimizing my internet access.

I’m currently on my pre-deployment leave to relax and spend time with family before I deploy. We decided to spend a week of it with my sister and mother in Northern Texas. I wanted to share a few photos from the beginning of our leave.

Prior to getting to the park, I saw this photo on the highway. I was getting a little excited that we were going to see some bison. I had read that they were almost extinct in this area back in the 1800s, but for the efforts of some good people and local politicians.

Unfortunately, the only bison we saw were metal cutouts at the park.

We went to a few places today, the main focus being at Capstone Canyon National Park in Northern Texas. It’s a beautiful canyon literally in the middle of nowhere. No cell phone service, no internet service. But the scenery is beyond beautiful as in this photo. Unfortunately, we chose a 100-degree day to visit the park and when you get on the trails, the Park Rangers say it’s about 10 degrees hotter! It sure felt like it!

Right outside the park is a little town called Quitaque. We stopped there to get some ice creams and water. A few blocks into town, I saw a defunct gas station with a defunct car sitting there. There was something about the scene that made me turn around and take this picture. I guess it was like something out of the animated movie, Cars. It sort of captures the atmosphere in many of these middle of nowhere Texas towns we’ve gone through the past couple of days. It’s amazing to me that they even exist.

Also out in the middle of nowhere is a little town called Turkey, TX. Yes, Turkey. This photo was taken at one of the entrances to the town. And, yes, that is a turkey outside the town center.

The next place we went was to the small, one-light town of Memphis…Texas, that is. This place has a lot of character and lays claim to a famous resident – the sister of me! The main roads are still paved with bricks and boasts one of those signature town squares with the municipal building in the center and a bunch of small business surrounding it.

Where else can you go in America to find a completely empty and quiet town center at 7pm? Here are some photos of the surrounding businesses in Memphis.

Memphis also features a few different war memorials around the square.